June 2024

7 Ways to Help Your Kids Maintain Summer Structure

The Kids Mental Health Foundation Icon
Kady Lacy, Behavioral Health Clinical Lead Supervisor

Article Summary

 
  • Having routines like regular bedtimes, wake-up times and daily schedules can provide stability and help behavior.
  • Continue enforcing rules and chore charts to avoid power struggles and maintain a positive relationship.
  • When possible, involve children in structured activities like summer camps or sports to keep them active and social.

For a lot of children, summer means no school, warm weather and staying up late. While we want summer to be a time for our kids to relax and enjoy themselves, we also know children strive and feel most safe when there is a sense of routine to their every day. 

If you can maintain structure during the summer, it will not only support their mental health during the summer but also make the transition back to school easier.

Here are seven ways you can help:

  1. Have set bedtimes, wake up times and routines. The times may not be as early as during the school year but should be consistent throughout the entire summer.
  2. Try to have your kids eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time each day. Make sure they are eating and drinking enough throughout the hot summer days. This also helps break up the day into smaller pieces, making it easier to manage.
  3. Have a visible schedule for your kids so they know when activities are happening throughout the week and aren’t caught off guard.
  4. Don’t throw away the rules and chore charts; maintain expectations. While kids are often able to have more flexibility, make sure they are still aware of rules and responsibilities throughout the summer. This will help avoid power struggles, so you can maintain a positive relationship with your child all season long.
  5. Get children linked with summer activities (i.e., summer camps, community groups, sports, summer school). This will help them remain active and social so they aren’t inside on their screens all day. Typically, summer activities have their own schedule which will help reduce daily chaos.
  6. Start getting back into the school year routine before school starts so you can work out all the kinks before the first day.
  7. Most importantly, have fun with them!

Summer brings a lot of excitement for many kids, but sometimes it can bring a bit of stress as well since routines are usually thrown off. Here are some tips to help find a balance for kids over the summer.