Summer vacation is finally here! For many kids, the anticipation of a break from school has been building up for some time, but now that the end-of-school parties, graduations, and celebrations are over, that freedom can feel overwhelming. Kids of all ages benefit from structure, and when the school-day flow goes out the window, so does their sense of security. This might look like increasing power-struggles, heightened emotions, a harder time self-regulating, or rising conflict around screentime, mealtimes or bedtime. If things are starting to bubble up, fear not!

The first step in creating a summer rhythm that works for your family means looking at each family members individual capacity and need. Consider things like work schedules, summer camps, energy levels, sleep needs, weather (I know I don’t have to tell you about Texas summers!), family chores, social battery, and neurodivergence (kids with exceptionalities like ADHD, anxiety or Autism have a higher need for structure and predictability). Here are a few simple ways to construct a summer routine that works for your family.

1.     Maintain consistency

Build the core of your schedule around consistent routines such as wake-up time, mealtimes, nap/quiet time, household chores, screentime and bedtime. Think of these as the non-negotiables of your day, because if they start to go you can expect an uptick in boundary pushing and challenging behaviors. Creating a predictable framework is crucial- it is the foundation that allows for variety, flexibility and exploration without dysregulation.

2.     Create visual schedules

Offer predictability by showing kids what to expect through a visual schedule. If you have young children, create a simple daily flow with drawings of each activity. For older kids, you can use words and/or images, and expand to a weekly flow. Make a way for them to check off each activity. Keep a separate monthly calendar with a way to mark off each day. This calendar will help kids navigate the break as a whole: showing trips, summer camps, family visits etc. Planning in advance allows you to go over the schedule as often as needed to solidify the routine and set the expectation.

3.     Be strategic

As you create your daily rhythm, think about planning non-preferred activities before preferred activities. This will increase motivation to get the “boring” things done. Perhaps morning chores must happen before the walk to the park, or the trip to the grocery store must happen before you head to the neighborhood pool. Perhaps summer learning must be complete before daily screen-time is available. Every family and child’s needs are different, so think about what works for you and plan strategically to minimize parent-child conflict.

4.     Spend time outdoors

Time outside is all-around regulating! It doesn’t matter if it is a walk around the neighborhood, sprinkler-time in the backyard, swimming at the pool, or play at the park- being outside gives kids the chance for movement, sensory input, and child-led exploration. Spending time outdoors reduces stress and anxiety, increases executive functioning, encourages independence and supports good sleep habits. In Texas, the summer heat can be draining, but carving out time to be outdoors when it’s not too hot will make a big difference in your day.

5.     Leave time for boredom

In a time where screens are always an armlength away, the creativity, imagination and intellectual growth that boredom urges are at risk of extinction. Some people might push back against the idea of scheduled screentime, but if you have healthy, consistent and predictable limits around screens, you can protect the good, old-fashioned boredom that leads to some of life’s greatest joys and discoveries! Safeguarding time for boredom will support kids’ inherent curiosity, exploration and innovation and lead to independent, creative thinkers and makers.

Creating structure doesn’t mean scheduling every hour of every day, but rather building a routine that offers consistency, predictability and follow-through. Dr. Maria Montessori said, “External order creates internal order, and this is a significant foundation to the intellect.” In constructing a framework for your summer routine, you are providing the external order that allows for the development of independence, creativity, internal order, and of course, the spontaneity that summer brings!