Help My Child with 7 Strategies for Summer Smiles - Transition from School to Holidays
Sue Sibly 
Inside: Meltdowns are common in summer holidays, they're exhausting for your child & yourself. Learn 7 tips to survive and enjoy your summer vacation.
Are you thinking …ahhh, summer - no school, no homework and no routines! Then reality hits! Meltdowns are common in the holidays and exhausting for your child and yourself. It is scary to venture out of home in case there is a big meltdown in public. Anxiety levels can rise and your happy child often ends up grumpy, stressed, and fighting with siblings. We know that summer can be a difficult time for some children transitioning from school to summer break.
Does your child thrive from predictability and structure of a school day? It is one part of their day that is less overwhelming and enables them to have the energy to deal with all the social and sensory exchanges that overwhelm them. Repetition and stability of a school timetable helps your child self-regulate and keep their anxiety levels low. However, we know there is freedom in routines and choosing a summer routine can help your family survive those long summer weeks, so everyone can have an enjoyable break.
1. Keep a routine in each day.
Things like shower, dress, breakfast, brush teeth, lunch, 30 minutes of reading, outdoor play and bedtime are all activities that your child can feel normality with and have control in part of their day. When change does occur, it is not as threatening because there have been some typical things happening that will keep your child calm. There is so much change in summer holidays that it is important to keep a routine to assist your child in experiencing as much as they can.
2. Use a visual schedule to help your child prepare for the week.
Putting special events on a calendar is a great way for your child to prepare and calm their body for new activities. If you are planning a trip to the zoo on Friday, your child can look ahead to see what is coming and get excited about seeing the animals. They may like to do some research on what they will see at the zoo and their favorite animals. Maintaining a daily schedule can help start the morning off the right way! Making a visual timetable helps cue your child to prepare for the transition that is coming and they can prepare their body to help with staying calm and self-regulating. You don’t need to be so rigid and have times and every activity on the schedule. Choosing which parts of the day to keep structured will allow for freedom with your child in the summer break.
3. Reduce the overwhelming times.
You know your child the best, so try to keep the overload to a minimum. Perhaps mess sends your child into a spin and you know that a meltdown is going to happen any moment. Simply, add tidy up times into your day so your child can help self-regulate and keep happy not stressed. Does your child struggle with the sound of fireworks? Prepare for night fireworks that you may be attending. Talk about them and devise a strategy for with your child. Perhaps it is having some noise reducing headphone for them to wear or you might find that they like to be far away from the fireworks and not up close. The secret is to plan ahead. Being proactive is more enjoyable than being reactive. Watch for signs of overload and anxieties rising with your child, avoiding bad habits from developing is the key to a stress-free summer!
4. Devise a list of activities for changes.
If your child struggles with change, remember to teach them how to adapt their plans. Together, you can devise a list of change activities to do for when it is needed. If you have organized a beach day and it is rainy and stormy, it is not going to be fun for anyone. Going to the museum may be a better option, but try telling that to your child! Sometimes they will feel angry and upset about a change of plans, and that is ok. Work through and talk with your child about their emotions and help them to move towards the new activity. Practicing this will help teach them how to manage and reduce their meltdowns. Please remember to add the cancelled outing back on the schedule! It is also a great idea to talk out loud when this happens to you, so your child can hear how you deal with a change of plans. You will find that they learn and develop a sense of resistance from your modelling, so they can keep calm when a transition occurs. Try it and see how they go.
5. Keep screen time and behavior expectations as normal.
It is so easy to be lax about screen time in the school holidays. After all your child loves playing on the computer or watching TV and it gives you some much needed time to yourself. However, it is much better to keep your expectations the same as any other school semester. Remember to limit screen time to help your child regulate the aggression that often comes from too much intense screen time. It doesn’t matter whether it is the computer, TV or iPad time – your child will eventually display negative behavior from overuse of screen time. Keep these expectations as close to your normal routine, so your child will stay the loving, kind child that you know they normal are. Stick to your usual routines with chores and behavior expectations and watch your child blossom within the freedom of routines.
6. Watch YOUR tone of talk and keep things positive!
As you spend more time together in summer holidays, you may find you need a break because your child constantly presses your buttons! It is easy to slip into negative or sarcastic talk. You are constantly answering their questions and chattiness. Perhaps your child can’t play on their own and occupy themselves, so you never have a minute alone to drink your coffee! If you find yourself in a negative spin, take a break - the toilet works wonders! - and re-set. Then come back and change your talk to be more positive and less hostile. Instead of saying ‘NO’, you may start to say, ‘yes, when we have done this first.’ Find ways to keep your tone upbeat and remember to tell your child how much you love them.
7. Reward your child’s positive behavior.
Use a reward chart or star chart to help your child see and remember their good choices. Try and find moments when your child is displaying positive choices and verbally reward them with your affirmations. It is good to aim for at least 4 praises a day, which may be hard for you to find at the start of the holidays. As you see them transitioning to a new activity without a meltdown, showing flexibility with their choices, or doing a task when you ask – praise them, give them a sticker and ask them to place it on their chart. Set a reward to celebrate your child’s good behavior choices. This might be a special activity together, a treat like an ice cream, or even a memory like a dinner out as a family. Some children will cope with a set number of stickers, whilst others will manage a set time, like 5 stars for 5 days and then the reward. You will know your child’s commodity and what is valuable to them.
As you develop and maintain these 7 Strategies for Summer Smiles, the transition from school to holidays will be filled with lovely memories, happy family times and a deeper respect for your child.
To discuss tips and strategies in greater detail head over to The Journey where we unpack these ideas and many others, as we empower Moms with wisdom, support and community to help their child.
Enjoy your summer break and let me know how you implemented these tips.
Take care,
Categories: parenting, sensory, Autism, ADHD, SPD, ASD, social skills, wellbeing, meltdown, anxiety, behavior, behaviour