10 Things to Do This Summer to Support Your Child's Mental Health
Summer is the one of the best times of the year! The sun is out more often, the days are longer, the weather is warmer, there’s no school, summer camps are the best, and there’s just so much going on to enjoy doing. I thought I’d take a few minutes to share some ideas for the summer to support your child’s mental health as we wind down this school year. Here you will find 10 ideas, in no particular order, for things to do this summer that will support your child’s mental health.
1. Turn all the things off (TV, phone, tablets, computers, anything with a screen or containing any form of technology) and go outside!
Imagination, being able to work through things without looking up the answer that someone else has developed, and physical movement are all huge contributors to successful problem solving. Devices with screens also keep our brains stimulated without us necessarily being aware of it. Getting outside and engaging in exploration, movement, and free play are essential for wellness and positive development. If your child is not used to it and isn’t sure what to go, help get them started and then encourage them to keep trying. Spend some time outside together. Summer also brings great chances to go on nature walks, spend time at the beach or pond, and go on on-water adventures such as whale watches.
2. Enroll your child in summer camp for at least part of the summer.
The positives to summer camp can fill an entire blog post and more all on its own. Camp is a chance to play, develop confidence in your self, do things that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to do, build social skills, and just have a lot of fun! There are many different options to choose from including summer recreation programs, specialized camps for specific activities, day camps, and overnight camps. Do a little research in your area to find out what the options are and talk with you child about what choices they have. Then, sign them up for something. Keep in mind that new things not ever done before can be scary and sometimes you have to make the executive decision that something is going to happen amidst protest. This is a something that is okay to decide to do even if your child isn’t so sure. It’s okay to not plan the entire summer- having down time where children can choose what to do is absolutely okay. But too much of a good thing becomes not a good thing.
3. Keep reading throughout the summer.
Academically, reading throughout the summer helps to prevent some of the “summer loss” that happens with information learned in a previous school year that is needed in the upcoming one. This makes the transition back into school a little less anxiety-producing. More importantly, people who enjoy reading also gain the mental health benefits of engaging in reading. Reading presents an opportunity to escape into somewhere else, learn about people and places, develop empathy, and just have fun. If you are incorporating reading aloud into your routines (and you totally should even after children develop the ability and skills for independent reading!!!!), this is a great chance to develop positive bonds and connections with your child. It’s a great quiet activity that helps with self-regulation and other executive functioning skills development. Plus, it’s a great time for fun and memory building that will stay with your child for a lifetime!
4. Choose some adventures based on your child’s interests for you to do together.
Summers are for doing things that you “don’t have time to do” during the school year. Pick a few adventures- they can be of any size and don’t have to be huge or far away- that your child will enjoy and that you can have fun doing together. Base your idea picks on interest areas your child has (if it’s an interest area you share, this is a definite bonus!). Do they like bugs or learning about how things work? Museum of Science! Do they like learning about history? Find a living history museum or other historic site! Like going on walks and exploring places? Find your local national park or nature center! How about for the music lovers? Oh my goodness- the outside live music options (and many of them are free by the way) in the summer are endless! How about the kids who love to draw and paint? Maybe try packing up some art supplies and going somewhere new to be creative or do a found art activity in which you go on a nature walk, collect items to use, and create a something with what you’ve found.
5. Think intentionally and communicate with your child’s counselor about continuing through the summer or taking a break.
A couple thoughts to think about here. Sometimes the summer is the best time to work on developing coping skills or problem solving situations because the pressures and stresses from school are off the table for a couple months. This frees up brain space and also gives a chance to build confidence and abilities in skills to get them ready to go for when they are needed come fall. Summer can also be a time when it’s nice to take a break from counseling and just engage in enjoying the summer. As with anything in life, there are pros and cons to everything. Please make intentional choices here and be in communication with the provider you are working with. Don’t just stop because there’s a lot more fun things happening and without communicating with your provider.
6. Do something musical.
Music has so many positive powers! Playing an instrument is fun, develops confidence, helps with emotional self-regulation, builds academic skills, and helps with the development of executive functioning skills. And did I mention it’s a fun thing to do? Listening to music does many of the same things. There are a lot of options for performances in the summer and many of them are held at outdoor venues. Go and enjoy, and find joy in the music. Maybe even try something new.
7. Develop a routine that includes going to bed times and waking up times.
Routine is important for overall wellness in so many ways! Relaxing the times in the summer is okay, but don’t get rid of routine altogether. You’re helping your child to function at their best now and also helping them to grow into the best adult humanbeings that they can be. Helping them to learn the importance of routine and also the skills needed to be flexible when things need to change or don’t go as planned is so hugely important it cannot be overstated!
8. Yes to icecream and also yes to healthy food choices.
Okay seriously- favorite icecream place to go in the summer? We all have one so let’s be honest here. Totally okay to say yes to special treats like icecream in the summer. Also really important to say yes to the rest of the good nutrition choices that we need to be making and helping our children to make. Shop local if you can and maybe check out a farmer’s market or two if you’ve got some near you. Farmstands are also great options. The fruit and vegetable choices available in the summer make for a huge variety of yummy tasting options!
9. Stay hydrated!
Sleep is the one thing that can throw everything else off with nutrition being a close-second, but the one thing that is so often overlooked? Water. Yup, that most basic of things. We need it to stay alive but did you know that being dehydrated can lead to sleepiness, sluggishness, and difficulty regulating emotions? Sure can. So make sure to stay hydrated this summer!
10. Be mindful of the start to the next school year and be prepared to prepare!
And if you’ve just rolled your eyes at this last one, that’s totally okay but please read it anyway! At the start of the summer, there are two-ish months before the next school year. Depending on the age of your child, there may be some summer work that has been assigned and leaving it all until the day before school starts again isn’t a good idea. Also, that shift in routine we just talked about? Be ready to start shifting it back to the school year routine about two weeks prior to the start of the next school year to give everyone a chance to start re-adjusting slowly and be ready to go for the night before the first day of school. And, super important last thing: being aware of where you are timewise in the summer also means you’ll be able to make sure you fit as many of the fun things in as possible!