The beginning of the summer brings relaxed days and endless sunshine but for some little ones, the break from the school’s routine and structure can be challenging. Change is difficult for young children, and the transition to summer is a big change. While every child deals with transition differently, parents can minimize the upheaval by helping them manage the shift from the familiar to the unknown.
Here are our top five tips to make the transition to summer as smooth as possible for your little ones.
1. Celebrate the End of the Year
While the end of the academic year may be bittersweet, it’s a great time to celebrate your children’s achievements, both in and out of the classroom. Take your child out for a fruit popsicle and ask them about their favorite project from school or what they’re looking forward to most about summer. Help them create a memory scrapbook or poster to commemorate what they learned over the school year, all the fun activities they took part in, and the awards they received.
2. Enroll in Summer Camps
Summer camps are an incredibly effective way to add structure children’s summer days and mimic the early morning routine of the school year. It is also a great way for your child to meet new friends, stay socially and intellectually engaged, and explore a new skill or talent. Summer camps also promote independence, cooperation, and teamwork: skills that help children succeed in school.
Can’t find a summer camp that fits your schedule? We’ve got you covered with flexible, engaging summer programming from language immersion to arts intensives to hands-on engineering sessions. Easily search for a passionate educator, invite a few friends, and let us bring a one of a kind summer camp experience to the comfort of your home.
3. Stick to a Schedule
The most challenging part of the transition from school to summer is the lack of daily structure. Creating a summer schedule for your child can mitigate the chaos of a slew of unstructured days. Create a weekly calendar at the beginning of summer and engage children in the planning process. Make sure the calendar is visible to children, and include representative drawings and stickers so children who aren’t yet able to read will know, at a glance, what the day holds.
4. Countdown to Adventure
Summer can be a time of spontaneous adventure. At the beginning of the summer, co-create with your children a list of fun activities to do before the summer ends. Sprinkle your summer calendar with these adventures and countdown to each occasion. This allows children to emotionally prepare for what’s next!
Inviting a few friends from school allows little ones to socialize with children their age while strengthening those relationships.
5. Leave Time for Learning
Just because school is out, doesn’t mean learning should stop. Ask your children what they enjoyed learning in school and brainstorm ways to recreate that experience at home. If they were fascinated by how seeds grow, plant tomatoes at home. If they were enthralled by art, commission an art sculpture made from recycled materials from them. Prevent summer slide by reserving the morning for play-based learning and exploration and the night to read together. Not only will this ease the transition into the summer, but it will also ease the transition out of it as well.
Eiko Nakazawa
Tinybeans Voices ContributorI'm an NYC mom who is passionate about early education. I created Dearest to solve the quality issues of child care in the city, by connecting families with a community of educators who can take excellent care of the children while inspiring and teaching them.
