Planning for a Fantastic Summer

It’s been said that a failure to plan is a plan to fail and that old adage is certainly true when it comes to summer vacation. Plan? Why do we need to plan? Summer is summer. Kids ride bikes, go swimming, play with their friends, eat Popsicles, and throw rocks at stuff. How much more planning does there need to be?

Well, let’s consider this… During the school year, they get up at the same time every day, they eat a fairly predictable meal, do their hygiene, get dressed, and then they are transported to school where they will spend the next 6-7 hours engaged in activity after activity after activity, all led and designed by grown-ups. They will do each activity for anywhere from 10 to 90 minutes and then a new activity will begin.

Then, they may be transported again to a place where they have an hour or two of free-play, but even day care centers have organized activities most of the time.

Finally, when they get home, they are shepherded to do homework, eat dinner, clean themselves up, change into pajamas, and engage in a relaxing bedtime ritual that might include reading a story, talking or saying prayers with parents, or listening to a little music.

Look at all that STRUCTURE!

When summer vacation comes, if we just let kids meander about freely, it’s like pulling the rug out from beneath them. They are used to having their days structured. They are used to eating at 12:10. They are challenged by interesting tasks and games all day. They are guided through self-care activities like brushing hair or teeth.

You cannot just yank that away from them, it’s not fair. It’s like taking you, in the clothes on your back, and just teleporting you to downtown Beijing, China. No plan, no job, no money, you don’t speak the language, and you don’t know anyone. There, now have fun! Whoa! That’s very scary.

Sure, kids like to play, and yes, they will amuse themselves if you don’t, but it’s really not very good for them to just have weeks upon weeks of unstructured activity. Kids aren’t good vacation planners. Without adult guidance, they eventually get bored and get into trouble, both of which will make YOUR summer miserable.

So, start now. Lay out the weeks of your child’s summer vacation and plan some structured activities. Maybe they will go to camp for one week or go to Grandma’s house for a week or maybe they will have piano lessons or play on a soccer team, but they have to be given SOMETHING to do or they’ll go nuts. They should have household chores and you should practice academic skills in the summer so their learning isn’t lost.

I know, I know, if you were given the opportunity to have TWO SOLID months off of work, you would love it and you would not imagine feeling like that was ‘too much’ time. Kids simply aren’t the same in that regard. They need their time to be structured or they simply don’t do very well. They get scared, angry, frustrated, bored, and eventually that all leads to trouble. They fight with their friends, they fight with their siblings, they argue with you, and they get into minor mischief. Older kids may even get into criminal activity. Plan now so that your summer can be a success!

Marlo J. Archer, Ph.D
Licensed Psychologist
1250 E. Baseline Rd.
Suite 102
Tempe, AZ 85283
480-705-5007
DrMarlo.com