Summer is coming, and with it, new challenges that involve adapting our summer routine for kids. Although it is a time to rest and enjoy, it is always necessary to continue having some rules so that everything flows smoothly, without this implying that you stop having fun.
Having routines is necessary for kids, as it offers them stability, which is very important during their development.
With the arrival of the holidays, we can be a little more flexible in some things, but we need to continue with the activities we are used to. How to keep routines in summer loose but not get out of control: we give you some guidelines for it.
“Daily life, apparently predictable, excessively familiar, is what holds the possibility of great discoveries that break with custom.”
-Santiago Kovadloff-
Summer routine with kids: ideas to maintain them and aspects to take into account
Bedtime: how do we approach it?
One of the most distressing points for parents is usually the children’s bedtime during the summer.
In this sense, they must continue having a set time to go to bed, as this will help them rest better and affect their mood.
What we can do is make the time a bit more flexible; For example, if they go to bed at 8:00 p.m. every day to go to school the next day, we can allow them to go to bed one or even two hours later since they should not wake up so early the next day.
- It is essential to make the time flexible and make it a progressive process.
We recommend you to make the time more flexible little by little; for example, increase 15 minutes or half an hour with intervals of several days until reaching the “top” hour.
In the same way, when they return to class approaches, we can subtract a few minutes from the hour until we reach the one we used to have as a routine before summer. Check out more at Hulm Dubai.
In this way, the return to classes will not be so exhausting, and everyone in the family will be able to adapt to the previous situation again. It is also essential to have time to wake up, not as early as during classes but to have a maximum time to get up.
Having a more or less fixed time for going to bed and getting up (even in summer) is essential.
Find time to learn new things.
During the summer, we have an excellent opportunity for our children to learn new things without time pressure. You can take advantage of these free days so that they know new skills that give them more autonomy without stress and always respect their rhythms and interests.
Depending on the age of your children, you can teach them to go to the bathroom on their own, dress on their own, pick up and put away their clothes, tie their shoes, try new foods, etc.
Remember that there is no rush to learn. We can be a little more flexible during the summer and allow them to take their time to acquire new habits.
Eating routines: ideas to maintain them
Maintaining a minimum summer routine with kids in terms of feeding children is also essential. That is, plan the menus for the week so that they are healthy and the diet does not get out of control, always being flexible. You might be interested in Baby Names for your newborn.
Some recommendations that can go well to avoid falling into fast foods or ultra-processed foods, improvisation, etc., and suggested by María Marqués, maternal and child dietician-nutritionist and lactation consultant, are:
- Organize meals: this will allow us to ensure a complete diet and an adequate distribution of food throughout the day and week.
- Plan a weekly menu, which includes the days on which we will eat or dine out.
- Prepare simple, tasty recipes adapted to summer. Something beneficial is to be able to enjoy nutritious dishes that are refreshing and delicious at the same time.
Review what you have learned
Although summer is synonymous with fun and games, we mustn’t neglect what children have learned at school. We need to spend some time with our children to review concepts they have learned during the course entertainingly.
This does not mean we should sit with them with paper and pencil doing homework for hours. Make use of your creativity and, for example, if your child is beginning to read, review the letters with him, reading advertisements or things that interest him.
Try to make the activities to reinforce what they have learned at home entertaining; in this way, they will not only enjoy learning, but the information will be consolidated more easily.
In summer, we can also take the opportunity to review with our children; some concepts learned during school, for example, through games.
Let’s not forget the game time.
During the summer, our children have the opportunity to play without any rush or time restrictions, something that does not happen when they have class schedules.
However, it is essential to remember that being on vacation does not mean unlimited and unmonitored game time.
Let your children have the opportunity to play without neglecting other routines such as mealtimes with all their performances (setting the table, removing the dishes, etc.), sleeping hours, and the entire process involving going to bed.
Try to include outdoor activities in this game time so that they can recreate. Be careful with the amount of screen time they have, that is, when they are connected to the internet, with the use of PCs, phones, tablets, etc.
Be part of the activities of the house.
Finally, during the summer, it is essential to remember that we must have summer routine with kids, even if they are not the same as the rest of the year. Try including the kids in the daily activities of the house, such as helping with the cleaning, setting the table, collecting things, etc.
Of course, you should do this depending on the age of your children. But it is essential that they feel taken into account and know their help is vital for the house.
This gives them a greater sense of belonging to the home, strengthens their self-esteem by knowing they are needed and taken into account, and allows them to continue with a more flexible routine than usual.
“A daily routine based on good habits and discipline separates the most successful from everyone else. The grind is exceptionally powerful.”-Darren Hardy-
Balance in routines: between flexibility and structure
Remember that relaxing summer routine are positive for children, who have a very scheduled and structured life the rest of the year. However, maintaining a particular order and structure in their day-to-day life gives them security and stability.
Let’s not forget it! Kids need schedules, limits, and rules, also in summer. And along with it, flexibility, moments also to disconnect, free time, and rest. The balance between one thing and another will always be positive for their development.
