Getting Ready for S.U.M.M.E.R.

Getting Ready for S.U.M.M.E.R.

As Alice Cooper heralded, “School’s out for summer!” Students are more than ready to be out of class and away from school for the next few months. And let’s be honest, most parents are eager for the end of the school year as well. No more homework battles. No more projects. No more teacher conferences.

But while we tend to see the summer as a time to relax and unwind, these next few months provide a wonderful opportunity to build new habits for you and your child. Habits that will ensure a healthy start to the next school year. To help build these habits we are prescribing the S.U.M.M.E.R. program for you and your child.

S – Sleep

One of the things kids and teens look forward to over the summer is staying up late and sleeping even later. Like a tightly wound rubber band looking for its opportunity to spring back in opposition, kids who have spent the entire year going to bed by 9:00pm and getting up at 6:00 am tend to over compensate during the summer months. They will try to push the limits and stay up until 1:00am or later, and then sleep until noon. Sure they may be getting enough sleep, but their schedules are way out of synch with their natural cycles.

The summer is a great time to get your kids on a good, healthy sleep routine. Of course they do not need to go to bed as early as they would on a school night, but they also should not stay awake half the night. Setting reasonable expectations for sleep is key to compliance and cooperation. So instead of going to bed at 9:00pm, perhaps the bedtime could be 10:30pm. The next morning, then, instead of sleeping half the day away, set an alarm for 7:30am or so. That is a good 9 hours of sleep! And when your child sees how good he feels when he is receiving adequate sleep, he will be much more likely to maintain that type of schedule when school returns. What’s more, because he is getting enough sleep, he will be much more pleasant and engaging during the summer.

U – Use Up Energy

Let’s be honest, it is hot outside, especially here in Florida. As such, it is not easy getting our kids outside during the day to get some physical exercise. Nonetheless, it is crucial that we use the summer months as a time to get our children (and ourselves) accustomed to regular exercise. Although I  have nothing against video games played in moderation, the idea of spending 15 hours a day “plugged in” is terrifying. We, as a society, need to get moving.

Do not try to over do it, but build in about 30 minutes of mild to moderate exercise three or four times a week. That certainly sounds doable, right? A 30 minute walk or bike ride will do wonders for your overall health. What’s more, if you plan it well, this could be a great time for you and your child to spend some quality time together, just talking about whatever you can get him/her to talk about. No pressure, just a walk and a talk.

M – Meals

During the summer months you have more control over your child’s diet than you do during the school year. At school, they can get junk food in the cafeteria and candy from their friends. And while you can certainly pack your child’s lunch, there is no guarantee that she will eat it.

With more control, comes more opportunities to ensure that your child is maintaining a healthy diet. Reducing simple carbohydrates and sugars is critical to health body and brain functioning. Eating a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and protein sets the stage for a healthy mind and body to start out the new school year.

M – Mathematics

Here we start getting into the more academic-based summer activities. Again, students tend to want to avoid anything that resembles school like the plague. However, research is clear that neglecting academic tasks for the two months of summer break can have dramatic effects on student performance. That is, those students who do not practice over the summer, begin the next school year behind where they ended the last.

This is certainly true in mathematics, where students have far fewer opportunities to practice over the summer. Let’s be honest, if you go to a restaurant, your student has the opportunity to read the menu. But how often does he attempt to add up the prices to anticipate the bill? Having your child spend 30-45 minutes a few times a week working on mathematics is not too overwhelming for you or your child. There are plenty of grade-level appropriate math worksheets available online, or you could have your child work on grade/subject level work at the Khan Academy online. It is free and it is fantastic!

E – Expressive Writing

Like mathematics, students typically have very few opportunities to express themselves through writing during the summer months. Unfortunately, writing in schools has become a labor intensive task for students. But the summer can be an opportunity for your child to learn more enjoyable forms of writing. They can break from the molds imposed upon them by their schools, and search for new ways to tell stories and express themselves.

Writing is a great tool for building some of our critical executive functioning skills, such as planning and organizing. Moreover, it is a wonderful medium for expanding your vocabulary and learning new ways of expression. As with math, you do not need to overdo it. Writing for 20 minutes a few times a week will suffice.

R – Reading

Reading has become the primary focus of primary school education. Kindergarteners are expected to be able to read and third graders cannot move on to fourth until they show proficiency in third grade level reading. Unfortunately, students who do not read over the summer months typically begin the next school year four to six months behind where they ended the last. This can be devastating, especially for those rising third graders who can use all the help they can get.

As I have mentioned with all of the other summer plans, do not try to overdo reading. Reading is important, but you do not want to create conflict over it. Reading 20-30 minutes before bed at night will certainly suffice. And remember, reading is reading. It does not really matter what your child is reading, as long as he is reading.

The summer is certainly a time of needed rest and relaxation. However, we should not allow this time to go to waste. When spent wisely, you can enjoy yourself, relax, and still build healthy life habits!