Creating an Awesome ADHD Summer Schedule
- Beth Skaret
- Jun 3, 2019
- 6 min read
Updated: 48 minutes ago
When the weather warms up, the school year ends, and vacation time begins most people are ready to just chill out and relax. That is not necessarily true for the family that has a child with ADHD. In their world, summer means something else….
a loss of routine,
fewer people to help with supervision and structure,
sleep schedules that are now out the window,
a never ending need to find something for their child with ADHD to do that does not ultimately end with crying, fighting or a need to explain why the neighbor’s cat is now partially painted green.
ADHD kids need routine and structure. They need to know what to expect, when to expect it and what they are supposed to do. Summer vacation sort of throws all that out the window and leaves you to figure it out alone. So, in this post we will talk about what a summer schedule for a kid with ADHD needs to have, where you can find resources to get started and how to put it all together.
In case you are new to the Jesus Me & ADHD blog, here are some other popular posts for you to check out:
And don’t forget to grab a free copy of The ADHD Prayer Journal for Moms. It’s 30 days of blessings and prayers just for you.
Creating an Awesome ADHD Summer Schedule: What to include.
A summer schedule of ADHD is not all that different from what you need during the school year. They both need structure, consistency, engaging activities, and positive reinforcement. What differs is who is providing these things.
Structure
During the school year you have built in structure. If your kid goes to public or private school, they provide the content, the routine, the materials, the expectations...BOOM, it’s handled. If you homeschool, you provide those things, but it’s built around academic goals.
For the summer, YOU have to create the structure.
You need to first set some goals for your kid and / or your family.
What do you want to accomplish this summer?
More time outdoors?
Visit new places?
Spend more time with extended family?
Learn a new skill (crafts, sports, musical instrument)?
First figure out what you want to accomplish and then use those goals to build a structure that will help you accomplish them. Just make sure you limit the number of goals to 2-3. Too many unrelated activities can be as chaotic as none.
Creating an Awesome ADHD Summer Schedule: Consistency.
You’ve got your goals - you know what you want to accomplish and you have a few ideas about what activities you can do to accomplish them. Now you need to set up a consistent routine.
Start by planning out a single manageable day.
What activities can you plan that will fit nicely into your kid’s day that work toward the goal and still meet your family’s needs?
For example:
If your goal was to have your kid / family spend more time outside, you could consider things like taking hikes, going on a bike ride, planting a garden, building a tree fort, drawing outside with chalk, making fairy gardens, hunting for bugs, etc.
Some of these could be things you do on a daily basis or they could be one time things like going to the beach, the movies or camping.
Begin by plugging in the everyday things (meal times, commute times, daycare, camp) and identify times where you are lacking structure for your child.
Next, sort the activities you think will help meet your goals into daily choice activities that fit your family’s schedule. Let your child pick each day from a menu of activities at preset times during your day.
After you’ve got one day sorted out, plan out a week, and then a month and so on. Be sure to plug in any big plans or trips ahead of time so that your ADHD kid knows that it is coming and won’t be thrown off by the change.
Once you get the ordinary daily schedule figured out...don’t mess with it unless it is for a BIG thing like camping or a trip. Be consistent. If everyday from 3-5pm is usually choice time...keep it that way.
Creating an Awesome ADHD Summer Schedule: Engaging Activities.
While we need to have consistency in the routine, it also needs to be fun. If you are a creative person (or just a fairly practiced Pinterest user) you can find all kinds of activities for your child to choose from.
However, not everyone has the time to organize all that stuff and you really just need a www.pinterest.complug and play option.
That’s where you can take advantage of things like
the public library summer reading program,
the YMCA day camps,
community education activities: swimming lessons, recreational sports programs, clubs.
If you look in your local Facebook groups, you might even find weekly playgroups at the park or local field trips.
Most of the “done for you” activities will fill up in early spring, so you need to try to plan those ahead of time if you are going to use them.
If you waited until May or June to plan your summer activities...you’re probably going to need to get creative. Ask around your neighborhood to see if anyone else is in the same situation...maybe you can start a new group that does weekly play dates or activities. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
Whichever activities you pick, make sure they are of interest to your child. It won’t be worth it to sign them up for a bunch of things when you will spend a ton of time arguing with them about going.
Creating an Awesome ADHD Summer Schedule: Materials.
If you are utilizing “done for you” activities, you won’t need to worry about this, but if you need to do a lot of them on your own, you’ll need to make sure you have the tools to accomplish your activities.
First, look at the activities you want to do and then make a list of what you’ll need. (hint - if it’s a big thing like making a garden or building a tree fort you probably should ask someone who has done it before).
Next double check that you have what you’ll need on hand or can at least borrow them easily.
Last, figure out how long it will take to do what you need to do and schedule the time appropriately.
Don’t forget to count yourself (or someone else who can facilitate or supervise) as a material resource. Remember, we don’t want to have to explain to the neighbors how their cat became part of the art project.
Some basic items to keep on hand in the summer (again Pinterest can be a lifesaver):
Water supplies:
Bubbles
5 gallon buckets
Dish soap
Old plastic shower curtain liner (slip & slide/ tent/ huge canvas for painting)
Building supplies
Cardboard boxes
Duct Tape
Lightweight tools (kid size - used with supervision)
Scrap wood or particle board
Twine or rope
Old sheet (tent /fort)
Craft supplies
Drawing paper
Washable markers/ crayons/ paint
Chalk
Yarn
Scissors
Scotch tape or masking tape.
Old paint brushes (let them paint with water on the concrete - it evaporates and they can start again).
Basic outdoor stuff:
Bike pump
Bandaids
Playground ball
Balloons
Sprinkler
Hose
Creating an Awesome ADHD Summer Schedule: Positive Reinforcement.
You’ve got goals, you’ve got activities, you’ve got a schedule, you’ve got materials and resources...you're ready. Now you just need to get your kid to buy into it.
They want to be entertained, sure. But here’s the thing - they will buy into it if YOU DO.
One of the great things about summer is that you get to spend more time doing things TOGETHER.
If you want your kids to get excited about all the fun stuff you have planned for them to do, you need to show them that you are excited too.
That means that you need to show up and be a part of it.
I get that many of you have to work during the day. But you can be a part of the afternoon and evening activities (or mornings if you work a late shift).
What will make your kids want to do this is if you are going to be a part of it and be part of making the fun memories with them. You don’t even have to be doing the big things like Disney vacations.
You just need to be present and enjoying spending time with them on a regular basis.
That alone is what you need for positive reinforcement.
Obviously, compliment their art projects, the cool fort in the backyard, the great plays on the ball field. But make sure you show up and are a part of their summer too.
Like what you read here?
Check out the rest of my website and blog for more practical ideas to deal with daily ADHD issues and to find encouragement and support in this Journey: www.bethskaret.com
You are warmly invited to join us in our FREE Face Book group: The Jesus Me & ADHD Moms Fellowship. It is a group of Christian Moms of kids with ADHD who share, support and pray for each other as we journey through the daily struggles with ADHD.
Comments