Parenting In Focus: Setting summer goals

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Summer is a special time for children. They look forward to the break from school and having time to do what they would like to do. They get to sleep in later than during the school year and most kids take advantage of this sleep in later time.

Kids usually get to stay up a bit later in the summer, which is another treat. Things are just a lot more relaxed at this time of year for them.

But what can you expect from your child during this summer break? Break usually begins with a lot of excitement, but you need to be prepared for your child to also talk about being bored. You need to be prepared for this comment.

Here are some ways to deal with summer boredom:

1. “So you feel like there’s nothing interesting for you to do right now?” Don’t just jump in with ideas. Let your child see you know how he is feeling which helps him see you as an ally. If you add your ideas too soon, it will discourage him from thinking up his own.

2. “If you could do anything, what would you like to do?” Encourage him to think of ideas no matter how far out. By sorting through his ideas, you may get some more ideas for him.

3. “That’s a great idea. We can’t do it today, but let’s make sure doing it sometime soon.” If she suggests something that can’t be done right away, help her to think of it for the future.

4. “You’re usually so good at thinking of things to do.” Let him hear you value his ideas. This is a way to help him feel good about himself.

5. “Let’s think of some things together.” You want her to think of ideas for herself. You may need to help her get started by offering some ideas of yours.

6. “I sure could use some help for a bit.” Most children like to help with household tasks. When you are making dinner, or cleaning, see if there are some jobs he can help with. Any job can get children feeling like they are accomplishing something. Think of the toy area, and see if he can help get things more organized.

7. “Remember how we wanted to sort through our old pictures?” Sorting through old pictures can be a fun activity. Give her some structure to his organizing. Sort by age or date. Give her lots of room.

8. “Do you want to water some things in the garden?” This is a task kids love. He can wash down the patio, clean the car, or just water the plants. Watering helps.

9. “Let’s do something we can do together.” Maybe your bored child is just wanting you to spend some special time with him. Playing a board game can be fun. Read with her. Take a walk together. Go to the pool in the neighborhood or for a bike ride together. Remember, time together helps make time go really fast.

10. “Remember the lessons he needs to makeup from the school year. Make them fun but also make use of this time to help him learn some more things better.” Make number games. Check his spelling. Make a big deal about what he knows and what he can learn from having fun.

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation, which published newsletters for parents, caregivers and grandparents.