When school is out the freedom from a schedule can quickly turn to boredom for your child. Sensitive, spirited children need a balance of structure, down time and adventure. As a parent, you need to keep in mind your own limits for noise, activity, crowds, etc., and respect those as you plan for smooth experiences.

In addition to envisioning the outcome you’d like to have and planning your schedule, there are important steps you can take to help things run more smoothly this summer with your spirited child. Balance out the types of activities you feel good about to keep your child engaged this summer:

Adventures

Get your child involved in planning weekly or monthly outings. Depending on the age of your child, he or she could map the route, determine the mileage, plan snacks, make an estimated budget for the trip and gather information on where you are going. This keeps learning alive all summer long. It also helps your child to make choices and know limits so they don’t resort to begging for more when the allotted budget has been spent.

Here are a variety of adventures you may choose to partake in this summer:

Attending county or state fairs, festivals, community events.
Enjoying free outdoor concerts.
Visiting friends/relatives.
Going to the beach .
Visiting the zoo.
Finding pick your own strawberry, raspberry or other agricultural product establishments.
Spend the day on a farm and take a picnic lunch with you.
Seek out day trips and scenic views in your local area.
Take bocce ball to the beach and play.
Explore a state or county park that you’ve never been to before.
Attend an outdoor movie theater.
Visit a museum.
Go to a botanical garden.

Homecare Activities

Let your child know how he or she can earn privileges this summer. In addition to regular chores, you can get your child involved in extra homecare projects as one way to ‘earn’ an adventure or special treat together.

Some examples of homecare related activities:

Washing windows
Washing cars
Planting a garden
Tending a garden
Weeding
Mowing the lawn
Vacuuming the house
Vacuuming a vehicle
Meal planning
Meal preparation
Assisting with home repair projects

With some creativity, you can turn these tasks into fun activities.
For example – Make it a contest to see who can get the most weeds pulled up by the roots in a certain amount of time.
Set a timer to get as much of the project at hand done as possible in 15 minutes, before taking a popsicle break.
Plan and prepare a themed dinner from menu to activities after dinner. If you decide Tuesday is Italian Night, for example, after the first course of spaghetti, serve homemade Italian ice you’ve made together.

Of course, giving your child verbal kudos with sincere appreciation for anything done with good behavior or positive attitude goes a long way toward cooperation.

Movement Activities

Kinesthetic kids need vigorous physical movement to expel the extra energy they often have to feel good in their body.

Here are some examples of movement activities perfect for the summer months:

Finger and toe painting outside on the driveway with you, of course!
Yard races such as the wheelbarrow race, gunny sack races, one-legged race in the backyard or at a local park.
Kicking around a soccer ball ice cream maker to make homemade ice cream. (Available online and at some Target stores.)
Go to the local pool, miniature golf, batting cage, theme park or Frisbee golf course.
Biking together on bike trails or in the neighborhood.
Rollerblading or skateboarding.

Quiet Activities

Here are some things that can be done together that bring the energy level down:

Reading books together out loud. (One of my favorite series is the Sara books by Abraham-Hicks.)
Playing, drawing, counting or building in the sand at a beach, backyard or playground.
Visiting a local or neighboring library to scan the bookshelves and music for something new.
Listening to a book on tape or music on an ipod, lying on a blanket outside.
Playing cards or board games together.
Building Legos, magnetic structures or card houses.
Baking bread or other items from scratch together.

The days of summer will be here and gone before we know it. Adopt a motto of ‘make it fun’ and you and your child will enjoy everything you do together more, even chores!

Tagged as: ADD/ADHD, ADHD Kids, Attachment Disorder, Spiritual Parenting, summer, transitions