We wanted to use our blog post this week to share CHADD's recent article entitled No Summer Camp? Now What?! Adults and kids with ADHD are more likely to thrive with structure. The coming months may have substantially less to-do, and a lot of unstructured time may cause anxiety or even be downright scary. So, what can you do?
First, take a comprehensive inventory. Consider your personal time schedules and what obligations your family members have. Consider friends and relatives that can help with childcare duties. Consider goals or objectives you have for development and growth. Consider interests or aptitudes. Start to assess what is available in-person or online. Of course, consider your budget for activities.
Second, make a weekly plan. Include your children in the planning process. Start by listing and prioritizing potential activities. Begin to map it out on giant construction paper or on a whiteboard. (Tip: you can use sticky notes to easily move activities to different weeks.) Try to mix up activities and keep it interesting. Alternate between physical and mental activities.
Third, make daily plans. Depending on the level of structure you need to thrive, you may need to plan it by the time-of-day period (morning, mid-day, afternoon, evening) OR you may actually need to schedule it down to the hour. (Working through this process builds time management skills in your child!)
Remember that academic enrichment can be a valuable part of a comprehensive summer program. The Brookings Institute found that: i) students lose about one month's worth of learning over summer, ii) declines are sharper in math, iii) the extent of loss is larger at higher grade levels. Star Tutoring can help by crafting a comprehensive review and enrichment plan customized for your child. Stop the summer slide!