Provide structure within your daily routine. Have meals prepared at approximately the same time every day, allow certain times for watching television and playing video games, and maintain a set bedtime. Allow time for outdoor play throughout the day to use up excess energy.
Plan Your Time
Using a large kitchen calendar can help you plan your summer. If your children are already involved in activities, such as baseball or music lesions, mark these on the calendar first. Plan additional activities to keep your children busy and their minds and bodies active. Many communities offer free concerts or community libraries often have summer reading programs. Use additional free time to invite friends over, making sure it is at a time an adult will be able to supervise. Plan different things your child and their friends can do together such as riding bikes, swimming or skating. Talk with your child before the friend comes over about what types of things they can do together.
As your summer progresses, continue to use the calendar to fill in added activities, letting your children’s interests guide you.
Encourage Your Child to Read
Many children with ADHD struggle in school because of distractibility. Sometimes this causes them to fall behind. Set up a summer reading schedule to encourage reading. Spend some time once a week reviewing math concepts or incorporate them in your daily life so they practice skills rather than forget what they have learned over the summer.
Join a local library. Many have reading clubs for older children and reading hours for younger children. Continued reading throughout the summer will help your child immensely when school starts back up in the fall.
For additional ideas and family projects:
Activities to Keep Children Entertained
Games to Motivate Your Children
Summertime Reading for Children with ADHD
