A Mentally Healthy Summer
Summer is here! Children tend to be excited about the break from academic demands and increased downtime that summer allows. While decompressing and unwinding are valuable strategies for self-care and protecting our mental well-being, research has shown that a predictable rhythm/routine (even in the summer) reduces stress and anxiety for children. One of the reasons for this is because children may not be fully comfortable with (or competent at) managing unstructured time; they may not know how to be “bored”, how to maintain friendships without seeing peers in school each day, or how to effectively balance responsibilities with relaxation and fun. Parents and children can create a mentally healthy summer by working together to follow a few simple guidelines:
- Balance downtime with productive time. One way to help children find this balance is by encouraging them to “do the hard thing, then the fun thing”. Read for 30 minutes, then go biking with friends. Do the dishes, then go to the pool. Work on your summer math packet, then play a video game.
- Get outside. Exposure to natural sunlight increases Vitamin D and serotonin, both of which boost our mood. Encourage children to spend at least 60 minutes outside each day, ideally doing something active.
- Be social. To help maintain a sense of belonging and connection and prevent feelings of loneliness and isolation while school is out, children benefit from frequent peer interactions over the summer. Parents can help children schedule time with friends, offer opportunities for friends to come over, and/or encourage children to meet friends in the community (e.g., at the local pool).
- Grow areas of interest. Summer can be a great time for children to spend more time on (or grow some new) hobbies, skills, and/or areas of interest for which there may not be enough time to explore during the school year. Help children identify several interests/skills they want to grow over the summer, such as art, practicing a new sport, cooking, learning to play chess, knit, play pickle ball, fish, etc.
- Do chores. Assigning chores to children gives them an opportunity to learn and practice important life skills and fosters a sense of responsibility. Doing chores regularly in the summer also can contribute to a comforting sense of routine/predictability.
- Access help if needed. Summer can be a good time to seek support services that may be hard to access during the busy school year. Depending on your children’s needs, enrolling them in a social skills group, executive functioning training, tutoring, and/or therapy could be invaluable for strengthening their mental health and well-being.
Collaborating with children to follow the above guidelines and find the right combination of relaxation and engagement can help ensure a mentally healthy summer!
Kelly Theis, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist