Making Summer Count: Tips for Caregivers
By: Kathryn Ouke
The school year is approaching its end, and summer break is on the horizon. For many teens, this is a welcome respite from the fast paced school year loaded with academic responsibilities and extracurriculars. With these expectations, on top of navigating who they are in relation to the world and those around them, teens often need to slow down. Research demonstrates the necessity of breaks and rest, as going without can result in burnout: leading to lack of motivation, decreased focus, and negative attitudes.
However, summer break can be a double edged sword. The structures and routines that usually provide a sense of predictability change, which can result in disruptions to basic self-care, such as sleeping patterns, eating habits, and hygiene. Social connection can also take a hit, with friends having different schedules, leaving some teens feeling lonely. For youth experiencing struggles with their mental health, lack of social connection, feelings of isolation, and unstructured time can increase their symptoms.
So what can be done to balance this need for rest and relaxation, while also helping youth stick to healthy routines and encourage growth through reflection and exploration? Below are some tips for both teens and caregivers to think about how to create a meaningful and intentional summer.
Maintain some semblance of a schedule:
Structure and routine can help a teen avoid boredom and maintain healthy basic self-care to positively influence physical and mental well-being. Caregivers can encourage teens to create a list of fun activities they enjoy to refer to when they feel bored. Collaboration between teens and caregivers is key when discussing sleep schedules, screen time limits, and managing time between fun activities and their responsibilities in the home. Be sure to also build in time for rest and relaxation, and avoid over-loading the summer schedule.
Collaborate with your teen to identify activities that help them feel fulfilled:
When looking into summer activities, you and your teen can ask the following questions to determine if the activity is valuable to them -Does the activity provide a sense of purpose? Does the activity align with my interests? Will it push me to grow? Does this activity balance challenge with enjoyment, or will it be more stressful than enjoyable? Does it build confidence?
Questions taken from College Matchpoint
Support and follow interests:
Summer is a wonderful time to build on an interest or skill that youth may not have had much time to focus on during the school year. Whether it’s playing an instrument, writing, learning car mechanics, or working with animals, encouraging your teen to pursue their interests will let them know that you are there for them. Furthermore, giving your teen the opportunity to show you their interest and their excitement builds positive connection and strengthens relationships.
Think about a summer job, internship, or volunteer opportunity:
This can be a great way for teens to obtain some financial independence and responsibility, contribute to their community, and/or explore interests. One of our amazing clinicians, Devon Little, informed us of Career Quest–an internship program through Seattle Public Schools in which students can earn high school credit while exploring career interests. Devon also made us aware of the Washington Neurodiversity Project Summer Work Experience, which partners with employers to provide summer work experience for neurodivergent teens.
