Summer Success

A Spring Note from Tara Hofherr

Dear Families, 

In four short weeks, we’ll expedite our final dismissal of the ‘23-’24 school year. *Cue “School’s Out” à la Alice Cooper!*  Like any major transition, the shift from school mode into summer mode can bring an onslaught of feelings, often in tension with one another. For parents, I have found that the arrival of summer feels like a huge exhale followed by a realization that without the routine of school, the opportunity could present itself for things to really go off the rails. 

In the spirit of helping everyone stay on the track you’ve so successfully navigated from September through June, I offer you the following tips to set your child, and quite frankly, yourself, up for success. As a caveat, you should know that these suggestions are being made from nowhere resembling a high horse. I am a realist and also an enthusiastic savorer of summer, so I know that life happens (we’re talking about children here!), and that the best laid plans are just that… plans. So, if nothing else, file these thoughts away in the back of your mind and give yourself some kudos for reading this! 

Tips for setting your child up for summer success: 

1. Stick to regular mealtimes and bedtimes. These don’t have to be the exact same times as you eat and sleep during the school year, but the consistency of having a regular eating and sleeping schedule is incredibly helpful to the physical and mental health of children. 
2. Plan activities ahead of time and as routinely as possible. Predictability is like a security blanket for kids. When they know what to expect and they can rely on you to keep them from feeling adrift on unscheduled time, they will feel safer and happier. Perhaps you designate Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays as pool days. Tuesdays are picnic days. Thursdays are library days. The lift is lighter on you, too, if you don’t need to always come up with new ideas when someone asks, “What are we doing today?”
3. Post a daily/weekly schedule for your child to regularly reference. Visuals reign supreme in the classroom! Your child is accustomed to having a daily schedule posted. As your kids get older, you can post a whole week or even month. Hang this in a place where your child can see and reference it. Use times and include everything from brushing teeth to leaving for camp. Parents have shared that Canva is a great free tool for easily making a schedule, or check out ‘Mom Agenda’ as a paid resource.
4. Maintain social connections. In addition to academic learning, school is a place for your child to have daily social time. When summer comes, these regular peer interactions can become more infrequent. Maintaining social connections can help your child continue to build social skills and ease social anxiety coming back to school.
5. Get outdoors! Get active! Limit screen time. This seems obvious, but it is worth saying. Build this time into your daily schedule, like we do with recess, so that it’s not negotiable. We all benefit from fresh air and movement, even if we don’t want to do it at the moment.
6. Pinpoint your child’s anxieties so you can proactively address them. We do this in school all the time. If we know a child is having trouble with a certain friend, we will sit them separately. If we know a child doesn’t like art class, we will talk about what a successful art class will look like with them before class. When we know out-of-the-ordinary schedule changes are hard for a child, we will preview those schedule changes at the start of the day. It is easier to proactively address anxieties than to calm a dysregulated child.
7. Prevent “Summer Slide” by staying fresh with learned skills in short sessions. If you don’t use it, you will lose it. A little summer slide is normal and expected by teachers. However, you can help prevent it by doing fun and simple skill refreshers in short snippets of time throughout the summer. Summer is not a time for learning new skills, but is a great time to practice learned ones. My recommendations: 
   1. READ!! → To your child, with your child, independently. If your child doesn’t self-select reading as an activity, designate some “Family Reading Time.”
   2. Math Games
   3. Workbooks → 3–4x per week for ~20 min. My workbook of choice for Elementary students is the Summer (Math/Language Arts) Skills Sharpener.
   4. Journal or Pen Pal → Free writing (on paper!) is encouraged for all ages. 
   5. Maintain independence → This is happening in the Montessori classroom all the time. Chores and jobs can bring the Practical Life curriculum into your home.

Finally, toward the end of August as you prepare for the return to school, consider these ideas to help ease into the transition back into the routine of the school year.

• If you have modified bedtimes, start slowly working them back towards school bedtimes. 
• If you’ve modified any morning or evening routines (teeth brushing, baths, reading before bed, watching TV, etc.), start to return to more “school-like” routines.
• Post a celebratory back to school countdown!
• Arrange for playdates or socialization with friends to help ease any social anxiety about returning to class.

I hope that in four weeks you and your family can take a long exhale. Don’t put pressure on yourself to do everything I’ve written about here. Pick and choose what works for you. Or, don’t do anything and just soak up the sunshine, cherish your extra time with your child, and forget about us until we email you in August to complete your back to school forms. You’re doing great and we’re here if you need us. 

Very best, 

Tara