Super Summer Strategies!
Time to step into summer planning! Day trips, warm breezes, and exploration make summer an exciting time. But as we all know, summer has its challenges too. Schedule changes and increased costs for caregivers and camps can spoil even the best made plans. We talked with several families about their summer experiences and strategies for success:
Making the Summer Schedule:
“My son has never been to a school summer camp before”
Strategies:
- Plan early: Summer can creep up fast! Start thinking about summer plans as early as January.
- Know your options: Schools provide extended school year (ESY) programs so be sure to check with your school and/or IEP team to discuss this option. If ESY is not an option, check your local organizations to learn what they are offering. The more you know ahead of time, the better you can determine what will work best.
- Coordinate therapy services: Reach out to your child’s therapists to see if there will be any changes to the schedule during the summer. Don’t assume that your therapists will notify you of changes. Take the initiative to reach out and know your options as early as you can.
Planning Vacation Around a Child That Doesn’t Like Change
“Our son hates vacations”
Vacations aren’t fun for everyone. Some individuals love their home routine and have no desire to take a break from it.
Strategies:
- Be intentional: Take time to plan your summer. Think about your goals, what are you trying to achieve through this vacation? Is this an opportunity for the family to get together, is this a bucket list item, is this an opportunity to visit relatives? Is summer the only time this vacation can occur? Set aside time to gather this information and think through your options.
- Be creative: Even if a stay-cation is in order, you can spice it up so that it meets the needs of every member of your family like turning the living room into an enchanted castle or renting a water slide for the backyard one afternoon. Rentals, mobile game rooms, and specialty equipment are often available through local vendors. On a budget? Be creative by designing your own home vacation experience using online examples or partner with a neighbor to exchange toys.
Thinking Beyond the Pool
“Our daughter wants to stay in the pool all day!”
Does your loved one want to be in the pool all day? Although healthy and fun, it can be restrictive because it requires safety supervision and it can interfere with opportunities for other activities.
Strategies:
- Plan ahead: Think about how you would like to incorporate pool time alongside outings, vacations, therapies or other activities. Planning ahead will give you time to prepare your loved one with information on activities you plan to engage in outside of their pool time. You can use social stories, video examples, and discussion to help prepare them that there will be pool time as well as other adventures!
- Coordinate with the team: If your loved one has therapists or providers, talk with them and enlist help in planning additional activities for the summer.
