ADDitude Asked: How do You Make Summer Break Fun & Productive?
We asked parents: How do you make the summer break fun and productive for your child with ADHD? Here are some of our favorite solutions to the summer slump!
We do arts and crafts projects and travel to towns near us that have lots of history.
– Kim Benton, Pearl, Mississippi
We get a zoo membership and visit frequently.
– Bonnie Schmitt, Erie, Pennsylvania
I choose a specific behavior my son needs to work on, and I set up an incentive chart, showing his rewards.
– Deb, Waco, Texas
Schedule, schedule, schedule… and routine. Although I feel like a cruise ship activities director, I know that it makes for a less-disruptive summer if we have a lot of activities planned.
– Victoria, Valhalla, New York
I find ways to get them to spend time outside every day. I provide opportunities for large-movement exercise (running, jumping, skipping, wrestling), as well as small-movement activities (coloring, puzzles, video games).
-An ADDitude Reader
Having a trampoline is key. The kids burn up lots of energy. We also have a calendar where we schedule one weekly excursion day and weekend activities. I post daily to-do lists on everyone’s bedroom door.
– Mandy Daellenbach, Everett, Washington
We create our own “camp,” and we have fun projects, experiments, and day trips to sharpen their academic skills.
– An ADDitude Reader
I give my son a break from his medicine, and he gets his spontaneity back. I have to be twice as patient, though, about his doing chores.
– Elizabeth Milner, Spring, Texas
