When you find out your child is attending summer school, it can throw a wrench in your plans for summer vacation. Finding your groove with summer school is not easy, but with a good summer school morning routine for your child, you can make the most of the summer.
Use your morning routine to make the most of the time you have so your child can enjoy more of summer even when they have school and to prepare them for a hot day of learning.
Should your child’s summer school morning routine be the same as during the school year?
For the most part, your child’s summer school routine should mirror their school year routine.
This is because they are already adjusted to this routine, and it fits into your child’s schedule.
There should be some changes made to your child’s summer school morning routine to allow for them to take advantage of the nice morning weather as it is often too hot to do much by the time school gets out.
If you’re having trouble figuring out what time to start (or end) your morning routine, print a copy of my morning routine template.
What should your child do differently before school in the summer?
While in the winter, your child may put off bathing till the morning. However, in the summer, odds are they bathe at night to wash off the sweat and dirt from playing outside before bed.
This opens up some time in the morning routine that can be used for more fun things like playing outside or getting to school early to spend time on the playground, or to simply walk or ride a bike to school instead of getting a ride.
When your child spends the morning active, they will have an easier time focusing on school. This may help them pass summer school so they can move on to the next grade in the fall.
Physical activity is one of the best things you can do with your child in the mornings to help them focus in school. This list is helpful if you need more unconventional tools to help your child stay focused and burn energy in school.
Breakfast on summer school mornings
Breakfast is particularly important before school to help with focus and energy.
Sadly, many schools do not have air conditioning, making summer school hot and uncomfortable.
A heavy breakfast can make your child feel sick in the heat. Plan light breakfasts that won’t weigh your child down in the summer heat.
Also, pack plenty of snacks like fresh fruit, carrot sticks, and celery that help fill your child up if they get hungry and are allowed any snack breaks. These foods are light but filling to help keep your child comfortable in the summer heat.
How can you make the most of summer mornings when your child has summer school?
When you find out your child has to attend summer school, it can be a bit of a sad moment knowing that a large chunk of summer vacation will be used up with them sitting in a classroom.
Your child will spend a large chunk of the hot summer days sitting in school and doing homework after school. This takes away from beach trips, park trips, and lazy summer mornings, but there are a few things you can do to help make the most of summer school mornings.
Head outside
Since the sun rises so early in the summer, odds are your child will have an easier time waking up in the morning for school than they do during the dark winter mornings. Take advantage of this easier wake-up to plan an activity before school with your child.
Even just half an hour at the park playing or enjoying a stroll on the trails is a great way to really get your child up and moving and allow them to enjoy the cooler summer mornings.
Create a visual schedule
Create a visual schedule for each family member to help keep everyone on task and keep your child from feeling singled out. These visual schedules make for great tools to help make the day go smoother by letting kids know what is expected of them and giving you something to direct them to, and to make sure they got everything done before you run out the door.
Using a visual schedule can help keep your kids on task in the mornings.
Prepare the night before
Prepare outfits and pack lunches the night before school to help save time working on these in the mornings when you want to get some quality time in with your kids before school.
While you are packing these lunches, you can prepare the same lunches in a grab-and-go option for serving a fresh lunch to any kids in the house that are not attending summer school. This can help make your overall days easier.
Keep the entire family on a morning routine when you have one child in summer school. This can help keep them from feeling left out and allow them time to spend with siblings before school.
Keeping everyone, including yourself, on a morning routine can help keep the stress levels down for everyone.