Tweens are always on the go in the fast paced setting of the school year. Taking a break over the summer to many tweens means slacking off and sleeping in. When they go from this go, go, go pace to nothing, it's okay for a day or two, but then they get bored and parents pay the consequences. A bored tween is an annoying teen or worse, one who finds trouble. The easiest way to stop your child from getting bored is to schedule out her summer days so that she knows what is going to happen and can pick and choose what she wants to do by learning to make choices.There is nothing worse than a surfacing twelve year old at 1:00 in the afternoon, hungry and dishelved, upsetting daily routines and putting their parent's teeth on edge.
To start, schedule your entire summer out monthly. Put in your family summer vacation, your tween's camp times, volunteer activities and any day trips that have already been set. If you find that there are big gaps of free weeks, help your tween find things to fill them up. Look for a babysitting opportunity, summer employment, volunteer in your community or look for a week long camp for your tween to attend. Breaking up large blocks of time will help your son or daughter not settle into the routine of sleeping in late everyday, getting up and doing nothing special.
Create a weekly schedule. With your tween, write this one out in pencil as it is the schedule that will change the most. Write in opportunities to do things as well as things that are planned. If your tween finds they have the time to do the extras, they will know when these things are happening. Summer concerts, weekend opportunities, athletic events...........
Make a daily routine with your teen. Plan things that need to be done like hygiene and health, making her bed and any chores or responsibilities. While these things may seem simple for your teen to remember, having things written down helps keep stress levels low. Be sure to leave some free time, but have a list of suggested activities in case your teen isn't looking for downtime. For instance: suumer reading lists, listening to music, certification in a hobby or sport, biking, etc. Schedule in television and video game times so that these activities do not take up your tween's free time or encompass her whole day. Create alternate daily routines for camp days, vacation and other special times.
This creative scheduling and time organization will keep your tween from getting bored and give her plenty of free time with some practice at making choices. It will also help her get their responsibilities completed with very little if any stress which is a positive for the whole family.
1 comment:
just a test.........it's 1:35 in the afternoon and he's still not up.
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