Summer holidays are a time of fun, play and freedom for children, but it’s important to be aware that being away from their friends and changes to their routine might have an impact on their mental health. To help you support them and ensure they are as happy as can be, here are some tips and advice on ways you can make a difference.
Let’s keep the summer holidays full of cheer and fun with these easy ways to support child mental health…
Why do we have summer holidays?
The summer holidays originally happened so that children back in the day could help at home during the busiest time of the year – the Harvest. These days, it is more of a chance for them to enjoy a break from formal education and for teachers and schools to prepare for the next academic year.
What is wrong with the summer holidays?
The fact they had so much on back in the day to keep them busy in the summer meant they likely saw little difference in their routines, but these days it’s different. Children can go from having a solid structure and routine with seeing their friends every day, to being at home in an unstructured environment, possibly not seeing anyone outside their family for days. This abrupt change in situation can detrimentally impact their learning, sometimes known as the Summer Slide, but it can also negatively impact their mental health.
The impact of summer holidays on mental health
According to recent research, 1 in 6 young people say they feel lonely in summer and rarely spend time with their friends. The adjustment of their routine could also mess with their circadian rhythm and sleep quality. So, there are a lot of things that can change and result in poor mental health, such as:
- Feelings of loneliness
- Reduced social skills
- Impacted sleep-wake cycle
- Low-quality sleep
- Lack of structure
- Boredom
- Lack of purpose
How to support child mental health in summer
To help reduce the summer slide and keep their mental health stable, here are some things you can do to help:
1. Arrange play dates
Many parents work full time, even in the summer, so finding time to arrange play dates and to take your child to their friends can be difficult when there’s no pick-up time to facilitate talking and arranging them. However, many other parents will be in the same boat, so why not take turns with your time off to have each other’s kids around to play?
For instance, one week your child can go around there, then you swap, etc. You could do this when you’ve got the week booked off or when you have a babysitter – either way, one or two days of swapping babysitting responsibilities will allow your children to see each and play together, which will help them feel less lonely and maintain their social skills. Plus, they will enjoy a routine akin to what they have in their normal school days.
2. See family
Aunts, Uncles, grandparents and more – the summer holidays are ideal for family get-togethers in the garden. Think BBQs, beach trips and more – any time you spend together will help your child feel less isolated and give them something to look forward to, which gives them structure.
3. Get out in the sunshine
Our circadian rhythms are heavily influenced by the sun – that’s why the school day routine works so well to help them sleep. If they don’t get up early and get outside sun exposure, their bodies can get confused and not know when to send out the correct hormones for sleeping and waking.
You can face the same issues with ‘blue’ light emitting devices like phones and screens – our bodies interpret the light from these devices as daylight, which can impact when our bodies release the sleep hormone – melatonin.
So, why not start the day early in the summer and take them to the park to start the day right? Playgrounds have long been linked to mental health improvement in children, so it’s a great place to begin.
4. Challenge them
The summer slide is down to a lack of learning and maintaining good habits, so challenging your kids in the summer holidays is a great way to prevent it. This doesn’t mean you need to home-school them, just introduce new things for them to try, like puzzles, baking, books, arts and crafts and more.
Anything that challenges them and teaches them new skills or allows them to use what they learnt at school will help them feel less bored, give them purpose and help them return to school ready to learn.
5. Exercise more
Some medical professionals recommend 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise to maintain your physical health, but it also contributes to your mental health, as well.
Unstructured play is one of the key forms of exercise for young children, this can be on their own or with friends, but it’s important to allow time for them to do it. Don’t pack the holidays to the brim with things, let them have time to breathe and play as they want. This could be with a kickabout in the garden, going for a bike ride, or making up games with their friends. Anything that raises their heart rates and quickens their breath (but doesn’t make them out of breath) is what you want.
When they take part in an activity like this, it supports their cognitive and physical development, reduces stress and improves moods.
While the summer holidays are necessary for schools to regroup and plan for the year ahead, they’re also a chance for children to begin to self-regulate and be challenged as they will be once their formal education ends. It’s the perfect time to teach them healthy habits and support their learning and mental health for the future.
Debbie is an experienced writer currently working for clients such as Online Playgrounds. She has been a part of the creative and writing industries for the last 11 years and aims to generate content that inspires, educates, and helps her readers thrive.
