Summertime Unpredictability Downloads
Today I want to talk about the things we do in our house to help get us through the unpredictability of summer. If you're new here, I have ADHD. I thrive on just waking up in the morning and decided then what we're going to do for the day. However, my daughter is autistic, and she does so much better on a schedule. She thrives on the structure and schedule of the school year and we even do the summer school program our county offers because she loves the structure so much. So, I have a few free downloads that help her with the unpredictability of summer that could maybe help your little too!
Summertime Unpredictability Downloads | Activities and Chores Lists
First up are the summer activity lists. I have an independent "Summer Activities" list and a "Summer Activities I Need Help With" list. I print them out on cardstock and laminate them. This step isn't strictly necessary, but I have found they just hold up a lot better this way. I then put them in a place where my daughter can easily read them. My son is really tall and tends to rip them off the wall sometimes, so they need to be durable. I love the lists because she is able to get ideas of what to do and I don't get the "I'm bored" phrase that every parent dreads. One day, I set up a tent for her really easily with a Swiffer and a fitted sheet. Another day she wanted to paint. These are both things she needs help with, but she's also able to do any of the activities on the independent summer activities list. I love that I can tell her to go pick an activity to do from the list and I don't have to come up with ideas for her from scratch.
In addition to the activities list, I also have a chores list specifically for my 8-year-old daughter that are age appropriate for her. This list includes things like helping to empty the dishwasher, making sure she clears her plate and puts it in the sink, throwing away her trash, making her bed, reading, etc. I put this list on her door in her bedroom so she can reference it really easily.
Summertime Unpredictability Downloads | Summertime Activity Countdown Chain
Another thing that we do is a countdown chain from the last day of school until the first day of school, because then my daughter knows and can prepare herself for each day up until the start of school. I actually like to put activities on each link so she knows there's something that's going to be happening. For the downloads, I have actually already pre-planned out activities with a bunch of different options. I picked a couple different colors of paper to use for this so it's pretty and we can have fun with it.
I also like to include vacations, so for us our summer Montana trip is on the list. Then I kind of just start figuring out what activities are gonna go where based on what our schedule is. We include the summer school program she is in as well as fun activities we can do on weekends when my husband is available. I've also planned on what we can do when her brother's awake vs. when he's napping.
I hung the chain above our door to our side yard. The nice thing about the countdown chain is there's something on every single link, so my daughter has something to look forward to each day which helps a lot with her anxiety. I try and do things like going to the zoo and aquarium mixed with free things like going to the playground, doing the water table or swimming at her grandparents house. There's a really good mix of things that everybody loves to do and it helps our family out a ton!
If you think it could help you too, you can snag the free downloads in the shop. Happy summer!
