by Kelsey Harris, MS, M.Ed. | HeartLife Counselor

Here we are—only a couple weeks left of summer. For a lot of families, summer is the best time of the year, but for many others, summers can be extremely difficult. Different than the school year, kids have a lot more time to fill, which may be incredibly challenging and lead to some poor behavioral choices.

Here are a few ways to help your child have the best end of summer!

First, one of the most important ways to help your kiddo be successful this summer is to create a flow for their days. The details of the flow are less important, whether that flow includes camps, VBS, babysitters, or vacations, but what matters is having a basic, flexible daily routine for children to know what to expect for their days. Create a simple visual schedule with events, rather than times, so that the only surprises they get are the good ones!

Secondly, screen time. Summertime in Memphis is HOT, which means if you’re not by water, you’re probably inside. Summer can lead to a significant increase in screen time. Monitoring and limiting your child’s screen time will allow you to promote other non-digital activities. Some good examples of these activities that can improve connection and exploration are cooking together, playing board games, and sports. If it’s not too hot, use the outdoors! Go hiking, or draw with chalk, or work in the garden together. Nature is one of God’s greatest gifts to us—and one of the best tools for emotional regulation. In my work with children, it almost seems as if the children are so overstimulated by screens that they are incapable of emotional regulation, and cannot make appropriate behavioral choices and most notably— they don’t know how to be bored.

Speaking of bored, another way to help your children this summer is to create their own “bored lists.” Having a reference list of available activities empowers kids to make their own choices and entertain themselves. Kids can have specific activities set aside for when they “have nothing to do,” which can be as simple as a new puzzle or book series to read. Kids lose part of their sense of “purpose” over the summer without school, so giving them options of finding new purpose can make all the difference.

Summer is also a time to grow together as a family. What is one area you want your family to grow in mentally, spiritually or emotionally? Is it learning a new skill? Pick a new skill and start practicing together. Work on a long term project together (example: how many cool bugs can we see this summer, how many out of state license plates have we seen this summer, etc.). Keep a running list of these different discoveries! Make your time with your family intentional. Plan movie nights, set aside 20 minutes to get a cake pop or something simple with one child at a time, take five minutes to do a devotional before bed. Two highly recommended ones that can be purchased at HeartLife are:

Or maybe you decide as a family that the best goal is service. Find a local organization to go serve together. Or maybe you want to grow spiritually as a family this summer. Choose a verse to memorize, read a Bible story each day together, learn the books of the Bible song, or read a book about a missionary (the Torchlight Series is my favorite). Whatever you choose, summer is a great opportunity to learn and grow together!

Prayers up for everyone to have a restful, peaceful, enjoyable summer!

Meet Kelsey Harris, MS, M.Ed!

Kelsey Harris graduated with her Master of Education degree with a major in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Tennessee-Martin in August of 2022. Kelsey is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy through the University of Memphis.

Kelsey has extensive experience related to medical intervention, trauma, sudden unanticipated and anticipated death, and anxiety in children and teens. She additionally has experience in behavior management. While most of her experience is with children, she additionally has experience working with young adult clients who have chronic pain, illness, and medical trauma. Kelsey is passionate about helping clients understand, process and regulate emotions and behaviors.

Summer of Success

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Building a Healthy Family