Summer activity planning

Featured expert

Transcription

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Welcome to Long Live Childhood, a pediatric health and wellness podcast presented by [Rady Children’s Health]. I’m Melanie Cole. And today, we’re talking about summer activity planning. You heard that because it doesn’t seem like we’re there yet, but we really are, and it’s getting closer. And choosing the right summer activities for your little kiddos is really so important for their health and well-being.

Joining me is Marta Ramos. She’s a Master of Legal and Forensic Psychology, and she’s a Personal Service Coordinator and Peer Mentor at Project Health in the Department of Pediatric Psychology at [Rady Children’s]. Marta, thank you so much for being with us today. It’s hard to believe that summer is even coming up. My goodness, time is flying by. But before we talk about summer activities, Marta, I introduced you as a Master of Legal and Forensic Psychology. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you wanted to talk about this topic today?

Marta Ramos: Of course. Thank you so much for having me today. I’ve always been passionate about pediatric mental health, given the reason why I even went into psychology in the first place. I’ve been working at CHOC for about five years now. I work with children and families. One reason I was excited to talk with you today is that this topic comes up a lot. Parents often ask us what they should do with their kids during the summertime.

And like you said, it’s coming faster than we think so It’s always great to have those options and to get a little bit more information that we don’t often get, especially when our kiddos have mental health considerations.

Melanie Cole, MS: Well, you’re right. And thank you for sharing that about yourself. And with the summer coming up, you know, even things like camps, you have to get in early, you have to get on the list. You have to start making payments and budget for this. A lot of summer activities cost money, some don’t. So, why don’t you start– and especially when we’re talking about kiddos with mental health, and we’re seeing this epidemic, Marta, in our kids, our tweens, our teens, we’re seeing this mental health epidemic. So, I’m so glad to talk to you today. What are some of the things we want to start considering as parents and caregivers that we should be looking for in summer activities for our kids?

Marta Ramos: Of course. Yes, and in terms of considerations, I think, one of the most important things is I want to call it don’t rock the boat, right? Our kiddos are already used to having structure, whether it’s homeschool, whether it’s their public school, whether it’s an afterschool activity that they do. So, definitely considering some of the same things that would be available to them in the regular school day that are available to them during the summer activity.

One important consideration is the length of the activity. Some kids attend school a full day, typically six to eight hours. If the activity is longer than that, kids might push back or feel differently about it. The same can happen if the activity is too short. If they’re used to structured activities for several hours, a 30- to 45-minute class feels very different.

The same thing regarding the type of activity. If kids are used to an after-school sport, an outdoor camp might not be a big change for them. However, if kids aren’t into sports or are homeschooled, they may not participate. And a lot of outdoor activities, maybe putting them in a camp where they’re going to have to go out hiking and be outside might not be the best consideration.

Another important thing that I always recommend to parents is definitely looking at the level of peer interactions that are going to be happening. So, also dependent on age, there are camps where you have kiddos from like six to twelve or three to twelve. Consider how comfortable your child is interacting with peers. Caregivers should evaluate the level of peer interaction in each summer activity.

Children are used to the structure of a school day. Predictability is especially important for children with mental health needs. They expect routines like lunch, breaks, and different activities. Parents should choose summer programs that mimic this familiar structure.

Melanie Cole, MS: Thank you so much, Marta, for all that information. And we know that some of our kids don’t want structure in the summer. They say, “Oh, it’s my time off. I just want to be able to play video games or sit in the sun or do whatever I want to do with my friends.” But structure is important, and that they don’t get out of that routine completely. Can you balance for us what structure looks like in a summer activity with balancing, giving the kids that little bit of time off that they crave in the summer?

Marta Ramos: Of course, yeah. And I think when I’m talking about structure, we’re definitely talking about a different setting than a school setting, when they’re not four walls, sitting on a desk learning about something they may not necessarily want to learn about. But in terms of structure, it’s important to consider an activity that maybe has different components to it.

Some camps include reading time followed by outdoor time. Having structure helps kids experience predictability. They can have time to hang out with friends, but in a limited way. Young children aren’t the best at managing their time yet. If we give them complete free reign, hanging out might stretch into multiple days.

And so, we definitely want to make sure to balance that out into giving them different activities that they’re going to be able to participate in. And that’s also more of a time constraint for them and more on a schedule base. So, a lot of these school activities, they have the basic math class for a couple of hours or an hour, they move on to the next subject. Their brains are used to switching back and forth between activities. When choosing summer activities, look for places where they can practice these skills.
Provide predictability to help prevent boredom. Maybe they’re outside doing a hike and they don’t really like it, they’ll know that there’s something else that’s coming next and maybe they’ll have more fun with.

in terms of structure as well, knowing that there’s a safe place for them to go to in case things don’t go well. So, a lot of the structure in schools, for example, especially with our kiddos who have mental health needs, as parents, we advocate for them. We have their IEPs, 504s.Even if a child doesn’t have a 504 plan or IEP, we talk with their teachers.
We ask questions like, “What do we do when he gets upset?” Teachers might suggest going for a walk or taking a timeout. Choose activities that provide a setting to help kids manage their emotions. Some children may not be used to interacting with peers in this way.

Some kids may have never been on a hike or spend much time outside. What happens when emotions start getting in the way? Do they have a safe place to cope? Is there a planned activity or space to help them manage tough emotions if they arise?

Melanie Cole, MS: Yeah, there’s so much to really think about. People don’t even always give this kind of consideration. Now, also, our kids are going to want to sleep in, you know. That’s what they want to do in the summer. And then, they get off routine, and then it’s hard to get them back on to the getting up early part. So, that’s an interesting thought for parents, but also reading.

When we consider that structure, we also think about activities to get kids involved in. Most kids don’t want to read in the summer unless they already love it. Reading can feel too much like school for many children. But we want them to read for enjoyment, for pleasure, for education. So, how can we mix the activities we want for health, sunshine, getting outside, running around, but also keeping some of that school routine, not sleeping in every single day, maybe picking up a book? How do we put all that together, Marta?

Marta Ramos: Of course. And I think that’s one of the most important things in terms of structure. Because us as parents, It’s kind of, you don’t use it, you lose it, right? A lot of our kiddos turn off their brains during the summertime, unless like you said, there are a lot of kids who really do enjoy the reading, and doing all those school-ey activities during the summer.

In terms of knowing how to implement both the school activities and the summer activities, it’s one of the most important things in terms of structure, where we can make sure that they are in different types of activities. So, for example, if we have the Boys and Girls Club. They do have summer camps where they have certain times when the kids are allowed to read a book, or they can read a magazine.

Kids may not read Shakespeare, but there are other materials they can enjoy. Some summer camps for teens don’t allow cell phones. They provide magazines and newspapers to keep kids entertained. Reading gives them a break from technology and social media. A few library programs give prizes to kids and teens who finish a book and write a short page about it. Cities like Fullerton, Santa Ana, and Irvine offer programs where participants can earn tickets to places like Wild Rivers.
These incentives encourage kids to try activities they might not initially want to do.

Melanie Cole, MS: Really that’s great motivation. And if parents live in underserved communities, Marta, are there some activities that you specifically can recommend? I’d like you to talk about summer activities available in different communities. Communities have many kinds of people. Does your approach change when helping parents find activities for their kids?

Marta Ramos: Of course, and I think the first and most important resource is going to your local resource center. There’s family resource centers in every city in Orange County. You can simply Google. You can also do a simple 211 search. But if you google your city as well as a family resource center, they usually have calendars of summer activities that they are able to engage the community. And most of them are either sliding scale very low payment or completely free. And there are applications and deadlines that they can also share with you in the calendar.

So, I know there are camps that end up being completely free, a lot of the schools as well if you ask them ahead of time. So, we’re talking– well, we’re already in March, so maybe even now start March and April, asking your school if there are any summer school activities, summer school camps that your child can go to. They usually will have scholarships for them. And if they do not, they will give you resources for the nearest low cost or free of cost activity.

Melanie Cole, MS: Marta, you’ve given us so much to think about and such great information that can really help parents right now. As we wrap up, I’d like you to share your best advice for helping kids plan summer activities. Encourage children to get involved and participate with them. Be a good role model for health by getting outside and exercising together. Summer can be fun while still providing structure. Have conversations with those in charge of summer programs to ensure your child’s needs are met. This is especially important if your child has special needs. Can you put this all into a nice package for us?

Marta Ramos: Of course. Yeah. And I think, first and foremost, we need to model for our children that. It’s okay to take a break. It doesn’t have to be school related. It doesn’t have to be something necessarily with a negative connotation. And that’s where, like you said, it comes in really handy for us to be able to participate in activities with them.

Many local cities and libraries offer free activities for parents and children to do together.
Kids learn that attending an origami class with mom and dad can be fun. Parents and caregivers get a chance to take a break. Children see that these activities are enjoyable, not just another obligation. Families model positive experiences, showing that learning and fun can happen together.

In terms of having those difficult conversations, so again, it kind of goes back to the point of all of the different coordination and different advocacy efforts that as parents with children who have mental health considerations, we already do. So if I have a kiddo who has PTSD, I know that maybe if loud noises, if very busy environments are going to be a trigger for them, I know that that’s probably not a good idea for me to put them in a summer activity that’s going to have those things, right? And so, it comes to picking activities, we also have to keep those things into consideration.

And when we do pick an activity, let’s say our kiddo wants to learn how to play the piano. We found a class, we found it free of cost, or we found it at a reasonable price that we can afford. Having the conversation with whoever is in charge regarding our child’s mental health needs. So, I feel like a lot of the times because our kiddos spend so much time in school and the teachers know them for a long time, the principal knows them, their counselor knows them, they have these IEPs, 504s or special accommodations in place.

Sometimes as parents we forget that not everybody is, one, a mental health professional or, two, they don’t really know our child. Maybe it might be their first time meeting our child or it might be the first time working with somebody who has a mental health condition. So, I always tell parents that there’s no amount of advocacy that can never be enough. And if you see something, say something. If there’s something that you feel like they should know, please tell them right away.

I always encourage parents to do thorough research of not only the program, the class, the club, but also who’s in charge of them, how many times are they going to be overseeing, Because a lot of the times there might be one person in charge of the program, but maybe younger volunteers will actually run the program or younger employees, younger peers who are going to be in charge of the groups and the different activities in the program.

It’s important to share this information, especially when the person in charge will not be working directly with your child. So, anything that you would need them to know. Like I said, you know, give you that example. I had a patient who got really overwhelmed. And they needed a couple of minutes to take a deep breath outside, and there was activity that they were considering, that it was a music class, and there was no room to go outside because it was like a commercial building. So when our kiddo got really overwhelmed, they weren’t able to take their break, go outside, feel the fresh air. That ended up being more of a detrimental experience for them.

Make sure to have these conversations with the people in charge. This helps ensure your child’s needs are being met. And if they cannot meet them, it’s okay to say no, it’s okay to find another program, it’s okay to talk to your mental health professional, it’s okay to find something that might not necessarily be perfect. But at the end of the day, it will have those accommodations for them to be able to enjoy their summer while still having those safety nets to fall back on.

Melanie Cole, MS: Great information. This was such an informative episode, Marta. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expertise with parents today. And for more mental health tips and resources, please visit choc.org/programservices/mentalhealth. Thank you so much for listening to Long Live Childhood, a pediatric health and wellness podcast presented by [Rady Children’s]. Together, we can keep kids happy and healthy. We’d like to invite our audience to download, subscribe, rate, and review Long Live Childhood on Apple podcast, iHeart, Spotify, and Pandora. Please remember to share these shows on your social channels, as we’re all learning from the experts at CHOC together. I’m Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for joining us today.

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