The end of the school year can be crazy hectic and busy. It can also be super emotionally charged for our kids. All the anticipation for the big events like field trips, field days, graduating from who knows what grades these days, assemblies, class parties, and on and on the list goes. Then the big events happen and our kids are either happily exhausted from them, overstimulated by them, or their expectations were not met and they are disappointed or let down. And we thought December was full of all the feelings! How about May?!
But change it is a ‘comin, Mama. Summer is almost here (or already here depending on when you read this). This natural transition is a great time to hit the reset button in your home. Just like spring cleaning can invigorate you and help start things off on the right foot, we can do a behavior reset.
“Hey kids, it’s summer! It’s time for some changes to our routines around here and we are going to spend a day or two practicing those to earn some fun summer rewards!”
Mornings get out the door on time can be hard. If your timeline is changing in the summer- lazier mornings, please!- take advantage of that and make a shift to the morning routines. Maybe kids can stay in pajamas longer. Maybe they can (and should) play outside first thing in the morning before it gets too hot. Maybe you want to do summer reading or other summer practice first thing in the morning. It’s up to you! What can you change about your family’s morning routine as summer starts? Change it up and start fresh! Just be sure to teach it to your kids, use visuals, practice, provide positive reinforcement- all the things.
A summer reset is a great time to re-visit family expectations. If this is something you want to focus on, check out my Establishing Clear Expectations mini-course here. What are the behaviors you want your child(ren) to DO. Use action words in your expectations and avoid the word no. Discuss these with your family. Take your child’s suggestions into consideration. Have a family meeting about them. Not sure how to have a family meeting? Check out this previous post on family meetings.
A super short, structured reinforcement system is the perfect way to do a summer behavior reset. Do a token economy for 1 day, 1 weekend or 1 week. Reward the behaviors you defined in your family expectations. Give tokens constantly for that short period and lots of opportunities to trade those in for prizes that can be summer themed activities or privileges- rewards don’t need to equal stuff/ things. You may be thinking, “They already know how to do these simple behaviors. Why should I reward them for it for a day or two? I expect them to just do it!” The idea of the reset is to bring to light some behaviors that may not be happening regularly after the end of the school year chaos. Let’s focus our own behavior on catching our kids being good and noticing the good stuff. That way the good stuff will increase and you’ll be ready for summer fun on a happy note, a strong foundation. Make sure your child knows this is a quick fun reset we are only doing for a day or two as you ramp up for all the fun summer has to bring.
The schedule is changing. Use that naturally occurring shift to your advantage. Jump in and focus on positive behaviors before summer busy times take over!
Do all of this on your own or we can do it together in our all-new Summer Reset Group. Join to get access to quick training and encouragement videos, emails, printables, and support! Sign up here!
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