Do you sometimes feel drained about halfway through the summer (or maybe within a couple of weeks of summer break)? You want summer to be full of blue skies, popsicles, sprinkler fun and cookouts, but it ends up being full of a lot of pressure to keep the kids occupied now that school is out. You don’t want them to get bored, because the minute they do they start picking and get on one another’s nerves, right? I hear ya, loud and clear! It’s so hard to set the kids up with activities that keep them learning and engaged. It can be particularly tough for parents of kids with behavioral, social, or learning difficulties.
So I partnered with Brain Balance [www.brainbalancecenters.com]—a drug-free, holistic approach to addressing the challenges of behavioral, social, or learning disabilities—to try some of their summer activities, and to share a little bit about their philosophy. And let me tell you, their activities actually work. I’m so excited to keep this momentum going into the summer!
First, here’s the context I learned from Brain Balance about why my children sometimes act up. We all know about the left and right halves of our brain—but did you know that the root cause of most learning, behavioral, and social difficulties is an imbalance between them? Left hemisphere dominant children are very detail oriented and logical, while right hemisphere dominant kids tend to be more emotional. It’s because of this imbalance that programs that combine sensory motor stimulation, academic stimulation, and nutrition can correct brain imbalance and ultimately improve achievement. The activities are great for children without difficulties, too!
Now are some of those Brain Balance summer tips I told you about.
TIP 1: GET YOUR CHILD MOVING
Activities that involve active physical motion help children to read with greater comprehension and retain more information. Enjoy the spring sun by taking your child on an outdoor gallery walk, or take the fun indoors to an exploration-style, hands-on museum. Additionally, children should maintain a daily practice of prescribed left/right brain stimulating activities, including primitive reflex, core, and eye exercises.
TIP 2: COME UP WITH A DAILY SCHEDULE WITH YOUR CHILD
Routines keep children grounded—and they are especially necessary during breaks, when the regular school schedule goes out the window. Let your child have input into their schedule—it will give them agency and make them feel empowered.
TIP 3: SPEND TIME IN THE KITCHEN TOGETHER
Sugar-free, processed-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free foods bring tremendous benefit to your child’s overall health and development. Spending time as a family cooking together also allows everyone to enjoy discovering healthy eating through a fun and engaging activity. It’s also a great idea to let your child do simple activities like measuring ingredients, dividing up portions, and reading recipes. This reinforces their reading and math skills without making them feel intimidated. Plus, it helps you with dinner!
Let me tell you about what these tips do for my children…
My children love activities like the ones mentioned above! As a matter of fact, when we were on vacation we didn’t just sit and relax in a hotel room the whole time we were gone. Nope! We visited a wax museum, where the kids were able to pose and use their imaginations, we went to a science center, and we attended several fun shows! We had a great vacation and kept our boys busy and learning!
My boys love to get out of the house, but they also love to help me in the kitchen and with other small activities that I never thought they would enjoy—-like dusting! I do find that sticking with a schedule is best for our family. Any time we kick the schedule to the curb, I find that our house does not run as smooth.
It feels so good to turn summer into another opportunity to keep my children engaged, and I’m excited to try more of Brain Balance’s summer tips.
Not sure whether your child has a right- or left-brain weakness? Check out this simple online assessment to gain some preliminary insight into your child’s functional strengths and weaknesses: https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/our-program/childs-personalized-plan/online-assessment/.
Brain Balance Achievement Centers are located all over the USA, and you can find one near you here: https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/locations/?zip=.
Would you like to get more summer activities straight from the source? Check out Brain Balance [www.brainbalancecenters.com].
How do you plan to make your child’s summer productive? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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