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How can we make sure our gifted child gets the most out of her summer?
by Dennis O'Brien With so many schools beginning in mid-August and ending mid-May, summer starts and ends earlier than before. Without careful planning by parents, a child’s summer may lapse into unproductive idleness punctuated by spurts of chaotic activities or unanticipated demands on parents. None of this takes advantage of the special opportunity summer vacation offers for personal growth and family bonding. The following ideas can help parents make good things happen for their children. • Anticipate your child’s needs. Planning for a productive, healthy summer means blending relaxation, structured activities, academics and family time. It may be helpful to identify any special goals you have for your child. For example, learning to socialize more comfortably with peers or work cooperatively with others may be important skills for gifted children—who so often are inclined to see themselves as different from others—to work on. • Balance activities, routines and down time. Children should maintain a regular rhythm of when they rise, when they go to bed, when they do chores and when they can expect to participate in family meals and activities. They also need to be involved in responsible activities. But healthy structure doesn’t mean that children should be busy all the time. Some parents keep their children scheduled nearly all the time. They confuse good parenting with doing their utmost to develop a child’s talents, maximizing every opportunity and scheduling the child to the limit. Constant activity is stressful, especially when always focused on improvement rather than recreation. This is a mistake. Downtime must be a part of any healthy mix. • Define limits and responsibilities. Set reasonable daily limits on the amount of time children spend watching television, playing electronic games or amusing themselves on the computer. The time children spend doing chores can be increased over the summer. Some major jobs can be assigned over an extended period of time for older children. • Schedule physical activity into your child’s week. In addition to setting limits on sedentary activities, it is important to promote physical activities. Offer suggestions about activities that can be done either individually or with others. Scheduling physical activity makes it much more likely to occur. Be sure your child has the clothing, shoes and athletic equipment she needs. Offer to provide transportation if it is necessary. Make sure you model physical activity yourself, and plan physical activities for your family. • Involve your children in planning family and personal activities. This gives them more ownership of the results, and ensures that all your family’s needs will be included. Brainstorm together, and list all of the activities each family member would like to do over the summer: for example, biking on the Katy Trail, going to a Cardinals game, exploring the Science Center or the History Museum, visiting grandparents, reading twenty books, vacationing at the lake or enjoying one of the many area parks. Take a calendar and note when some of these events need to be scheduled and when the rest can be worked in. Post the family "wish list," and check each item off when it has been accomplished. Review and celebrate your accomplishments together at the end of the summer season. • Make academics part of the mix. Three months is too long for an academically talented child to go without intellectual stimulation and skill building. For starters, expect your child to read for pleasure an hour each day. Keep a record, and set achievable goals for your child’s reading. Many libraries hold special summer reading programs for children, with intermittent rewards along the way. Look for other ways to put fun and structure into learning. For example, Gifted Resource Council offers 11 challenging, hands-on, enrichment day camps. If your child has an academic weakness, design a plan to overcome it, including structured assignments, regular homework times and supervision throughout the summer. This could be a top priority. If it is a serious deficit, consider tutoring. • Encourage your child to pursue her passions. Gifted children often have strong interests they cannot explore during the regular school year. The summer is an ideal time for a child to explore these interests. This may be done independently, or with some parental guidance, or by enrolling a child in the Summer Academies sponsored by Gifted Resource Council. A word of caution for stay-at-home moms: be careful that misplaced guilt about not spending "quality time" with your child does not prevent you from sending your child to a structured program where she can benefit from the challenge, stimulation and interaction with others. For example, attending a sleep-a-way camp or a second two-week Summer Academy may be more valuable for a child than more time at home with mom. • Arrange for community service. Teens who are too young to hold a job can expand their own horizons and benefit others by engaging in community service. They also learn the importance of being punctual and responsible, and how to take direction and cooperate with others while performing some very unglamorous tasks. Volunteer opportunities are readily available through churches, hospitals and many nonprofit agencies, although you may have to provide transportation to and from the site. • Vacation as a family. Summer is a time for all the family to do things together, not just for mom and the kids. Make sure both parents are involved in recreational activities with the entire family. • Have a great summer. Using these tips will help you, your gifted child and your entire family have a productive, enjoyable and growth-filled summer. For more information regarding Gifted Resource Council, please call the GRC office at 314-962-5920. |
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