Category : Parenting and ADHD

How to Get Your Kids on a Better Sleep Schedule for Back to School

• LovingGrADDitude
• August 7, 2019

My teenage boys have no set sleep schedule in the summer. It’s the only time of the year they go to bed and wake up on their own time. So yes, that can often mean after midnight and noon…neither which are conducive for a healthy school schedule.

So I use this tip every year to get them ready for that 6:45am back to school wake up call.

Stress Free Back to School

• LovingGrADDitude
• August 5, 2019

It’s quickly approaching that time of year: Back to School is upon us. If you’re anything like me, this time of year feels like a fresh start for many things: planning, organizing, cooking, goal setting and routines.  Perhaps it means getting the workspace in your home ready; maybe clearing out closets for the impending school year. It may be planning your child’s lunch and keeping to a new schedule; or just completing whatever shopping is needed, then sending your children off after a long summer!  

For those of you who have been faithful readers and followers (thank you!!!!!), you know I am a huge advocate for breaking things down, prioritizing to do lists, and streamlining processes!  The overall goal: a stress free back to school month. Yes, it can happen!  

Here are some simple, stress free Back to School tips!

1. School sleep cycle – 2 weeks before school starts, have your child go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until they are on their school sleep schedule.  If they are late sleepers in the morning (like mine), wake them 30 minutes earlier each day until the first day of school so they are able to wake up on their normal schedule. 

2. School supply shopping – Plan ahead of time and think color coding for subjects, meaning one subject would have the same color folder, binder, etc.  For teens, this is a great opportunity for life skills! Give them their lists and set them free in the store with their own cart. Let them choose their supplies and have them be mindful of sales, prices, quality, functionality, etc.  For younger children, save yourself some mental stress and shop for one child at a time, one list at a time.

3. Backpacks – Definitely allow your child to choose.  Explain what’s important in selection: quality, function, size, durability, pattern.  Lands’ End has all sizes of backpacks (by height of child) for all kinds of needs and you can personalize them as well.  They are super durable and last forever!  

4. Lunches – If you pack lunches, plan a weekly calendar with your child and expand this over a month to streamline it.  This way, every week, the grocery list is simple, the same and you can save it!

5. Planners – If your child uses a non-electronic planner, the one I highly highly recommend is the Order Out of Chaos academic planner.  It has been lauded for many awards and is the best academic planner on the market.  I even created a bunch of videos to show why I love it – you can find them on my Instagram or Facebook Page! 

6. Clothing/uniforms – Set budgets and start looking for sales.  I’m not going to touch shopping ideas and websites as it’s a very personal choice!  Sales normally begin at the end of July/Early August so keep an eye out.

7. Haircuts – Schedule your appointments during the first week in August.  Hairstylists will be very busy mid to late August, so make sure you get an appointment!

8. School website – Check websites for any activities you can put on your calendar before school starts so you have an idea of the week/month at a glance for your children and family.  Start marking this in all the appropriate calendars and begin getting your schedules organized and communicated.

9. Summer reading – If your children haven’t been reading over the summer, have them start reading in August.  Check out library books and begin getting them in the routine of quiet time, activating their memory, focusing on the words and charging their brains for the workload ahead.  

10. Math –  I know…I know… BUT get your children doing 20-30 minutes of math a day for the last few weeks of summer.  Some ideas: If you haven’t thrown out the work from last year, you can re-create quizzes, tests and worksheets from these; math activity books from any bookstore or educational store; math friendly apps or find printable worksheets online.  Our children lose working memory over the summer when they are not actively engaged with math. Allow them a seamless transition for math and have them work each day (20-30 minutes) for a few weeks leading up to the first day of school.  

I’d love to hear your ideas on how you make this transition as stress-free as possible!  Comment below.

With Much GrADDitude (and a fun back to school month!),

Kelly

Setting an ADHD Summer Routine

• LovingGrADDitude
• June 5, 2019

Hello Summer, it is SOOOO lovely to see you.  Happy End of School, everyone – you made it through!  I hope you all finished strong!

As a parent, the month of May has slowly become the one month that I equally like/dislike.  All the end of school parties, gifts for teachers (most deserving of our time, effort and money  ever!), class events, trips, concerts, friends getting tired of friends, trying to keep your kids on track and finish strong and respectable, end of year grades, exams, projects, etc.  it all builds up to a rather large to do list that continues to build! Coupled with longer days when the weather is so tempting and everyone wants to be off schedule, stay up late and blow off all educational responsibilities!  Yes, I said it… by this time of the year, if it’s not getting through, it’s probably not going too!

Who else let’s stuff slide academic wise with their children?  (my hand is raised high!) It’s OK!

It’s been a long year – the end is in sight and May is tough, people!  It’s slowly become worse (don’t hate me when I say this because you all know what I mean) than December!

So, with much abated breathe, I am always, always happy for the lovely month of May for its weather (ok, the golf tournaments, the NHL Finals – GO CANES – are the real reasons), the stunning greenery and sunshine (wait, I live in NC and it’s normally sunny here anyways, but you know what I mean!), and the end of a structured school year.  Hallelujah, another year in the books – you did it! BREATHE. BYE BYE May.

Hello June.  Now what? What’s your plan?  Remember that schedule you (and I) so desperately wanted to come to a screeching halt?  Well, that schedule and structure are critical for ADHD’ers to thrive. A break of schedule/routine can be equally healthy and disastrous.  Healthy meaning it is good to come down off an intense year of school and give your brain a bit of a break and recharge. Disastrous meaning no plans, no structure allows too much free will and this amounts to time sucks of activities, and unaccountability.  

ADHD’ers need predictability so they can manage the emotional impulses of ADHD.  Having a routine in place will allow them to succeed with chores, morning and bedtime routines, and overall planning of the day – basically tapping into their executive functioning.  When this is not used or activated, it sets up for meltdowns, impulse control issues, transition challenges, etc.

ADHD’ers need help with self-control – this is a huge challenge for them!  

This is why Summer is lovely to have a break from academics, but your child still needs structure.

How will you create this with them?  Notice I said WITH them? Include them in their summer schedule! 

Tips for a Successful ADHD Summer

• Ask them what they’d like to work on over the summer.  It’s a great time to brush up on any skills needing to be fine-tuned.  Maybe they need a tutor in Math or English or maybe working with an ADHD Coach (I know someone – hmm!) would help build their confidence before going back to school).

• Set a weekly schedule so they have a week at a glance.

• Set a daily “flexible” schedule, so they have an idea of what all will be happening that day and what all is expected of them

• Decide on a chores list each day.  Find out how they want it: where does it need to be posted – on a post-it, texted to them?  And decide together when the chores need to be done each day.

• Designate how many hours they are allowed on electronics per day.

• Do they have all the tools they need to succeed in managing their time?

• Athletic work-outs? Practices, etc?

• Think about service/volunteer/camps/church group outings.  Summer is a great time to spend giving your time and resources to others

• How often do they want to see their friends?  Have them plan this.

• If you are going on a summer vacation, have them plan what they’d like to do there and what they want to explore.

• Always leave a block of time for “free time” on the calendar each day.

Having a summer “routine” will provide the best of both worlds for your child: a flexible schedule with expectations for them to meet.  This will allow them to be successful in their time management, and accountability and will help them maintain structure each day during the long dog days of summer.  

With Much GrADDitude, (and a lovely first month of Summer),

Kelly