Summer is almost here. Many kids are eagerly counting down the days or are already out of school for summer break. As a parent, you may have mixed feelings. On the one hand, summer can serve as a break from battles over homework and fewer after-school and weekend activities.
At the same time, summer brings its own challenges with having to plan out each week, figure out drop-off and pickup times/locations for camps (possibly a different routine each week), navigate different childcare needs and balance work and kids at home if they don’t have activities on a given day.
Furthermore, if your child has ADHD or other things under the umbrella term of neurodivergence (like autism, anxiety, etc.), they may have additional needs that need to be supported during the summer months.
Finally, what do you do if you now realize (or knew before and ignored it) you have multiple weeks without structured activities for your kids?
What do I do if all of the camps I found are now full?
The DC area has hundreds of camp options. While many certainly fill far in advance, there are a couple of general options that you could pursue to sign your child up for camps if that is your goal and is feasible financially.
Waitlist: Many camps have waitlists so you can put your child on waitlists and see if any options open up.
Search for additional camps: A lot of specialty camps such as sports ones offer week-by-week options with multiple locations. If you are looking for a baseball or soccer camp for example, there are at least four or five different companies (probably more) offering camps for these sports. The week-by-week camps tend to have more openings at the last minute. A lot of school-year aftercare programs also offer camps so looking at these can be useful.
Expand the search radius: If needed, if you search a bit further out within the DC area, it’s also highly possible you can locate additional camps with openings.
What if I cannot afford camp for any or many weeks?
Camps can be expensive, especially if you don’t pay for school tuition to suddenly have to pay perhaps $350 to $500 or even more per week for camp per child. Even if you are used to paying tuition, it’s still an extra cost. If covering all weeks with camp is not financially feasible, you’d rather invest that money elsewhere, your child doesn’t want to go to camp, or for other reasons, there are some other options to help fill the time.
Non-camp summer week options:
- Organize a week of plans (or a given day) with a group of friends and their parents. Each parent could take a day or half a day at a time (based on how many kids there are). This could be simply hanging out together at someone’s house. Or, if the parent has the time, the group could take advantage of the countless opportunities for things to do in the DC area.
- You could also organize a week of plans with just your child if that makes more sense.
- In terms of some ideas for things to do around the DC area:
- Boating on the Potomac River, pedal boating at Rio, or at National Harbor
- Play tourist and visit some of the Smithsonian or other museums.
- Take a day trip to somewhere such as Harpers Ferry or Frederick.
- Spend the day on a bike trail such as the Capital Crescent Trail.
- Plan a weeklong visit with relatives or friends and work remotely if that’s an option.
- If your schedule allows, compress your work hours or take a morning, afternoon, or even the last couple of hours off (for example, after 3 p.m.) to do activities with your kids. When you do need to work, set up independent activities for them.
- Have your kids participate in an online camp or a self-paced course while you’re working.
- Tackle long-delayed projects at home like having your child organize their room or helping sort the garage or pantry. As appropriate, get them started and break the work into smaller steps so they can complete portions independently while you’re working.
Getting through weeks without structured activities
If your child will be home for stretches of the summer and coordinating lots of playdates or trading childcare with other families isn’t workable, these ideas can help you create a bit of structure for the day.
- Strategy: Three daily anchors: A simple way to shape the day without recreating a strict school-style schedule:
- Anchor 1: Keep wake-up and breakfast at a consistent time.
- Anchor 2: Plan one out-of-the-house activity (even a short walk counts).
- Anchor 3: Include one “contribution” (a chore or skill-building task; summer homework can fit here too).
- Responding to “I’m bored.” These may be some of the hardest words to hear on repeat when your child is home all day in the summer. It often won’t matter how many toys are around or how many suggestions you offer. If your child struggles to independently choose and start an activity, nearly anything you propose may be met with a “no.” Here are a few lines you can try:
- “I really believe in your imagination. I’m excited to see what you come up with.”
- “Boredom can be a doorway to a new idea. I’m confident you’ll find something good.”
- “I trust your brain to pick something fun. Tell me what you decide.”
- “This is a perfect moment to get creative. I’m sure you’ll land on something you enjoy.”
- “You’re great at finding ways to have fun. Enjoy whatever you choose to do.”
- “If you cannot find anything to do, you can always clean or organize your room.” This one often leads kids to find something to do if they dislike cleaning their room.
Whatever your child’s summer ends up looking like, I’m wishing you both a season filled with fun, rest and meaningful growth. Make the most of the summer, rejuvenate, keep your sanity and use the time to bond with your child.
Carey Heller is a licensed psychologist and co-founder of Heller Psychology Group in Bethesda, MD. He specializes in helping kids, teens and adults with ADHD and executive function challenges thrive. He also works a fair amount in helping kids navigate challenges with team sports. Furthermore, Dr. Heller is on the National CHADD board as chair of the Editorial Advisory Board and is also the Montgomery County, MD CHADD Chapter Coordinator. For other tips, follow Dr. Heller on social media at CareyHellerPsy.D. and HellerPsych (Youtube, Instagram, Facebook.)
