Summer holidays are scary for many families of children with autism. It’s a lot time to fill. Plus, a lot of you may not be able to take all that time off work to look after your child. And many of our children wouldn’t cope in summer schools, childminders etc.
How can we prepare our children for the summer holidays? And, how can we keep them occupied during the summer holidays while they’re off school?
How can you prepare your child for the holidays?
- Have a calendar on display with ‘LAST DAY OF SCHOOL’ wrote on it. Show your child that this is the last day. Keep referring to it while marking off each of the days that have passed on the calendar. That way they can see it getting closer.
- Read a social story about preparing for the summer holidays. How they can have lots of fun and prepare them ready for the change in their daily routine.
- Prepare a visual timeline (calendar) of the time they are off. Use visual symbols/photos of things that they are going to do to get them excited. This will help them to look forward to the different activities i.e swimming, going to the park. Also include photos of people they will be staying with.
How can you handle childcare during the holidays?
- Try to involve as many of your family members as possible. Have them take in it turns looking after your child if you are unable to take too long off work. If you are a couple, try to schedule your holidays to cover a longer period of time. This way your child will be with someone they are used to.
- Look into respite care. This doesn’t have to be overnight as some people think. It can be someone who takes your child out for a few hours. They’ll take them to places that they like, doing activities they enjoy doing. This can be something that children really look forward to. Also, chat with your child’s school. There may be members of staff who offer this service during the summer for extra money. This way your child will be with someone they know.
- Speak to your works. I’m sure they’ll be very understanding and allow you to use more of your holidays. Or even work flexible hours if it means helping with your home life. Many employers are very supportive of families.
- Speak to your child’s school. Many schools now do play schemes throughout the holidays. This helps to provide a bit of routine to the students of the school. Most of the time it’s within their school, in classes they know and with staff that they know. There’s usually a small fee for this but it’s worth it to try and work around.
What can you do during the holidays?
Try to plan a routine if this is what your child thrives on.
In school they are used to a set routine and this will be beneficial to try and do at home so that they have structure.
Include them in your planning.
Ask them what they want to do, any days out, activities, movies they want to watch, people they want to see etc.
Keep going with any set activities that they take part in outside of school i.e swimming lessons etc.
Be sure to schedule some relaxing and chill out days as well as busy days.
You don’t want to be constantly on the go and end up burning out.
Use visuals.
Visuals are a great way to help your child understand. And a timeline is a great way for you to show your child what the plan for the day/week/month is.
Look for local autism groups.
Like The National Autistic Society. See if they have any autism-friendly events going on that you can take part in.
When booking any days out or activities, get in touch with the place.
See if they are able to offer you anything to help you and your child have a more enjoyable day. This could be things like fast passing to skip queues.
If going to new places be sure to use some social stories.
This way your child will know what to expect at the place and what they can do.
You don’t have to spend money to have fun.
You can do so much at home that your child will enjoy doing. We have made treasure hunts in the garden, teddy bears picnic with afternoon tea for lunch. We also love trips to the beach, mini beast hunting in the garden and so much more.
Turn your room into a mini movies theatre.
Get lots of comfy bean bags, your quilts, grab a movie and some popcorn/snacks and have a movie day/night. You can tailor it to suit your child’s needs rather than a normal cinema where you can’t change anything.
Have a garden pool.
You can grab some at great prices and they occupy children so well. They love being in the pool, splashing around, plus it will help them stay cool if it’s a hot day.
Baking
Most of our children love to bake. You can grab some ready-bake boxes. They usually only need water or an egg adding.
Ice cream party!
Not much beats an ice cream party, get lots of different toppings and have a great time.
You can still schedule in time for learning if your child thrives on doing work. You can either ask your child’s school to send home some work with them. Or you can buy some items at the store or make up some resources.
What activities do you and your child like to do through the holidays?
Do you have any help looking after them? How does you child cope with staying off from school? I think we all know having autism and school holidays can be such a hard combination for our children. What ideas or tips can you share with other readers? Leave a comment below and let us know.
