Summer can disrupt routines, leading to increased chaos for families, evident in more tantrums, later bedtimes, and less healthy habits. Routines offer children predictable structure, reducing anxiety and fostering self-regulation.

If the families in your practices are struggling with summer schedules, here are a few tips you can offer:

1. Consistent Bedtimes: Suggest that families stick to regular bedtimes (even if they are later) to establish a predictable sleep-wake cycle, and keep up the same bedtime routine (like bath, book, snuggle) to support regulation and reduce battles.
2. Create a Schedule: Encourage families to use written and visual schedules to help children anticipate daily events. They can preview the schedule each night to promote cooperation.
3. Establish New Limits: Families can set clear "summer" boundaries for things like screen time and sweets to maintain balance, even if their limit is different than the rest of the year. Knowing where the boundary is helps kids to regulate themselves.