Three Ways to Ensure Your Child (With ADHD) Has a Fun and Healthy Active Summer.

Summertime is an excellent reprieve from homework, running around all week, and getting up at 6 a.m. For some families, however, the summer months can create more problems for their children (who happen to have ADHD) with regarding paying attention, getting along, feeling bad inside, sleeping or staying awake.

As a child neurologist I often tell parents that you don’t have to have a crazy schedule to have fun and enjoy summer. In fact, your child’s summer vacation may have just a few routines that , allow your child to partake in physical activities and give them the chance to gain back energy.

This summer, keep your child happy, healthy, and balanced with these three simple tips.

1. Maintain a day-to-day schedule that is flexible.

Although the summer is usually more chill than school during the other times of the year, a daily routine gives children a sense of what is going to happen during the day. This helps minimize meltdowns, irritability and problems falling asleep. Lets be consistent and explain inevitable changes well ahead of time (as soon as we know about such changes!!)

Here is how to establish a routine during the summer.

Lets set a routine for your child with approximate wake-up time, breakfast, snacks, outside play,  limited screen time, bedtime, family movie or quiet game night .

2 - Encourage exercise without any pressure to perform, allow for freedom

Active exercise helps us all to focus and attend . Exercise actually activayes pathways in our brain that protect us from stress (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) is one such pathway activated byexercise. Exercise does not always have to be organized or competitive. There are many simple activities your children can do to get moving in a relaxed and fun way, such as going for a walk in nature ,swimming/paddling in the pool, beach or oceans.biking going to the playground,playing in the backyard or with the sprinklers. Gardening in small [pots is also great (grow ingtomatoes, strawberries, or any fruit from the seeds collected from summer fruit).

Keep children’s schedule mellow. Children benefit just as much from unstructured outdoor play as they do from organized activities.

3 - Three Natural Methods To Help Your Child's Brain Health

The summer season is the ideal time to focus on healthy activities, which will help the development of your child’s brain. As you help them grow their brains, there are many essentials :exercising, spending time outdoors, healthy meals and routine bedtime all help brain development.

Many parents ask questionfs about natural ways to help their kids improve attention span, regulate emotions and enhance sleep quality. Saffron and magnesium have come up as the two well studied safe dietary supplements.

Research indicates that saffron can enhance your child’s attentiveness and ability to concentrate, while maintaining emotional equilibrium. Magnesium has been proven to be useful in getting sleep by relaxing the nervous system and calming the body.

Saffron and magnesium are natural herbal remedies that can help children who are inattentive, hyperactive, irritable or sleeping poorly when taken with a healthy lifestyle.

Don't be concerned about how to fill summer days. It isn’t about a perfect timetable. It’s about family outings. Summer works fine with simple family outings and creating happy memories which help your children feel confident and supported.

At Dr. Tina’s  we love helping all families discover ways to boost their children’s attention span, behavior, mood and sleeping habits in safe and natural ways.

Join our family and let us support yours in any way possible!