Summer Therapy or Summer Break?


Every year at about this time I hear the same question - "Should I keep coming to therapy during the summer or take a break?" I get it.  By the time we roll around to the end of the school year and are experiencing the end-of-year May activities, a break sounds really good.  Here are some things to think about.

  • Do I need a break from everything, or just a break from the daily routine?  
While you take a break from school can you still continue to devote a few hours a week to language or reading therapy?  Chances are that your child isn't tired of learning.  They're more tired of the daily grind.  If you are taking a much needed break from the schooling routine, consider whether you can still squeeze in an hour or two of therapy.

  • Can we take a small break and feel refreshed, or do we need the extended break?
If you want to take a break, consider taking two weeks off instead of the entire summer.  Think about that winter break you get around Christmas.  I know that by the end of the second week of winter break, my kids are already bored and ready to go back to school.  Consider taking just two weeks off when you end schooling and then possibly another week off before you start the schooling routine again.  
  • Consider breaking up the regular routine
If your therapist is flexible you may be able to do some block therapy.  This might consist of two weeks of therapy followed by a week break, then two more weeks of therapy and a week break.  In this scenario it is much easier to schedule some of those one week summer camps and family vacations, but still keep moving forward with the learning.
  • What if summer therapy is where the fun is at and you're missing out?
I know that in my practice I have waited all year for the weather to warm up so we can take some of our learning outside!  During the regular school year we often find ourselves stuck inside due to the colder temperatures.  Now that the weather has warmed up, I plan as much outdoor learning as I can and that's something kids always enjoy.  In the summer my kids practice their writing with sidewalk chalk on the porch.  We count syllables in words and blow bubbles for every syllable we count.  We fish for alphabet letters in our mini pond.  The summer can be so much more exciting for learning.  It gets us up and out of the classroom and into the fresh air.  It's amazing how the fresh air can boost our learning motivation and enjoyment!  So before you decide to call a halt to therapy for the summer, think about your options.  It doesn't have to be all or nothing.  Talk with your child's therapist and see if you can change things up a bit in the summer without stopping the learning momentum.  
  • What can you lose if you take a summer break?
It depends.  If you continue daily review of homework tasks you have been given and read with your child on a daily basis, then it is sometimes possible to maintain the progress you have made over the year.  However, if you abandon all learning tasks during the three month break it is very likely that you will lose a lot of the skills your child worked so hard to learn.  It is important to ask yourself if you can stick to a schedule of frequent and methodical review over the summer.  If not, it might be beneficial to find an option that allows you to continue therapy for reading and language during the summer months.  





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