Summer is supposed to be relaxing, right?
But if you’re raising a child with ADHD, you may have already noticed that summer can also be… a lot.
- Less structure
- More transitions
- More sensory input
- More “What are we doing next?” questions (on repeat)
Even when our kids are thrilled about summer break, their nervous systems — and ours — often struggle without enough rhythm to hold the days together.
Because when rhythm disappears, regulation often follows.
Why ADHD Brains Struggle with Summer
ADHD brains crave stimulation — but they also crave predictability. That can seem contradictory, but both are true.
During the school year, even if the days are packed, the rhythm is reliable. Kids know what time they wake up, when they eat, where they go, and when the day ends.
Summer often brings:
- Unpredictable wake and meal times
- Shifting sensory environments (pool, camp, travel, visitors)
- More transitions with less warning
- And more executive function demands on you as the parent
That all adds up fast. And for many families, the result is more dysregulation, bigger emotions, and more meltdowns (theirs and ours).
The Power of Simple Summer Rhythms
Here’s the good news:
You don’t need to reinvent your summer.
You don’t need a colour-coded schedule.
You don’t even need to do the same thing every day.
What most ADHD kids — and most parents — benefit from is a handful of anchoring rhythms: predictable moments in the day that give the nervous system something to count on.
Rhythms offer a feeling of “I know what’s next,” which supports regulation, cooperation, and calm.
Starting with a Healthy Day Framework
When I’m helping families create a rhythm that supports neurodivergent kids, I don’t start with the schedule.
I start with this question:
“What are the components of a day that help your child feel their best?”
We explore this together, and it becomes a way to identify what actually matters — not just what fills time.
Some of the components families often name include:
🌳 Outside time
🏃♂️ Movement for the body
🎨 Creative or productive screen-free time
🍎 Nutritious food
🧑🤝🧑 Time to connect with friends or family
😴 Enough sleep
🧹 A manageable helping task
These look different for everyone. The goal isn’t to check every box every day. It’s to create a flexible rhythm that allows these needs to be met more often than not.
Everything else — screens, errands, extracurriculars — can happen after these core needs are considered.
Anchoring the Day: Three Touchpoints to Try
If building a full routine feels overwhelming, start small. Just one or two anchoring points can dramatically reduce stress and increase cooperation.
Here are three that work well for many ADHD families:
1. Morning Anchor
Set a gentle but consistent tone for the day.
- Step outside by 10am
- Morning playlist, stretch, or sensory snack
- Predictable breakfast + hydration
- Visual checklist for independence (if helpful)
2. Midday Reset
After lunch is often a good time to offer stillness or solitude.
- Quiet time in separate rooms
- No visual screens (but audiobooks or music are okay)
- This is a nervous system reset for kids and parents
2. Midday Reset
Create a container for closing the day. Bedtime at roughly the same time , even if other parts of the day shift.
- Book stack, drawing time, board games
- Low lighting, familiar scents, calming music
A Sample Rhythm from My Neurodivergent Family
Here’s what our summer rhythm looks like at home (with two ADHD + autistic kids):
- Outside by 10:00am: It could be a walk, backyard time, sidewalk chalk — whatever gets us moving and regulated.
- Quiet time after lunch: Everyone goes to their own room. No visual screens, but tech is allowed for music and audiobooks.
- Evening anchor: Our bedtime routine is flexible but steady — bath, reading, soft lighting, and slowing down.
- Special activity days: If we’re out and about, we adjust. But we still aim to protect quiet time when we return home.
- Check-ins: On busier days, we do a quick family check:
“Did we move our bodies? Did we eat well? Did we have connection time?”
This rhythm gives us scaffolding, but still allows for the spontaneity of summer.
A Quick Note on Helping Tasks
Chores often become a pain point in summer — especially when expectations aren’t clear.
I’ve found that predictability + simplicity makes all the difference.
🧺 My eldest has one job: the dishwasher. She empties and refills it every day. It’s self-consequencing (if it’s skipped, dishes pile up), and she knows exactly what to do.
🧹 For everything else, we rely on family reset time — 20 minutes with music, all hands on deck. It’s not perfect, but it’s communal and supportive. We use body doubling to make it easier.
The goal here isn’t perfection — it’s participation with support
Rhythm ≠ Rigidity
Rhythm isn’t about getting it “right.”
It’s not about doing the same thing every day, or never skipping your anchors.
Rhythm is something to return to.
When the day feels chaotic — or everyone’s dysregulated — these touchpoints offer safety and simplicity.
And if it all falls apart?
That doesn’t mean you failed.
It means the rhythm did its job: it gave you something to come back to.
Bottom Line
ADHD kids — and parents — don’t need more to do this summer.
They need rhythms that support their nervous systems. Rhythms that reduce decision fatigue, increase predictability, and offer space to settle.
Start small.
Try one rhythm tomorrow.
If it helps, add another next week.
💛 You don’t need perfect routines.
💛 You need rhythms that support your real life.
Inside our Chaos to Calm community, we’ve been sharing how to co-create summer rhythms that actually work — and how to let go of the pressure to make summer magical at the expense of our mental health.
If that kind of support sounds good right now, we’d love to welcome you.
👉 Start your 7-day free trial here
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