Helping Kids Transition From The School Year To Summer Break

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - It's something kids look forward to: wrapping up the school year and enjoying some summer freedom.

But getting out of that scheduled routine can be tough for some kids, and difficult for their parents as well.

There are many questions about transitioning from the school year to summer break.

So we asked our pediatrician, Dr. Gigi Chawla, from Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, to share some advice.

Chawla said that while there's a concern about kids forgetting things they learn during the academic year, there are a lot of great things parents can do.

"Take some time each day to creatively have fun learning math, maybe a couple worksheets," she said. "There are also a lot of great projects that kids can do."

She suggested that for Jason DeRusha's family trip to Mount Rushmore, he could have his kids do some research on the monument, draw some pictures and then, during the trip, write about it.

Chawla also said that it's also important for kids to try to stay to a diet schedule during the summer.

"The schools are really good about offering fruits and vegetables," she said. "Making sure families are also as good at offering five fruits and vegetables every day, three sources of dairy, no soda and pop is really important."

She also offered advice about children's bedtimes.

"Their bodies are so in need of keeping to a schedule," she said. "Little kids, kids in elementary school, still need about 10 hours of sleep per day."