Best Summer Activities For Kids With Special Needs

Summer is upon us! Let’s talk about summer activities!

Playgrounds are always a great option for the summer, and many of our friends have already been outside playing! Of course, this is Texas, and it gets hot quickly. Sometimes playing outside on the playground has to happen at 8 am or 8 pm!

When you think about summer activities, remember that anything, where the kids get outside, can use their motor skills, and be athletic is fantastic for the kids. We know that when we move, we tend to feel better. Movement is also a natural sensory modulator!

Swimming, biking, and hiking are all great options. So is exploring! Some of our families have taken time to explore different parks. We have so many different parks here in Texas, with different themes!

Even if it’s boiling outside and you find yourself wheelbarrow walking down your hallway and picking objects off the floor, that’s great physical activity! In the past, I’ve talked about hippity-hop balls, or even having kids carry items up and down the stairs for you. There are many things you can build into your schedule that are motor-related.

Those are all examples of gross motor activities. You can also work on fine motor activities. You can work on artistic activities, crafts, and hobbies. We recently talked about ways to expand your kids’ hobbies, so make sure you look back at that blog and video for ideas.

Some of you are vaccinated, and some of you are opting to not vaccinate. If you are not vaccinating you are probably at home more than you’re out. Your therapist will have some great ideas for you to enrich your home program in a way that meets their therapy needs but also lets them have fun.

If you are vaccinated and heading back out into the world, summer camp may be a possibility this year. Many of the camps have Covid policies in place, often with some kind of cohort or hybrid setup to keep things safe. We are doing a one-week occupational/speech therapy camp here in July. It will run from 9-12, Monday-Thursday. We are registering kiddos for that now, so don’t wait! We will have all of our normal Covid policies in place because we know kiddos under 12 are not vaccinated.

Some of you are going to venture out, but you are going to do it more cautiously. A good option for you may be one of the sensory-friendly movie theaters. Movie theaters are still doing a great job of distancing people. You can also choose early showtime so that you can go when the theater is not crowded. These days you can even reserve your seat in advance, so you can see how crowded the theater will be!

There are all kinds of enriching 1-hour art programs out there. Again, reach out to your therapist. They have great ideas! You can also Google these and you will find all kinds of wonderful options.

These are just a few ideas. Talk to your clinicians for more, and start planning your summer!