Summer vacation is almost upon us. While kids are excited about the break, you might be looking at the calendar and counting down the days until they go back to school. When time is unstructured and kids are always together, squabbles are bound to happen. Here are some easy tips to help maintain peace in your home.
1. Spend Some One on One Time With Your Child
Carve out 10 to 15 minutes a couple of times a week to spend with your child individually. Let them choose the activity. When they get the positive attention that they need from you, they’ll be less likely to seek negative attention from their siblings.
2. Maintain a Light Summer Schedule
Summertime lends itself to spontaneity, but as parents, we still need to maintain a bit of structure. Kids do better when they have a routine. It’s best if mealtime, screen time, bath time, and outdoor/indoor activities are built into a set schedule. There is still plenty of room for flexibility, you can make bedtime later but still have a bedtime. This helps maintain peace and calm at home. Less tension can lessen the squabbling between siblings.
3. Quiet time
Everyone can benefit from a bit of alone time, especially siblings. It is beneficial for everyone to retire to their rooms with a book or a quiet toy for a half hour or hour every day.
4. Send Them Outside to Play
The research is clear. Modern kids are not getting enough playtime outside. They are nature-deprived. Time in nature helps kids focus, improves attention skills, and breeds calm. Those are all things that kids need to help them solve problems and resolve conflicts that they may have with their siblings.
5. Stay Positive
Whenever your kids are fighting don’t say: “You guys are always fighting!” or “You guys never get along!” Instead say, “I know you guys can get along. I know you can figure out a solution to this problem.”
6. Have Catch Phrases Handy
When our kids fight, we often resort to yelling, “Stop fighting already!” “Can’t you guys just get along!” The conflict just escalates because we have just entered the fray. It’s best if we stay calm and have some catchy phrases on hand to promote peace:
Here are a few examples:
“Use your words not your hands!”
“Let’s find a way to calm down!”
“We can work this out!”
Try these six simple ways to stop sibling rivalry this summer.