TRAJECTORIES #6 - Summer: a time for rest, growth, and new discoveries. How to support children and adolescents through the summer months
- 7 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Project Introduction — Trajectories
Traiettorie is the newsletter of The Developmental Library, a community-driven space for anyone navigating the world of developmental and life-course psychology.
Every month we give a voice to professionals and scholars who tell their story with authenticity: the daily work, the tools they use, the resources they find valuable, the questions that still run through them. We don't look for linear careers or perfect answers — we look for situated experiences, plural points of view, different trajectories.
Psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, researchers, teachers, and students: if you're passionate about psychology throughout your life, this space is yours too.
Newsletters come out on the 23rd of each month. If you would like to contribute as Voice of the Month — or share resources, insights, reflections — write by the 15th at thedevelopmentallibrary@gmail.com.
Each entry adds a perspective. Each experience opens a new trajectory.
Introduction to the month of June — with Ilaria Crudo
For this month of June we have the pleasure of hosting Ilaria Crudo, who accompanies us in a reflection on one of the most significant moments in the developmental calendar of children and adolescents: the end of the school year and the arrival of summer.
In her contribution, Ilaria explores how summer time is not simply a break from studying, but an important opportunity for personal, emotional, and relational growth. With a careful look at developmental psychology, it invites us to rethink the value of rest, the role of relationships, technology management, and the delicate transition to the new school year — offering families concrete tools and grounded perspectives to navigate these months with greater serenity and awareness.
A valuable contribution for those who work with children and adolescents, but also for those who wish to reflect on how free time can truly become time for growth.
With the end of the school year comes one of the most anticipated periods for children and young people: summer. After months marked by early mornings, tests, homework, extracurricular activities, and daily commitments, a time of greater freedom and slower rhythms finally arrives.
For many parents, however, summer also represents an educational challenge: how to balance the need for rest with the importance of maintaining healthy habits? How to handle holiday homework without turning it into a source of conflict? How to help children navigate the transition from one school year to the next in a positive way?
The summer break should not be seen merely as an interruption of study, but as an important opportunity for personal, emotional, and relational growth.
The psychology of the end of the school year
The end of school is an emotionally significant moment. For younger children, it means saying goodbye to teachers, classmates, and routines that have shaped much of their year. For adolescents, it can coincide with personal stocktaking, expectations for the future, shifts in friend groups, and new responsibilities.
Even when academic performance has been positive, the end of the year brings with it a natural mental fatigue. For this reason, it is important to allow children an initial period of decompression.
In the first few days after school closes, it is normal to observe a greater desire to sleep, play, spend time outdoors, or simply do nothing. This is not laziness — it is a physiological need to recover after months of sustained effort.
The educational value of rest
Adults often tend to see rest as wasted time. In reality, the brain needs to alternate between periods of effort and periods of recovery. During free time, children:
Consolidate what they have learned;
Develop creativity and imagination;
Learn to listen to their own needs;
Experience autonomy and personal initiative.
Adolescents too need unstructured spaces in which to nurture personal interests, friendships, sporting passions, and creative activities.
A summer that is overly scheduled risks being just as stressful as the school year itself.
Holiday homework: how to avoid tension
One of the most frequently discussed topics within families concerns summer homework. Many parents find themselves in daily battles trying to persuade their children to study.
To avoid conflict, a few strategies can help:
Establish a light routine It is not necessary to dedicate hours to homework every day. For many students, working between 30 and 90 minutes a day may be enough, depending on age and the amount assigned. Little but consistently is better than long study days concentrated in August.
Plan together Involving children in the planning process increases their sense of responsibility. A weekly calendar can be created to include: time dedicated to homework; sports activities; free time; holidays and outings. When young people take part in decisions, they tend to respect them more.
Value autonomy The goal is not to check every exercise, but to gradually support children toward managing their own work independently. Parents can monitor progress without constantly stepping in.
The importance of summer reading Reading is one of the most effective activities for keeping language skills active during the summer. It is not essential to stick only to books assigned by school. Leaving room for personal taste is worthwhile: adventure novels; comics; illustrated books; biographies; popular science texts; science magazines for young readers. The main goal is to nurture the pleasure of reading, not to turn it into another school obligation.
Summer and life skills
The holidays offer valuable opportunities to develop abilities that often find little space during the school year.
Children can learn to: prepare simple meals; tidy their own spaces; help with household chores; manage small daily responsibilities.
Adolescents can be involved in more complex activities such as: organising their own time; managing a small budget; taking part in volunteer work; engaging in formative and career-oriented experiences.
These competencies contribute to building self-esteem and autonomy.
The role of friendships
During the school year, relationships are supported by daily contact at school. In summer, many young people risk becoming isolated or replacing real relationships entirely with virtual ones.
Creating opportunities for connection is fundamental. Summer camps, sports activities, recreation centres, workshops, and simple moments of play with peers all help keep social and relational skills alive.
For adolescents, the peer group also represents an important context for identity development.
Technology: balance, not absolute bans
With more free time, the use of smartphones, video games, and social media often increases. Rather than imposing rigid bans, it is advisable to build shared rules together.
Some suggestions: define set time slots for screens; encourage interesting alternative activities; avoid devices during meals; ensure daily time spent outdoors; maintain good sleep hygiene.
The goal is not to eliminate technology, but to integrate it in a balanced way into the day.
Preparing for the new school year
Toward the end of summer, it can be helpful to gradually begin preparing for the return to school.
Some children look forward to the new year with enthusiasm; others approach it with anxiety and worry.
Parents can support their children by: talking about expectations for the coming year; acknowledging the progress they have made; addressing any fears without dismissing them; gradually restoring school-time routines.
Particularly delicate are transitions between different school stages — such as entering secondary school or high school — which call for greater emotional support.
A summer that leaves its mark
Summer should neither become a race toward results nor a long period of inactivity. The real goal is to find a balance between rest, learning, relationships, and personal growth.
Children and adolescents need holidays that allow them to recharge, have new experiences, and develop skills that will serve them in the future.
When the summer is lived with a sense of calm and without excessive pressure, the return in September is more positive — and young people face the new school year with greater motivation, confidence, and wellbeing.
Because educating does not mean filling every moment with activity. It means creating the conditions for each child to grow, discover themselves, and gradually build their own autonomy.
Conclusion — June with Ilaria Crudo
What Ilaria leaves us with this month is an invitation to shift our perspective: to stop seeing summer as a problem to manage, and to start experiencing it as an educational resource.
Among holiday homework, screens, friendships, and rhythms rediscovered, there is space for something deeper — for children and adolescents learning to know themselves, to make choices, to be with themselves and with others outside the structure of school. And for adults who choose to accompany them, without replacing them.
As Ilaria reminds us, educating does not mean filling every moment with activity. It means creating the conditions for each child to grow, discover themselves, and gradually build their own autonomy.
A thought that holds for summer. And, in the end, for the rest of the year too.
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