Okay, who can relate to this? Please tell me I’m not alone! Our family’s summer break always starts with big dreams of productivity, fresh routines, and family connectedness. And then… suddenly it’s the middle of July and everyone (including me!) is still staying up too late, eating cereal at noon, and forgetting what day it is. There’s maybe too much of this so-called “free time”, so it’s easy to fall into these routines. Sound familiar? Guess what! It doesn’t have to be this way! In this blog post, I’ll take a look at how Executive Function skills can help all students, especially students with ADHD or Executive Dysfunction, learn to manage free time over the summer. It’ll be an exploration of summer skill-building success opportunities!
Regardless of the time of year, if you're the parent of a middle school, high school, or college student, you might have noticed that what seems like "free time" to them often turns into "lost time." I hear many college students say that learning how to find balance and manage free time is one of the biggest challenges they face in college. But here’s the good news: Using unstructured time well can be learned! I’ve seen it in my clients - they do figure it out! And summer is the perfect, low-stakes time of year to start building or continuing to strengthen that skillset. As we learned in our blog post about learning Executive Function skills through non-academic activities, we don’t need school to create opportunities to learn how to manage free time. Summer gives us the chance to offer just enough structure to help students build habits, try out new strategies, and reflect on what works.
Why Does Summer Matter?
Summer is like a practice field for real life. For most kids, there's less pressure, fewer obligations, and more room to experiment. For younger students, summer could be used as their first chance to manage their own time. For high schoolers, it's a preview of the freedoms (and responsibilities) of college. It can give them opportunities to see what it’s like not to have everything planned out for them. And for college students who are home for the summer? It's a time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t in the past year and build more effective systems for the one ahead.
When I was a teen, I worked at a gift shop and babysat my younger sisters in the summer, so I had a lot of opportunities to practice strengthening my Executive Function skills. I didn’t like that busy schedule at the time but looking back, I can see how it benefited me, especially when the school year started up again. I learned to take advantage of the free time I did have and use it well. Other students may have different responsibilities than I did but when we give them the chance to practice how to manage "free" time during the summer, it helps set them up for success by carrying those habits into the school year, where stakes are higher and stress is real. If your student doesn’t have any plans for the summer, now is a great time to do a brainstorm for some summer activity planning.
Three Strategies for Adding Structure to Summer
As I mentioned earlier, these skills don’t have to be practiced on academic activities. Here are three simple, flexible ways to add structure to your student’s summer. Keep in mind that this is practice, and we’re not looking for perfection. And yes, each strategy still leaves plenty of room for fun and relaxation time. If your child is working with an Executive Function coach in the summer, even better! Executive Function coaches can support the implementation of these strategies, which makes it less stressful for parents!
1. Weekly Family Meeting
Skills Strengthened: Planning, Time Management, Cognitive Flexibility, Communication
I always suggest this as an important part of the week for families at all times of the year, so if you haven’t yet figured out how to include a weekly family meeting in your family’s schedule, summer is a fantastic time to give it a try. Set aside 20-30 minutes every Sunday (or whatever day works best) for a family check-in. Go over the upcoming week: appointments, camps, jobs, meal plans, chores, social stuff, fun activities, and anything else that might be coming up. Everyone shares their schedule, and together you look for conflicts, overlaps, or gaps. In my family, we transfer everyone’s schedule to a magnetic whiteboard that we stick to the fridge. Younger kiddos benefit from seeing everyone working together to make the schedule. For older students, it might hopefully inspire them to do a weekly planning session on their own or with their Executive Function coach.
Why weekly family meetings work:
- It makes the invisible visible. When students see how time is being used, they can start to make intentional choices. They can see how their choices and activities play a role in the family dynamics.
- It builds communication skills (even if that communication sounds like grumbling about the family meeting at first). Perspective-taking is an important skill to learn, and these meetings give everyone an opportunity to see what others are doing each week.
- It reduces surprises. When everyone knows what’s coming, it’s easier to feel prepared. It also reduces the chance of someone missing something important.
2. The Mini Morning Routine
Skills Strengthened: Task Initiation, Self-Monitoring, Habit Formation, Prioritization
Unstructured time can become endless and possibly anxiety-inducing, especially for those who truly do want to get stuff done but just can’t seem to get going. One way to combat that is to create a mini morning routine: a small, repeatable habit that starts the day and helps students (and adults!) transition into "go" mode.
Examples:
- Make the bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, and then plan the day.
- Take a walk while listening to music or a podcast, then create a short to-do list.
- Write in a journal for five minutes while drinking a cup of coffee or tea.
It doesn’t need to be complicated or early in the morning. It just needs to be consistent. The goal is to have something that signals to us that the day is starting now. Music can also play a useful role in building this new habit. Consistently playing the same song at some point in this mini morning routine can cue the brain that it’s time to get going. If your child is working with an Executive Function coach over the summer, this is an excellent activity for a coaching session. With the coach’s help, your child can identify and personalize these routines, test them out, and adjust as needed.
3. Time Mapping the Week
EF Skills Strengthened: Organization, Time Management, Prioritization
This activity works especially well for high school and college students and is also very good when used as an experiment. At the beginning of the week, students map out how they think they’ll spend their time. We're not talking minute-by-minute but in broad strokes. First, they make a guess at how many hours they spend doing certain activities. Categories might include:
- Work/volunteering
- Exercise or movement
- Social time
- Downtime
- Projects or goals (college apps, cleaning room, art, etc.)
Then, they compare that map to how the week actually went. Even though there's no expectation for accuracy here, if they want to get scientific about it, they could use a time tracking app, such as Clockify or Toggl Track (both offer easy-to-use free versions). After the week (or even just the day) is over, students can look back and see how it went. What worked? What didn’t? Where did time disappear? What took longer than expected?
This activity turns time into something visible and flexible. The goal isn't to stick to the plan perfectly. We’re not making observations with judgment, just noticing patterns and learning how to adjust - if we want to. This is a fantastic activity for students to work on with their Executive Function coach. With their coach’s support and some accountability, students can reflect on what made a difference and use that insight to build stronger habits.
But It Feels Impossible. Let’s Be Real…
Yes, you’re right. Let me level-set with you right now: You will not turn this summer into a perfectly scheduled, always-productive, life-changing 10 weeks. I’m an Executive Function coach, and my summers aren’t “perfect” by any means. And there’s no reason for them to be. It’s not the goal. The goal is practice. Practice. Not mastery. When we start our summer with intention and some small goals, we’re more likely to make progress. We’re not looking for huge wins - just taking a great opportunity to strengthen skills in a low-stakes way.
Executive function skills are like muscles. You build them through repetition, experimentation, and reflection. I really believe it’s when things don’t go right that we truly learn about ourselves and what we need. Summer gives us space to try, mess up, try again, and grow our awareness or our skills each week.
Want to Add Coaching to Your Summer?
Adding coaching to the summer is like giving your student a smart, supportive guide through the jungle of unstructured time. It adds just enough accountability to keep them moving forward, without making it feel like school. Summer coaching supports students by:
- Helping them set realistic goals (for themselves, not just what others expect)
- Breaking down those goals into manageable steps
- Reflecting on what works and tweaking what doesn’t
- Learning tools and strategies to organize, prioritize, and follow through
Coaches act as thought partners and accountability buddies, making sure students don’t drift aimlessly through the summer months. They help keep things on track—not perfectly, but productively.
And the best part? You don’t have to be the one making the plan, setting the reminders, or getting the eye rolls. The coach handles that part. You get to be the supportive parent cheering from the sidelines.
Ready to help your student use this summer to grow, reflect, and build habits they can carry into the school year—and college life? We’re here when you are.