Ways to Stay Cool While You’re Out of School | By: Barry Landry All year long, we anticipate the moment when school ends and summer begins. But once that final school bell rings, how will you plan for and manage all this extra summer time? We’ve got some ideas to help students stay safe and sane this summer and practice their social-emotional skills. Explore the Summer Passport SEL Challenge! Want a way to break free from everyday same old stuff? Will you accept our challenge? This summer, master your social-emotional skills with the easy-to-make SEL Passport! Parents and adults can help children build this reminder of how to use kind, respectful, and prosocial behavior during summer break. If you like to explore, you can travel your “inner” world and practice using social-emotional learning (SEL) in real-life situations. Accept our Summer Passport SEL Challenge and start exploring. Solve Your Summer Issues on ParentTeen Connect You know how it is—parents will only do something if other parents are doing it, too. Right, kids? C’mon, parents! Team up with your teen and make a video that discusses the positive things you are doing, or maybe the issues you’re dealing with. ParentTeenConnect, a free website for parents and their teens created by Committee for Children is a great resource for middle school families. You can hear from both parents and teens about issues causing conflicts in their lives—including screen time, independence, responsibility, and communication—and get expert advice. Make your own positive video with your teen, and it might be selected as a featured online post along with your questions. Visit ParentTeenConnect.org and connect with your teen now! SEL in Summer Programs – Socialize! Maybe your child will be enrolled in a summer program—such as a YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, or other youth program—but you’re hoping they’ll get more than just playtime and games. Try to encourage the program’s staff to teach an SEL curriculum that matches with the program’s scheduled agenda. With just a small amount of structured time each day, SEL lessons and brief, in-the-moment skill rehearsals can bring noticeable differences in getting these temporary summertime groups to socialize and become better students and better people. And have a better summer! Learn more about Social-Emotional Learning Prepare Your Child – Give Them Tools They Need This topic is nothing new for parents of teens and children beginning to discover and build their social-media personalities—bullying behavior exists online and offline. Our Bullying Prevention Resources page offers tips, techniques, and tools for young people who need support and guidance in dealing with bullying behavior and its negative effects. Parents can learn more about this as well. Take a moment this summer to discover some of our useful information—like this Cyberbullying blog post—and share this with your child or teen. It could make the difference for whether their summer is all smiles or frowns. Tips Your Child or Teen Can Use: Bullying Prevention Resources Second Step Program – More Resources for Parents If your child or teen goes to a school that uses our Second Step Program, check with your teacher or school administrator about available resources for parents to access. We encourage you to take advantage of these resources to help you and your kids have a safer, saner summer.