While summer may seem exciting from an adult perspective, for children it represents a major emotional transition. They are saying goodbye to routines, teachers, classmates, and familiar structure while stepping into the uncertainty of what comes next.

Even positive changes can feel overwhelming, especially for highly sensitive children, kids with ADHD, gifted children, or kids who struggle with transitions. And because children often communicate stress through behavior rather than words, these feelings can show up as silliness, irritability, emotional outbursts, or lower frustration tolerance.

In this episode, Jennifer explains why children experience this time of year so intensely and how parents can support them through the transition into summer with more understanding and connection.

Jennifer's Takeaways:

Understanding the Emotional Shift in Kids Before Summer (00:00)
Children's Perception of Time and Seasonal Changes (02:28)
Impact of Teachers' Exhaustion and Seasonal Changes (05:02)
Summer's Effect on Children's Routine and Structure (06:30)
Practical Tips for Supporting Children During Summer (07:36)
Balancing Activities and Social Events (10:28)
Encouraging Connection and Understanding (11:00)

Meet Jennifer Kolari

Jennifer Kolari is the host of the “Connected Parenting” weekly podcast and the co-host of “The Mental Health Comedy” podcast. Kolari is a frequent guest on Nationwide morning shows and podcasts in th US and Canada. Her advice can also be found in many Canadian and US magazines such as; Today’s Parent, Parents Magazine and Canadian Family.

Kolari’s powerful parenting model is based on the neurobiology of love, teaching parents how to use compassion and empathy as powerful medicine to transform challenging behavior and build children’s emotional resilience and emotional shock absorbers.

Jennifer’s wisdom, quick wit and down to earth style help parents navigate modern-day parenting problems, offering real-life examples as well as practical and effective tools and strategies.

Her highly entertaining, inspiring workshops are shared with warmth and humour, making her a crowd-pleasing speaker with schools, medical professionals, corporations and agencies throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

One of the nation’s leading parenting experts, Jennifer Kolari, is a highly sought- after international speaker and the founder of Connected Parenting. A child and family therapist with a busy practice based in San Diego and Toronto, Kolari is also the author of Connected Parenting: How to Raise A Great Kid (Penguin Group USA and Penguin Canada, 2009) and You’re Ruining My Life! (But Not Really): Surviving the Teenage Years with Connected Parenting (Penguin Canada, 2011).