As the school year comes to an end, many parents look forward to a well-deserved summer break for their children. While summer offers opportunities for rest, family time, camps, and outdoor activities, it also presents unique challenges for children and teenagers living with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Without the daily routines and structure provided by school, many children with ADHD in Montreal experience increased difficulties with attention, emotional regulation, executive functioning, and self-management.
Rather than viewing summer as a pause in your child’s development, it can become one of the most valuable times to strengthen the very skills that will help them succeed academically, socially, and emotionally in the coming school year. We believe that summer provides an ideal opportunity for children in Montreal to build confidence, develop executive functioning skills, and improve ADHD symptom management in a calm, supportive environment.
Why Can Summer Be More Challenging for Children with ADHD?
Children with ADHD often thrive when predictable routines and clear expectations are in place. During the school year, classrooms provide schedules, transitions, deadlines, and consistent adult guidance. Summer, while enjoyable, naturally removes much of this external structure.
Without consistent routines, children with ADHD may experience:
- Increased distractibility
- Difficulty initiating tasks
- Reduced motivation
- Emotional outbursts
- Increased impulsivity
- Trouble regulating screen time
- Challenges completing daily responsibilities
- Sleep schedule disruptions
- Greater parent-child conflict
- Difficulty transitioning back to school in September
Many parents notice that their child’s ADHD symptoms appear to become more pronounced during the summer months—not because the ADHD is worsening, but because fewer external supports are available to help them stay organized and regulated.
Fortunately, this also creates an excellent opportunity to build internal coping strategies. Our art therapists in Montreal are trained in helping children and teenagers with ADHD develop the right coping skills.
Why Is Summer the Best Time to Work on ADHD Symptom Management?
One of the greatest advantages of summer is that children are no longer managing the daily pressures of homework, exams, classroom expectations, peer dynamics, and academic performance. With lower stress levels, children often become more receptive to learning new strategies.
Instead of focusing on completing assignments, therapy sessions can concentrate on developing lifelong skills such as:
- Emotional regulation
- Frustration tolerance
- Flexible thinking
- Planning and organization
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Self-awareness
- Self-confidence
- Communication skills
- Healthy coping strategies
Because children are generally less overwhelmed during summer, they have greater mental capacity to practise these skills, making learning more meaningful and easier to transfer into everyday life.
How Can Art Therapy Help Children with ADHD in Montreal?
Unlike traditional talk therapy, our art therapists in Montreal engage the brain through creativity, movement, sensory experiences, and hands-on problem-solving. Many children with ADHD naturally respond well to creative activities because they allow them to express thoughts and emotions without relying solely on verbal communication.
Art therapy provides opportunities to strengthen multiple executive functioning skills while children remain actively engaged.
During art therapy sessions, children may develop:
- Sustained attention
- Working memory
- Cognitive flexibility
- Planning skills
- Task initiation
- Organization
- Emotional regulation
- Impulse control
- Self-monitoring
- Decision-making skills
Creative activities also encourage mindfulness, persistence, frustration tolerance, and confidence while providing a safe environment for children to explore emotions and practise coping strategies.
At the Montreal Art Therapy Centre, our art therapists tailor activities to each child’s developmental level, strengths, interests, and individual goals, creating engaging sessions that promote emotional growth while supporting ADHD symptom management.
Preparing Children for a Successful Return to School
Many families wait until September to seek support when academic difficulties begin to reappear. However, preparing before school starts often leads to better outcomes.
Summer therapy allows children to enter the new school year already equipped with stronger executive functioning skills, healthier coping strategies, and greater emotional resilience.
Children who receive ADHD support during the summer often begin the school year with improved:
- Attention and concentration
- Organizational skills
- Emotional regulation
- Classroom readiness
- Confidence
- Independence
- Ability to manage transitions
- Problem-solving skills
- Social interactions
- Homework routines
Rather than spending the first months of school trying to “catch up,” children can begin the year feeling more prepared and capable.
To book the first session with an art therapist in Montreal, Pointe-Claire or Brossard, contact us here.
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