Navigating Summer in Adelaide: Sensory Strategies for Children
Summer in Adelaide brings long, scorching days, busy beaches, and school holiday chaos. For many children, the combination of heat, crowds, schedule changes, and new environments can be overwhelming.
As occupational therapists, we know that thoughtful preparation makes a significant difference. Our latest resource shares evidence-based strategies across four key areas: temperature regulation, crowd management, routine stability, and sensory support.
The most important principle? A successful 30-minute outing beats a stressful two-hour one every time.
Understanding Summer's Sensory Impact
Before diving into strategies, it's worth understanding why summer can be particularly challenging for children. Many children experience differences in interoception: the ability to sense internal body states like overheating or thirst. This can make it harder to recognise discomfort before it becomes overwhelming.
Add to this the bright sunlight, chlorine smells, sand textures, loud music at events, and the feel of sunscreen, and you have a season packed with sensory experiences that can accumulate throughout the day. Popular destinations bring dense crowds and unpredictable movements, while school holidays disrupt the familiar patterns that many children rely on for emotional regulation.
Four Key Areas for Summer Success
1. Temperature Regulation
Adelaide's summer heat regularly exceeds 35°C, and many children struggle to recognise their body's heat stress signals before it's too late.
Preparation Strategies:
• Create a visual "heat check-in" system with simple faces showing different heat levels (cool, warm, hot, too hot) that your child can point to throughout the day
• Set timer reminders for water breaks rather than waiting for your child to recognise thirst
• Practice identifying body sensations associated with heat in cooler months, so your child develops awareness before summer arrives • Plan outings for early morning (before 10am) or late afternoon (after 4pm) when temperatures are more manageable
• Identify "cooling stations" before you leave home: air-conditioned shops, shaded areas, water features
• Choose water-based activities that provide natural temperature regulation like pools, splash pads, or beach paddling
During Activities:
Practical cooling strategies that work:
• Wet bandanas worn around the neck
• Spray bottles with water or battery-operated fans
• Cooling vests for extended outdoor activities
• Regular breaks in shaded or air-conditioned spaces
Clothing Considerations:
Loose, light-coloured, breathable fabrics work best for Adelaide's heat. Some children find certain sunscreen textures unbearable, so experiment with different types (spray vs. cream vs. stick) well before summer. Wide-brimmed hats provide shade but can feel constraining for some children, so try different styles to find what works. Consider UV-protective swimwear that reduces the need for frequent sunscreen reapplication.
If your child shows signs of heat distress (flushed face, irritability, withdrawal, restlessness), end the activity immediately. That successful 30-minute outing truly does beat a stressful two-hour one.
2. Managing Crowds
Summer crowds at beaches, pools, and holiday events can trigger sensory overload through visual chaos, unexpected touch, loud noises, and unpredictable movements.
Strategic timing makes all the difference. Visit popular locations during off-peak times: weekday mornings for beaches, late afternoon for pools when families with young children are leaving.
Consider less popular locations: smaller local beaches instead of Glenelg, neighbourhood pools instead of major aquatic centres.
Before you visit, use Google Maps or venue websites to show your child what locations look like. Create a visual schedule showing travel there, activity time, break time, and travel home.
Establish clear "we're leaving" signals before you go, and pack a "regulation kit" with items your child finds calming: noise-cancelling headphones, sunglasses, fidget tools, favourite snacks.
At the beach, set up away from the main access points where crowds concentrate. Use visual markers like a colourful umbrella so your child can easily relocate your spot.
Always have an exit plan, and use a code word that signals "I need to leave now" without requiring explanation.
Remember: leaving early isn't failure. It's responsive parenting that honours your child's needs.
3. Maintaining Routine Within Change
School holidays disrupt the comforting predictability that many children rely on, but you can maintain core rhythms even within the chaos.
Keep sleep and wake times consistent, even during holidays. Maintain regular meal times to provide structure to unstructured days. Preserve key daily rituals like morning routines and bedtime sequences. Create a visual daily schedule showing both the flexible and predictable parts of each day.
Building flexible structure:
• Designate certain days as "home days" and others as "adventure days"
• Use a visual weekly calendar showing planned activities • Balance new experiences with familiar activities your child already enjoys
• Include regular activities your child finds regulating: trampoline time, swimming, gaming sessions
For transitions, give advance notice and use visual timers so children can see time passing. Allow extra processing time during holiday periods when everything feels different.
Holiday-Specific Considerations:
• Not every day needs to be an adventure. Quiet days at home are valuable and necessary for regulation
• Extended family gatherings can be overwhelming. It's perfectly okay to limit attendance time or leave early when your child needs to
• New toys and gifts from Christmas or birthdays can change familiar play spaces. Introduce changes gradually
• Swimming lessons, sports, and therapy breaks create gaps in routine that need acknowledgement and planning
4. Sensory Support
Summer introduces numerous sensory experiences that can be either regulating or overwhelming, depending on your child's unique profile.
Visual sensory supports:
• Sunglasses or hats with visors reduce bright glare
• Beach tents create visual boundaries and reduce overwhelming visual input
• Choose swimming locations with clear sight lines and less visual clutter
Auditory sensory supports:
• Noise-cancelling headphones work well in crowded environments
• Choose quieter times at pools and beaches
• Create quiet downtime after noisy activities
Tactile sensory supports:
• Experiment with different sand textures: some children prefer wet sand over dry, while others find any sand intolerable
• Bring a small brush or towel for children who dislike sand sticking to skin
• Try different sunscreen application methods until you find one that works
• Rinse stations are essential for children bothered by chlorine or salt residue
• Water shoes help those sensitive to hot sand or rough pool surfaces
Swimming provides excellent whole-body proprioceptive input, and wave jumping offers natural sensory feedback. Beach activities like digging, building, and carrying buckets provide heavy work that many children find regulating.
When Things Don't Go to Plan
Even with excellent preparation, sometimes outings don't work out. This isn't failure. It's information about what your child needs.
Signs your child needs to leave:
• Increased restlessness or difficulty settling
• Withdrawal or decreased engagement
• Irritability or emotional dysregulation
• Physical complaints or difficulty following simple instructions
Honour these signals immediately rather than pushing through. Move to a quieter, cooler space, offer regulating activities, and reflect afterwards (not during) about what might have contributed.
Keep a simple log of successful versus challenging outings, noting time of day, crowd level, temperature, and your child's baseline state. These patterns inform future planning and help you celebrate successful outings, regardless of duration.
Incorporating Strategies Into Therapy and Support
For families working with occupational therapists or other allied health professionals, these summer strategies can be incorporated into your child's goals around developing self-awareness of sensory needs, building self-regulation strategies, and increasing independence in community access through graduated exposure.
Community access sessions at beaches, pools, or holiday events with professional support provide practical skill-building. Support workers can offer guided community access, allowing children to practice strategies in real-world settings with familiar, trained support. This combination maximises outcomes while building confidence and independence.
For Support Coordinators and Allied Health Professionals
This resource can be valuable to share with the families you work with. Consider including sensory preparation in pre-summer planning discussions, connecting families with occupational therapists who specialise in sensory processing, and recognising that summer challenges are legitimate areas for support and skill development.
The Meaningful Activities Approach
We don't measure success by how long your child stays at the beach or how well they "cope" in crowds. We measure success by your child's sense of safety and wellbeing, meaningful family experiences that work for everyone, and building sustainable strategies that your family can use independently.
Our occupational therapists specialise in creating individualised sensory support plans that work for each family's unique needs. We can help you develop personalised strategies for summer activities, practice community access with professional support, and create visual schedules specific to your child.
Moving Forward: Your Summer Action Plan
As you prepare for this summer, consider taking these steps:
- Identify Your Child's Sensory Profile: What sensory experiences does your child typically seek? Which do they avoid? This awareness guides all other decisions.
- Start Small: Don't begin summer with a full day at Glenelg. Practice with 20-minute visits to quiet beaches during cool morning hours.
- Prepare Your Regulation Kit: Assemble comfort items, cooling aids, sensory tools, and snacks before the holidays begin.
- Create Visual Supports: Make visual schedules, heat check-in charts, and "time to go" signals.
- Plan Your First Outing: Choose location, timing, duration, and exit strategy before you leave home.
- Trust Your Instincts: You know your child best. If something feels wrong, honour that feeling.
- Reflect and Adjust: After each outing, note what worked and what didn't. Use this information to refine your approach.
The Most Important Reminder
A successful 30-minute outing beats a stressful two-hour one every single time. Success isn't measured in duration or in how closely your summer resembles other families' experiences. Success is your child feeling safe, regulated, and able to be authentically themselves.
Summer doesn't have to be overwhelming. With thoughtful preparation, responsive support, and strategies that honour your child's unique sensory needs, it can become a season of growth, joy, and meaningful family experiences.
What sensory strategies have worked for your family during Adelaide summers? We'd love to hear your experiences.
Contact us to learn more about our approach to summer planning and sensory support.
This blog post was created by the occupational therapy team at Meaningful Activities, Adelaide's neurodiversity-affirming allied health service. For more information about our NDIS-funded occupational therapy services, visit meaningfulactivities.com.au.
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