Here Comes the Sun
As the weather gets warmer, students are wrapping up their school year with tests, essays and projects. It often feels like a sprint to the finish line - which also signals that summer break is just days away! With this comes questions of how students should best use their time to prepare for next year.
Consider this: for every student, no matter where they are in their academic career, next year will be harder. This holds true for a 6th grader entering 7th grade, a student entering high school or a rising college senior. So what should a student do with their summer to best prepare for next year? While many families have some plans in place, we highly recommend looking at the summer as a whole and planning out time for the categories below.
First and foremost, summer needs to be a time to recharge. School is challenging. Academic demands increase each year. Every student needs to recharge their batteries! This looks different for each student. Sometimes it is beach time, a family vacation or camps and travel programs. For others it is downtime at home: time spent outside, workouts at the local gym, reading books, watching movies, hanging out with friends, etc…Regardless of how students recharge, two things remain important. First, this needs to be deliberately included in summer plans. Whether it’s two days a week, or scheduled vacations, make sure everyone can see it on a calendar. Second, it needs to be time spent away from academic pressures-actively stepping away from things like test-prep, required reading or college essays. Academics can and should be part of the summer plan, but just like study time, active rest needs to be added to the calendar in deliberate ways. This helps make the most of both!
Summer can include life experiences. From September to June, most students’ schedules are crammed with school, homework, clubs and sports. Summer is the time to try new things, meet new people and grow in different ways-many of them social/emotional. A summer job is always a great summer experience! It teaches life-long lessons about responsibility, money, interacting with others, and so much more. Another option: volunteering! Few things give a student a better understanding of the world than taking a cause and putting energy into it. Working with and for others helps students see beyond themselves, builds confidence and capabilities and provides much needed services for communities. (Bonus: it also looks good on college applications or job resumes.) Camps, trips and study programs are also a great way to learn new things while building knowledge, interpersonal skills and independence. Regardless of the direction families choose, the value of these summertime experiences cannot be underestimated.
Beach reads! Expand your definition of this genre to include any book that is read for the sole purpose of pleasure. Summer is the perfect time to grab a paperback or e-reader, and get to the books you can’t squeeze in during the school year. For some students that is a dystopian series, for others rom-coms or historical fiction—or maybe graphic novels or manga. There are so many ways that reading improves academic performance, and simply put, when someone likes what they’re reading, they are more likely to do it. Students should use summertime to enjoy whatever “beach read” means to them!
Lastly, making the most of your summer also includes academics. How this is done greatly depends on the age of the student. Younger students may need just to brush up on topics in math, reading or writing. Older students might practice a foreign language, to avoid returning to school rusty. Rising high school seniors should seriously consider getting a jump on college essays. Many schools require summer reading and assignments. It is vital that students fulfill these obligations–there is nothing worse than feeling behind on day one. Be realistic and be specific about how/when academic work will get done. Then add it to the summer calendar!
With some careful planning, summer can be a time to rejuvenate, recharge, grow and return to school ready to take on the harder challenges each new year brings!