You know the feeling: school’s out for the summer and you can’t wait to sleep in, hang out with your friends, and completely forget about school until September. But while it’s tempting not to crack open a book or review any of your lessons from the past school year, taking such a long break can lead to forgetting much of what you have learned. As a result, you may go into the next school year with lower knowledge levels than when you left. Here are some ways to prevent brain drain and stay sharp over summer break.
Read
Read, read, and read some more! Reading is one of the best ways to remain sharp over the long summer. It’s easy too, because you can bring a book or download it wherever you go. While it’s preferable to choose material that challenges you to think or introduces you to something new, all reading helps to keep your brain active. If you don’t have the materials you like to read at home, check out your local library. Whether you’re reading comic books or novels, try to make reading a priority.
Be Active
When all your extracurricular activities throughout the school year keep you active, it might be tempting to just relax all summer. While you absolutely should find time to relax, physical activity is a great way to help improve your brain health, including your memory. The healthier your brain, the sharper you’ll be. So whether you’re outside swimming or inside doing yoga, make time to exercise regularly.
Utilize Educational Resources
Resources, such as educational podcasts, Brightstorm, and Duolingo can help you keep up with information you’ve already learned, while also providing opportunities to learn more. You can listen to a podcast just about anywhere, and there are also so many options to choose from that you’re bound to find one or even a few that match your learning style and interests. What makes these resources even more appealing — most are free on their own or through your local library, so you can keep learning at no extra cost.
Sleep
During the school year it probably feels like you never get enough sleep. Now’s the time to change that! Sleep is crucial to ensuring that your body, including your mind, functions at its highest level. Create a consistent sleep schedule to ensure that you are getting enough quality sleep each day. Good sleep allows your body and mind to reset and recharge so you can stay sharp and be ready when the next school year begins.
Get a Job or Internship
It may seem counterintuitive to do more work after you’ve just spent the school year slogging away, but working or interning will give you purpose and keep you sharp over the summer months. Working allows you to develop new skills, and it may also allow you to fortify skills you already have. A summer job can also be a great opportunity to work on interpersonal and communication skills and to just use your brain in ways you wouldn’t normally in the classroom
Being a student is exhausting, and once that final bell rings for the year, it’s easy to just shut down. Don’t fall into that trap. Instead, take some time to keep your brain engaged. Doing so will help you retain information from the previous school year, and better prepare you to jump into your studies in the fall. Remember: staying sharp over the summer doesn’t have to take up all of your spare time. Just spend a little time each day keeping your brain engaged, then when it’s time to return to the classroom, you’ll be sharper than ever.
ON TOPIC
Staying on top of academic skills over summer vacation doesn’t have to feel like work. Instead, incorporate practice through games, day trips, journaling, and family time. You’ll be having so much fun, you’ll forget that you’re also helping yourself prepare for the school year.
Play games. If you’re on trip — whether it’s by train, plane, or automobile — play word and number games. Call on the old standard, “I Spy with My Little Eye,” or mix it up by estimating the number of fast-food restaurants or gas stations you’ll pass. You can even look for words on signs and bumper stickers that begin with a certain letter. The variations are endless, and the distraction will make any trek go much faster.
Visit landmarks. Take some time to research local landmarks or important sites in your hometown and then visit them. Ideally, you would document your visit with a photo, drawing, journal entry — or some combination. The field trip will get you out of the house and allow you to learn more about your area. And who knows, you might even unknowingly give yourself a leg up on a future school assignment.
Journal. Grab a clean notebook and create a journal. This can be a place to keep notes about your day, plans for the rest of summer break, and goals for the year ahead. Or, use it as a place to express your creative side through drawings, doodles, poems, and song lyrics. The beauty of a journal is that it’s your own. You get to direct what happens on those pages — and have fun doing it.
Prepare a family meal. Invite your family to a dinner planned and prepared by you. Perhaps you’ll want to serve up a family favorite or relive a happy event. Or maybe you’ll take them to another city or country, with music and food that celebrates a different culture. Whatever direction you take, you’ll be keeping your social studies, math, science, and communications sharp while creating a fun evening for your loved ones.
