While many students think that their summer break is never long enough, in truth, there’s actually enough time to fit in three important elements: fun, growth and relaxation. With summer already underway, we thought we would share our suggestions on summer activities in each of these three areas.
Fun Activities
We don’t think students need much help identifying fun things to do in the summer, but you never know.
- Pursue a new interest. It could be a sport, music, art, cooking, or anything else that there never seems to be enough time for during the school year.
- Enjoy an old interest. Again, now you have time for the things your busy school schedule has forced you to put aside—reading, hiking, biking, other exercise.
- Hang with friends. A pastime as old as time, but it never gets old. The only hitch in this plan is if all your friends are busy doing other things. So don’t count on spending your entire summer break this way.
- Travel with the family. Yes, that can be fun!
Growth Activities
This category is wide-ranging and varies somewhat based on the age/grade of the student.
- Develop new skills at SuperCamp. We have 6-day and 10-day camps, so they don’t take much of a chunk out of summer. (Oh, by the way, SuperCamp also falls into the “Fun Activities” category. Just ask our grads.)
- In this blog, we’ve addressed the importance of adding volunteer activity to your resume in preparation for college admissions. Summer is a great time to undertake or ramp up your service work.
- Get a job. This is a growth opportunity—it grows your bank account and your character. The trifecta is if the job relates in some way to an area of interest or future study for you.
- You may not get paid, but a quality internship will pay dividends when applying for college and, similar to a paying job, it should give you great insight into an area that you may want to pursue further academically and as a career.
- Travel with purpose. Purposeful travel can involve visiting potential colleges, doing volunteer work elsewhere, or working at a summer camp, for example.
- Get a jump on your college prep. Use your summer break to spend some quality quiet time to think about a college essay topic and, if you come up with an intriguing idea, write a first draft (after thoroughly researching strategies for writing a killer college essay).
Relaxation Activities
The specific activities, or non-activities, should be the easiest list to come up with. The bigger question is how much down time do you want during the summer. Our advice is to not cram too much into your summer. You do want to feel refreshed when it’s time to head back to school. So make time for some or all of the following.
- Beaching it. There is nothing, NOTHING, more relaxing than spending a day at the beach. Correction, a week at the beach is more relaxing. Hopefully you’re within range of a good beach and great weather.
- Get to a movie or three. Some summers are better than others for blockbusters, but catching a few movies over the summer is a great way to chill, especially in the A/C.
- Go to a concert. So many performers tour throughout the summer, it shouldn’t be hard to find an act you like.
- Can you find a fair? The timing of a county or state fair can vary. Some take place during the summer, while others are held in the fall. If you have a summer fair that’s not far, check it out.
- Thinking when you have downtime can actually be relaxing. Just having the time to think is a luxury for most students. So when you have free time in the summer, take advantage of it. It doesn’t matter what you choose to think about. Let your mind wander. Who knows, maybe your future will come into focus—perhaps while you’re at the beach!