When school is over, the first thing students think of is how to have fun. And although the summer holiday is indeed a time to relax, students shouldn’t overlook many opportunities for personal development. There are various activities for which there is never enough time during the school year.
As children like to unwind and enjoy their well-earned holiday, they will probably need some help with organization and time management.With a little effort, children can spend vacation days filled with fun activities, and learn new things that could be very useful both in the new school year, and in everyday life as well.
New language
Knowledge of foreign languages enables us to get to know different cultures and ways of life. In addition, mastering a foreign language opens up a number of possibilities, such as studying abroad, new business collaborations, or ways to improve existing collaborations. Since language learning demands a lot of time and effort, summer is an ideal period for it.
People usually learn foreign languages in language courses which can also be attended online. This way, learning Spanish, French or Italian won’t take up too much of children’s time, because they can learn them from home.
New skills
How to have fun on holiday while at the same time doing something useful? If you have more free time than usual, you should use it to learn new things. Some will say that students are sick of learning as it is, but we are talking about skills that are useful and fun at the same time. It can be a new hobby for example, that children are enthusiastic about. We should always support children’s interests and inclinations, because commitment gives rise to a lot of useful knowledge (patience, discipline, resourcefulness, etc.).
And while high school students usually have an idea on what they want to do, we need to draw the attention of younger children to certain activities. That doesn’t mean that parents shouldn’t try and suggest activities and options for older children as well:
- Training – Summer is a perfect time to improve your physical health. The first thing that many people will think of is swimming, and they are right. Swimming is very much the definition of a ‘summer’ sport that helps children to live a healthy lifestyle, and to get rid of their fear of water and safely enjoy swimming in lakes or the sea.Of course, land sports are also very popular, both team and individual.There are so many great sports, such as horseback riding, lacrosse, field hockey, diving, or rock climbing that will help children to get out of their comfort zone and have fun in the process. Holidays are a great time to try out new sports disciplines and enjoy physical activity. Training different sports helps children make new friends, and gain the self-confidence all successful athletes possess. It should be noted that ambition and success are not the priority here, but recreation and spending time with friends.
- Cooking– when they are younger, children assume that breakfast, lunch and dinner will always be on the table. However, when it is time for college, independence will come in handy. Believe it or not, cooking can be fun, especially once you’ve mastered the basics. Who knows, maybe someone will discover their talent this way and decide to become a chef.
- Drawing – learning to draw and paint requires time and commitment. This is why summer is the perfect time for art, every student has plenty of time, and the environment is colorful and represents a perfect motif to translate to canvas or paper. Fine arts teach us patience, because only when we are focused can we create a work of art.
- Photography – Drawing can be challenging, so photography is a good alternative, and if combined with hiking or sightseeing, it can be an extremely fun activity. Photography used to be a very expensive hobby, and it used to require technical proficiency. However, nowadays, we only need a phone with a camera, some knowledge of camera settings, and a good eye for detail. We often miss many details due to the fast way of life, so photography is an excellent way to capture those beautiful moments. This activity can be enjoyed regardless of where students spend their holidays.
- Dancing – everyone can and should learn to dance, because it is healthy and fun, and it improves one’s self-confidence. Regardless of gender and age, everyone should be able to dance so that they could enjoy social activities to the fullest. If you have any doubts, just watch the movie In the Heights and you will understand why music and dancing are so awesome.
These are just some skills everyone can learn during summer holidays, and success only depends on the student’s determination and their parents’ support. What is learned over the summer remains useful for the rest of our life, if only as a big life lesson.
Read and write
When we talk about ways how to spend holidays usefully for students, books are an inescapable topic. Reading is still one of the best and most useful summer activities. Nice weather is perfect for giving oneself over to the world of imagination. Students often like to say that they don’t want to spend the little free time they have on reading. However, that excuse simply doesn’t count during summer, so point them to the nearest library.
Reading doesn’t have to be a solitary activity. Thanks to the Internet, it is easier than ever to find like-minded people and start a book club. Just as we retell and paraphrase movies and TV shows, book lovers share stories about their favorite novels. Who knows, maybe reading will eventually encourage someone to write their very first story, or at least keep a diary over the summer. No one is born with writing skills. They are practiced, like all other skills, you only need to be patient.
Part time job or internship
The holidays are a great opportunity to learn new things, but also to make some money. A part-time job gives financial independence, but more importantly, it provides students with an insight into post-school responsibilities. Although summer jobs usually don’t require any special prior knowledge, they do provide invaluable experience that can greatly facilitate one’s job search later in life (letter of recommendation from the employer, or acquisition of specific knowledge).
On the other hand, internships can be very useful for senior students who need work experience. Maybe someone would rather spend their summer holiday on the beach, but those who look ahead are aware that an internship in a good company can greatly help their career. First of all, they gain significant experience working in a certain industry, meet new people and acquire new skills. And finally, if they make a good impression, the intern can probably count on getting a job offer.
How to spend holidays usefully? Here’s how!
You don’t have to learn to pilot a helicopter or learn three languages to be able to say you spent a quality summer. It is enough to define goals that can guarantee that the time before the beginning of the upcoming semester, i.e. new school year will be usefully spent. Everyone has different ambitions, but some of these items should be on everyone’s list for an ideal summer:
- Spend quality time with friends and family
- Learn new fun activities
- Earn money (garage sale, lemonade stand, private tutoring, part time jobs, etc.)
- Visit museums
- Volunteer
- Improve physical health
Paradoxically, one has a lot of free time, but the summer holiday is over before it even begins. This is why it is important to carefully plan one’s summer activities so as to find time for fun, but also for learning new skills. There may be too many options, so it’s good to focus on things you really enjoy and care about.
Some will go to summer camps, some to visit their grandparents, and others will remain at home and enjoy spending time with friends. No matter how you spend your holidays, the most important thing is to have some rest and prepare for school activities in the fall.
