Making the Most of Summer

School is out, the days are longer, and (hopefully) we are all enjoying some much-deserved rest. Summer is a time to decompress from the school year but it can also be a great time for academic enrichment. Finding balance is important, and by building some structure into the summer, students can rest and recuperate while also exploring interests, shoring up academic foundations, and preparing for the future.

Our top recommendation is to use the summertime to read! Reading has numerous benefits, including increased comprehension, reduced stress levels, more vivid imagination, and higher levels of concentration. Students who already enjoy reading might use the summer to explore new or more challenging material. If reading isn’t your student’s favorite activity, set a small but consistent goal, such as 15 minutes or one chapter per day. Making reading a family activity can also be helpful. Try family reading time, where everyone sits down at the same time and reads a text of their choosing. Or, pick an op-ed for everyone to read and then discuss over dinner. Turning “reading time” into “family time” helps students create a positive association with a task that can feel like a chore.

Practicing math over the summer will make the transition back into school smoother. Unlike most other classes, math builds on itself each year. If a student has missed or forgotten concepts, learning new concepts may feel more challenging. Summer is a great time to make sure prior content is secure. Myriad resources exist for practicing math, such as workbooks, online tutorials and drills, and math games.

For many high school students, especially rising juniors and seniors, summer is the right time to take on more responsibility and start planning ahead. That may look like a summer job, a volunteer program, or taking some community college classes. Summer is a good time to assess how the SAT or ACT may fit into a student’s college application plan. Rising seniors can use the summer to start work on their college essays, which will help alleviate stress in the fall.

If you use your time wisely, the summer can be fun, relaxing, and productive!