An Educational Summer

The school year is coming to an end soon, meaning your students will have much more free time on their hands. All of us remember the joys and freedom of summer vacation, but one of the pitfalls is that it allows students to be lazy and disengage their mind.

As an educator, there is nothing you can do about this. What you can do is offer up some potential activities your students may engage in over their summer vacations that will keep them thinking. You may even choose to send this list on to your students for next year. You could offer an incentive for students that choose to participate.

1.      Get your students reading over the summer. While many students may dislike reading while in

school, summer opens up tons of new opportunities. First off, they will be able to choose any book they want, versus books they are assigned. They have entire libraries and book stores to explore at their leisure. Speaking of leisure, they have plenty of time over the summer to read at their own pace. Take some time to explain different genres of books and graphic novels to students and they may be encouraged to branch out and get reading.

2.      Encourage students to volunteer. The earlier a child starts volunteering, the more likely they are to give back to their community in the future. Volunteers must meet specific requirements, but there are tons of opportunities for them. Some examples include: planting flowers in parks, visiting a nursing home, sorting food at food pantries, and helping out at an animal shelter.

3.      Tell students about some of your hobbies, and encourage them to pick up a new one themselves. A new hobby will require students to use their brains to learn, follow instructions, and more. Some hobbies that are great for kids include cooking, learning a musical instrument, drawing, and crafting.

4.      Speaking of hobbies, encourage student writing. This can be a journal, a short story…anything that gets students writing. Put together a list of writing prompts that students can take home with them at the end of the year.

    5.      Give students some options for summer fun that are in your local area. Promote museums, which are a family favorite activity and educational. Maybe try talking up the zoo, instructing students to actually take some time to read about the animals. There’s tons of fun activities students can partake in that are also educational.

    6.      Make a calendar of educational events happening in the community to give to students. These can include day camps, events at parks, exhibits, concerts, and more. It’s an easy, visual way to catch student’s and parent’s attention.

Summer vacation is a great time for your students to relax after a long school year. But it is also a time for them to continue to use their minds and develop. Do what you can to encourage this before they leave your classroom!