As students set out on summer break learning doesn’t have to stop. Summer is a great time for kids to learn and explore in way that doesn’t feel “academic” or like a school assignment. To help ensure students don’t forget everything they’ve learned during the school year, keep student minds working with some fun learning activities. Here are a few ideas.
Elementary
Young students can stay engaged and keep learning this summer with these fun summer learning activities. Here are a few ideas.
Cooking with Kids
Learning how to cook is a skill that children will use for a lifetime. Teach kids to cook with step-by-step instructions and recipes on the Cooking with Kids website or at Kids Cooking Camp where most of the recipes are six ingredients or less and where you’ll find age appropriate tips and learn about the best cooking tools to use with kids. Allow children to choose what they want to make and challenge them to a bake off with their friends or a family member.
Soar into Space
Children think science experiments are cool because they don’t feel like they are learning. This summer challenge elementary age students to make a balloon rocket with supplies they can get from home (a balloon, kite string, tape, plastic straw). Students can create the rocket, which will show how it illustrates the use of air pressure to produce movement. Have students videotape their experiment to show to friends and family.
Middle School
Tweens and teens may think summer is all about relaxing with friends, but these summer activities will show them that they can still have fun while learning and being with friends.
Summer Invention
A great summer project for middle school students (that doesn’t feel like homework) is to challenge them to invent something that will solve a summer-related problem (think – summer bugs or sunburn). Once children have an idea for their invention, challenge them to create a prototype as well as create a short commercial (using Flipgrid) to try and sell their invention to fictitious buyers. If they have a hard time coming up with an idea for something completely new, have them try and improve an existing idea.
Summer Sport
Middle school age children love to compete, and summertime is the perfect time to learn a new sport. Challenge children to research a new summer sport that they have never heard of before. Make sure that they choose a sport that they can try in their own backyard or at a nearby park (Pickleball, Ultimate Frisbee, Takraw, etc.). When researching have students discover where the sport was first introduced as well as where in the world it’s most commonly played. Have children invite friends over to learn and play the new sport.
High School
Summer is time to unwind, but it’s also time for high school students to work towards their goals. Here are a few summer learning activities to help admission committees see that students are being productive this summer.
Learn a New Skill
Summer is the perfect time for high school students to learn a new skill. Students can use this time to think about what they enjoy and what they would like to pursue outside of the classroom. Extracurriculars play an important part when applying to colleges. Most colleges ask students about accomplishments outside of the classroom because they want to know what students are passionate about it. It also shows qualities and values that colleges look for in their applicants such as leadership, responsibility, dedication, and commitment.
This summer challenge students to try something new such as learn a foreign language or sign language, learn to cook or bake, take dance lessons or try a new sport, study art or photography, start singing or playing a musical instrument, join a writing contest or even learn how to meditate (this will really show students can manage their stress). These summer activities will help show colleges who students are and what they can do.
Volunteer, Land an Internship or Start a Business
The summer months are a great time for students to expand their horizons, give back to the community, and try to make the world a better place. Students can use this time to volunteer at a local organization, homeless shelter, or soup kitchen. They can tutor young children or even volunteer to work with animals.
It’s also a good time to try to land an internship. This will help young students gain experience in a job industry of their interest. Lastly, students can try their hand at being a business owner. This will show admission committees that the student is driven and has leadership and innovation to try something new.
Summer is a time to relax and recharge, but it’s also a time to keep an active mind to ensure there is no summer learning loss. By incorporating summer activities into your students’ day, you are helping them succeed not only this summer, but for the next school year.
