Intellectual stimulation, sharpened cognitive skills, enhanced physical, mental, and emotional health, invigorated curiosity, improved social abilities, enhanced self-esteem, increased creativity, and cultural development are a few of the benefits associated with summer activities for students.
Rewards are even better for high school students. Engaging in summer activities can pave the way to their dream college.
No wonder, keeping kids active throughout the summer holidays always tops the priority list of parents.
If you are a parent looking for summer activities for your children or a high school or junior college student seeking credentials, we have got you covered. Here are some fun summer activities for students that carry the potential to foster the overall development of children.
Here is a list of things to do to keep children busy during their summer vacation:
Summer is the time when students find themselves relieved from the burden of studies and homework. It is the perfect time to pick up hobbies and learn something new. It is one of the most common summer activities for students but its benefits are enormous. Children get to learn something new and improve their creativity, confidence, and communication.
Palpate the interest of your child and encourage them to pick hobby classes, be it dancing, singing, or a language class. These activities will give children a new avenue to channel their enthusiasm.
Art and craft activities inspire children to challenge their creativity and blow life into their imagination. It helps to broaden their horizon and make them creators and investors.
Enroll your child in an arts and crafts class or get your hands dirty with them in an art project. Brainstorm summer vacation project ideas to keep your child busy. Some best ideas are best from waste projects, pressed flower crafts, plaster of Paris DIY projects, oil painting, watercolor painting, paper quilling, origami, etc.
Sports activities foster physical strength and development. They help promote the overall growth of children and also inculcate several skills such as leadership, sportsmanship, discipline, teamwork, confidence, time management, adaptability, resilience, and more.
Encourage your child to pick up any sport- team or individual. Swimming, skating, badminton, tennis, and table tennis are some of the good options.
Another great idea is self-defense. Karate, taekwondo, mixed martial arts, judo, etc. help in developing several essential life skills.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that technology has pushed children away from nature. Summer is the best time to instill the long-lost love for nature in the hearts of children. Plan outdoor activities with your kids that bring them close to nature.
Plant fruits and vegetables with them. Talk to them about organic food and clean eating, while teaching them how to grow their food. Let them help you in gardening. Take them to a nursery and let them witness the colorful world of plants and flowers.
Throw a blanket in your backyard and enjoy stargazing. If you have a telescope, set it up and let your child get lost in the vast expense of the galaxy.
Take them out for long walks in nature or indulge in bird watching. All these activities will not only help you make your child a nature lover, but also inspire curiosity, adventure, and creativity.
Summer is synonymous with water fun. The temperature, sunshine, and relaxed atmosphere make it an ideal season to enjoy water activities.
Take your child to a water park or create one in your backyard. Set up an inflatable pool and water sprinklers, invite other children, and let them all have fun.
Plan some water games to make it a collaborative experience.
Gaming and adventure activities like scavenger hunts promote skills like problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, communication, collaboration, analytical thinking, decision-making, etc.
Turn your backyard into a scavenger hunt yard or take children to any outdoor place like a garden or beach and plan a nature scavenger hunt. It is a great idea to keep kids entertained and evoke a sense of adventure in them.
There is no better way to make your child independent than sending them to overnight camps. Overnight summer camps are not only fun but institutions that teach several essential life skills to children.
These camps provide an immersive experience. They plan activities that inspire learning. From art to nature, sports, adventure, science, and technology- summer camps give children an opportunity to tap into their interests and learn something new.
Furthermore, these camps teach children to be independent and polish their social skills. The activities stimulate creativity, curiosity, imagination, communication, teamwork, and other skills.
With televisions, smartphones, and high-tech gaming consoles, reading is a forgotten hobby. Revive this wonderful hobby by engendering the love for books in your child. You can do this by planning reading sessions every night before bedtime.
Read stories to them or let them read by themselves. Take them to bookstores or book fairs and let them pick books of their choice.
Reading goes a long way in shaping creative, curious, responsible, aware, and mentally and emotionally intelligent children.
Children love to play. Make gaming educational with games that promote analytical thinking, problem-solving, and other valuable skills. Several games, like Lego, Monopoly, Scrabble, etc. help in skill development, such as analytical thinking, creativity, etc.
Plan a game night every weekend with your kids.
Most parents keep their children away from the kitchen but inviting them to the world of gastronomy can be rewarding.
Bake cookies with them or let them plan their own meal. Ask them to help you in preparing lemonade in summer noon or teach them to make their breakfast- a bowl of cereal and milk.
Cooking with your child is the best thing you could do this summer. It will give you a lot of bonding time and help your child develop an essential life skill.
Summertime brings an opportunity for high school and junior college students to work on their career goals. Research projects, community service, internships, and summer courses help students to acquire new skillsets and improve their chances to get admission into prestigious institutions.
Whether you are a parent or a high school or junior college student looking for activities to do in summer vacation, this list will help you find the best option. Here are some of the best summer activities for high school and junior college students.
Students can use their free time to enroll in online courses to acquire new skills. The internet has several courses that impart valuable knowledge to students in the field of their choice.
From coding to robotics, SEO, data science, and AI- students can learn these skills and prepare themselves for a rewarding career.
Several renowned institutions plan summer activities for college students and school-going students. Attending these pre-college programs will help you learn new skills and taste college life before passing out from school.
The credits acquired through these programs also boost the prospects of getting admission to reputed universities.
Learning any form of performing or visual arts is one of the best summer activities for students. Theatre, painting, films, sculptures, photography, or any other art form allows you to touch your artistic side and get a much-needed break from your busy academic learning schedule.
Websites and applications are the future of this world. Learning programming languages unlock a whole new world of possibilities for school kids.
Several online courses teach programming languages like Java, Python, HTML, etc.
Having a foreign language certificate is the best way to diversify your portfolio. Use apps like Duolingo, Babbel, Lingoda, Beelinguapp, etc. to gain proficiency in any foreign language of your choice.
You can also enroll in a language exchange program. Several language exchange platforms bring people trying to learn a new language together and create a wonderful learning environment.
Gaining proficiency in Photoshop, Google Analytics, Canva, and other such avenues is a bankable option. Adding these skills to your resume will not only create a positive impact in front of employers but also help you to prepare for a side hustle.
If you want to understand how things actually work within an office, participate in an internship program.
Internships give students the real flavor of working life and expose them to various industries. By providing hands-on learning experience, internships improve employability, boost networking opportunities, and also fortify skills such as communication, teamwork, collaboration, etc.
Use summer vacations to do some volunteering or community work. Teaching younger or underprivileged students, working at a public library, working for a senior center, visiting an animal shelter, or volunteering for any local campaign is a good way to connect with the community and foster personal growth.
It helps in promoting emotional well-being and empathy, and also refines several soft skills.
Attending a summer program in another country can be the most enriching and life-changing experience for any high school student. Several schools have summer exchange programs that help students improve their academia and acquire several valuable skills.
Spend your summer vacation in a foreign land and boost your academic learning experience. Immerse in a new culture and make new friends.
Plan a hiking trip, go camping, explore the wilderness, go rock climbing, tour caves, go trail biking or mountain biking, try kayaking or canoeing, or indulge in any other adrenaline-pumping activity.
All these adventure activities go a long way in building confidence, resilience, and social skills. They also foster a positive mood and give a sense of achievement.
Summer is the ideal time for learning and growth. With no worries about going to school, students get ample time to immerse themselves in new learning experiences and broaden their outlook.
Encourage your child to take up as many summer activities as they like and grow every minute.
If you are a high school or junior college student, use this opportunity to accelerate your academic and personal growth.