When school lets out, many students simply turn off their brain for the summer, leaving them unprepared when the school year rolls around again. For teens who are heading off to college in the near future, tuning out for a few months can have some serious academic consequences. For new/returning high school students there is a lot to get ready for, between college applications, SATs and ACTs, advanced-level classes and graduation requirements.
While all students need a break during summer, help them stay sharp and avoid learning loss with these tips:
Help your teen find a job
Your teen has many options for how they can spend their summer. One of the most beneficial is having a job, which can teach new skills and keep the old ones finely tuned in an engaging way. Ideally, before summer is fully underway, help your teen create a resume with their contact information, past experience and school and extracurricular activities so he or she can apply for jobs.
It’s best if you help your teen find a job that interests them and will keep them happily busy throughout the summer. If your son or daughter can’t find paid positions, an unpaid internship can help boost career experience and be a great learning experience. You can search for these opportunities online or often through your teen’s school.
There are many businesses that look for teens to employ during summer break, such as camps, community centers, tutoring centers and sports academies. These are great opportunities for teens to keep using their brainpower, as just about every job will require reading and writing comprehension, as well as training that teaches new employees important technical skills, keeping your teen sharp while they earn extra cash.
Plan a service project
Another way to stay busy and not allow the summer break to disengage your teen from learning entirely is to get involved with a project that gives back. Service projects are very popular for students of all ages, but especially among high school teenagers. From building houses to tutoring, teens can provide meaningful service to their communities while using their communication, planning and team building skills. Not only can volunteering for a service project help keep their minds active all summer, but the experience will also open them up to new aspects of their community.
Keep them reading
One of the biggest problems of summer break is that many students abruptly stop reading once school is out. Keep your teen actively reading by seeking out book clubs in your community that your teen would be willing to join. Finding one with a genre focus your teen likes will help get them interested and more likely to read and engage. Try not to criticize what they read and don’t nag or or pressure them into finishing a book — you want to make the experience enjoyable so they will be more likely to continue to read on their own.
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