Cool Ways Students Can Keep Their Minds Active this Summer

When summer hits, staying cool is hard—keeping your mind active during the summer is pretty hard, too! As a student, whether you’re in high school or college, you deserve this break to relax and rejuvenate before the year ahead. This is a time to enjoy your hobbies, catch up with your friends and family, and enjoy the outdoors. However, just because you aren’t in school doesn’t mean you should completely abandon all mental activity. There are plenty of ways to keep your mind active during the summer that don’t involve diving into a textbook. Read on to learn more!

1. Practice your writing

Whether you are a high school student off to college in the next few years, or a college student off to the real world in a few years, writing is instrumental in nearly every field. Practice your writing over the summer by writing in ways you wouldn’t at school. Consider starting a journal and writing personal narratives. You could also start a blog about something you’re interested in and share it with friends and family. Maybe try different restaurants in your neighborhood and write reviews of them, write recaps of your favorite shows, or start a blog on your favorite sports team. This practice will be fun and pay off in the future.

2. Read (for pleasure!)

When you have required reading throughout the school year, it can be difficult to find time to read things that you enjoy. And if you’re reading textbooks and material that you aren’t enamored with, it can even be easy to forget how enjoyable reading is. It can be tough at first to find the right book for you, but with your free time this summer, try reading a variety of books until you find your genre. Make reading more fun by enjoying it with friends. Consider starting a book club where everyone reads the same books and discusses them at the end. (How about even doing this outside in the sunshine?) It’s always fun talking with friends about your reaction to the book, and don’t forget to bring the snacks!

3. Volunteer for a good cause

Unlike a job or an internship, many volunteer projects can be done on your schedule, meaning you can choose to volunteer once a week or even once a month. Volunteering is great for so many reasons. First, you are giving back and you have the ability to choose which way you do so. Maybe your passion is animals, helping children, or the environment. No matter what you care about, there is a cause out there you can help with. Within each cause, there are always a variety of needs. Many organizations need volunteers to help with anything from building to assisting with social media. Choose to help out in the way where your strengths and passions can be used. Volunteering helps keep your mind active as you gain skills working with other volunteers and complete a variety of projects.

4. Play some games

Summer can still be fun and games and a good chance to grow as well. Many games and activities that are fun and entertaining are also great ways to expand your mind. Puzzles on a rainy day are a great way to keep the brain active, for instance. Sudoku puzzles and crosswords are also great short activities to stimulate your mind. When it’s nice out, any activity that requires exercise is a great way to spend your time. Whether it’s swimming laps, participating in a softball or kickball league, or jogging daily, these activities will keep both your brain and body active.

There are countless activities you can do all summer that are fun and mind-stimulating. While summer is a wonderful time to relax, consider choosing relaxing activities that will also grow your mind.
Brittany Phillips is a contributing writer for Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement.

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