How to Keep Your Brain Engaged Over the Summer
During these lazy, hazy days of summer, students certainly deserve the opportunity to relax and recharge their batteries. At the same time, it’s important not to get too complacent as it then becomes that much harder to get back into learning mode when school starts up again in a few short months. So how can students enjoy the summer and make the most of their vacations while still keeping their minds limber? In this post, we explore ways that young people can experience the best of both worlds and enter the next school year ready for success.
Go Outside: While it’s tempting to stay inside in the air conditioning, getting outdoors can provide amazing mental benefits. David Strayer, cognitive psychologist at the University of Utah tells us that spending time in nature can “produce a difference in qualitative thinking.” This doesn’t mean you have to go backpacking through the Sahara or climb Mount Fuji, but even a few hours in a park or on a hike in a forest can provide neurological benefits, allowing the brain to rest and recover. By the time school ends, students brains are overstressed, and spending time in nature allows them to “slow down, stop the busywork, and take in beautiful natural surroundings” leading to a feeling of cognitive restoration as well as improved mental performance.
Read: Here’s an obvious yet highly unpopular one: reading. For many students, the phrase “summer reading” triggers unpleasant associations and visions of plodding through some giant nineteenth-century British tome while everyone else is outside having a great time. The reality is less grim: anything you read will help keep your brain in shape so don’t look at “beach reading” as trash, but rather as a workout to keep the reading muscle strong. An effective summer reading list can and should stretch well beyond the school-mandated “classics.”
Work: The number of teenagers in the workforce during the summer months has fallen drastically over the past few decades. According to Ben Steverman of Bloomberg News, less than 40% of teens seek summer jobs, down from around 70% just twenty years ago. The reality, though, is that summer jobs, even the truly menial ones, can provide much-needed stimuli for the developing brain. Consider, for instance, the duties of a supermarket cashier: this person will be utilizing math skills, interpersonal skills, and working on problem-solving and decision-making. The babysitter or lifeguard or camp counselor will likewise be strengthening vital skill sets and staying mentally sharp even though technically on vacation. As an added bonus, working allows young people to make money too, and, of course, financial literacy is yet another vital skill that it’s never too early to learn.
Get Physical: The mental benefits of physical activity cannot be understated. From controlling obesity and blood pressure to improving self-esteem and lessening depression and anxiety, staying active can have innumerable benefits and summer is a perfect time to take advantage. Without the added burden of school and homework, students can fully embrace summer as a time of endless activity. While playing in summer leagues and working out for your sports season is great, don’t underestimate the power of less-structured activities like pick-up games with friends or simply taking a walk through town. The point is that a sedentary body leads to a sedentary mind, so staying active during the summer is vital to keeping your brain and body in shape.
Summer vacation need not be a time of metal and physical atrophy. This is not to suggest that you must lock yourself in a study in order to stay mentally limber, but rather that simple activities like going outside, staying physically active, working a part-time job, and reading for pleasure can keep you and your brain in shape while still allowing you to enjoy your well-deserved summer vacation.
Written by Phil Lane
