Summer break is coming (woohoo!) but we know it's likely that most of our students are going to be wasting many of their days away watching TV, playing video games, shopping and who knows what else! Although I understand they work hard all year and will want to chill out (and they should!) after a while, it's not uncommon to hear complaints of "boredom"...! Depending on where you live, this could mean weeks or even months of wasted time!
The problem with our students being so unproductive for a long period of time over the summer, is that they fall out of the routines we work so hard to teach them all year long! Learning never stops but if left to be unproductive for too long, our students get the wrong idea about learning believing that it only happens in school.
In order to keep them in positive routines over the summer and ready to get back into school mode, we should be doing our bit to ensure they are productive, having a break from technology, getting out and about and always learning. Now, as we're not going to be seeing our students for a while, there is only so much we can do from a distance, but we can still have an influence. Plus, parents will love you for showing you continue to care about their children and giving them opportunities to extend their learning over the break!
Here are 3 tips for how you can encourage your students to stay productive over the summer break:
The problem with our students being so unproductive for a long period of time over the summer, is that they fall out of the routines we work so hard to teach them all year long! Learning never stops but if left to be unproductive for too long, our students get the wrong idea about learning believing that it only happens in school.
In order to keep them in positive routines over the summer and ready to get back into school mode, we should be doing our bit to ensure they are productive, having a break from technology, getting out and about and always learning. Now, as we're not going to be seeing our students for a while, there is only so much we can do from a distance, but we can still have an influence. Plus, parents will love you for showing you continue to care about their children and giving them opportunities to extend their learning over the break!
Here are 3 tips for how you can encourage your students to stay productive over the summer break:
Tip 1: Tell them that when they come back to school, they will be giving a short presentation on what they did over the summer and what new things they learned. This could be in the form of a new hobby, skill or summer job etc. If you express that you want evidence of these such as pictures or even live demonstrations if appropriate, then that will be even better! The pressure of knowing they will have to present means that they will be alert over the break to ensure they have something to share, but it also might encourage them to do something they hadn't had the drive to do before such as take up a new hobby or how to play a new instrument.
Tip 2: You can also set up a formal book reading challenge! This "Summer Reading Challenge" website is a fantastic tool which you can encourage your students to take part in: https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk. It encourages your students to read new books, play games and take part in competitions over the summer break - plus it's all free!
Tip 2: You can also set up a formal book reading challenge! This "Summer Reading Challenge" website is a fantastic tool which you can encourage your students to take part in: https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk. It encourages your students to read new books, play games and take part in competitions over the summer break - plus it's all free!
 | Tip 3: Another fun idea is to give your students an actual booklet of activities to take home over the summer! It's certainly not just for overseas travel, but the idea of calling it that is that it encourages your students to get out of the house a bit and lift their head up from their phones long enough to see some of the world around them! It solves so many of the problems listed at the start: parents are happy as it means their kids have something to do and because it's a booklet, they can actually check to see if it's being done and even join in to support them! The activities also encourage the students to get off their phones and communicate with their family and friends in traditional ways! |
| These are printable activities so there's no prep involved: i.e. no explanation needed and no other contact with students over the summer. It's easy for them to do and straightforward for you to check. These would also make excellent conversation starters / ice breaker when they come back after the summer! In general, having a booklet to complete gives our students bit more structure during the long break so when they come back to school they're in a better mental state to work and continue learning. So be that teacher who goes above and beyond for their students, and help your students not only enjoy their summer, but actually look around them and record new experiences! Check the resource out here! |  |
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The summer break is a long time for students to be off from school and out of the routine. I believe by encouraging them to do some "summer homework", then not only will parents be delighted (!) but we'll be helping our students look a little less at their phones and instead open their eyes the world around them and understand that learning never stops!
Do you usually give your students summer homework? Why / why not? Leave a comment below!
The summer break is a long time for students to be off from school and out of the routine. I believe by encouraging them to do some "summer homework", then not only will parents be delighted (!) but we'll be helping our students look a little less at their phones and instead open their eyes the world around them and understand that learning never stops!
Do you usually give your students summer homework? Why / why not? Leave a comment below!
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