Table of Contents Summer Break for Teens Ways Teens Can Make the Most of Summer Vacation Benefits of Continuing to Learn New Things Outside the Classroom Explore and Learn Over the Summer With Rustic Pathways Summer vacations are highly anticipated times. Sun, warm weather, abundant air conditioning and unstructured days promise fun and freedom during summer holiday. While summer is the perfect time to hang out with friends and unwind after the school year, it’s also an opportunity to learn new skills without the pressure of schoolwork. When younger teens continue to learn over the summer, they minimize summer learning loss. Summer learning loss happens when students drown in screen time and lose academic steam over the summer and, consequently, forget what they learned in the previous school year. Research from the Brookings Institute shows that students can lose a significant portion of academic progress over the summer vacation, particularly in math, with estimates ranging from 20% to 30% depending on age, subject, and learning environment. High school students, in particular, need to be ready to transition back into the school year to tackle difficult assignments and complete college applications. If you’re worried about summer learning loss as a teen or parent, have no fear. In this post, we’ll explore what teens can do during the summer to prepare for their future while still enjoying their break. Summer Break for Teens Ways Teens Can Make the Most of Summer Vacation Get a Summer Job or Internship Volunteer for Local Community Organizations Volunteer Abroad to Help Communities in Need Pick up a New Hobby or Learn a Skill Practice or Learn a New Language Exercise or Play a Sport Travel Abroad Benefits of Continuing to Learn New Things Outside the Classroom Summer Activities That Can Help Teens Get Into College Summer Holiday Learning Can Inspire Future Career Aspirations Ways Teens Can Make the Most of Summer Vacation Here are seven ways teens can keep busy and continue growing over the summer. Parents can get involved in any of these activities to enjoy spending time with their teen. As you’ll see, there’s a memorable experience to suit every personality. 1. Get a Summer Job or Internship during Summer Holiday Get a summer job or internship to build life skills, gain work experience, and strengthen communication and writing abilities. Explore career interests by working in fields that match your strengths. If a perfect fit isn’t available, choose roles that align with your passions. Attention parents: This isn’t the time to be bashful. Help by reaching out to your network. 2. Volunteer for Local Community Organizations Volunteering is an excellent way to build your résumé, gain experience, make new friends, and make an impact in your community. Volunteer work can also make a college application stand out. You can find volunteer opportunities online or through your local community center, hospitals, schools, libraries, or environmental organizations. Parents can help by encouraging their teens to get involved. They might even consider volunteering with their teen so they can spend time together while contributing to the community. Ways to Make a Difference in Your Community Looking for volunteer ideas? Here are a few ways older teens can make a real impact: Volunteer at a nursing home to help keep residents company. Prepare and serve food through a local charity. Volunteer at a hospital or soup kitchen to help serve patients, families, and visitors. Volunteer at a local animal shelter to help care for abandoned animals. Lend a hand at a food bank. Host a volunteer car wash Read to little kids at your local library Volunteer at a library to help organize events or read to children. 3. Volunteer Abroad to Help Communities in Need Teens who love adventure and learning about new cultures can volunteer abroad. When teens volunteer abroad, they’re introduced to other parts of the world, experience new cultures, and expand their minds. They learn a lot about life, resilience, and the way the world works. How to Make a Real Impact on Your Volunteer Trip One way to make a real impact while volunteering abroad is to choose a volunteer program that promotes self-sufficiency so community members can continue the project when volunteers leave. At Rustic Pathways, we offer programs that take student travelers across the globe to communities and national parks to participate in meaningful service projects with our community partners. For example, the Life in the Bateyes program allows students to help with home construction projects that provide dignified housing for communities of sugarcane workers in the Dominican Republic. Students on the program work alongside local masons, engineers, and community members on the housing projects and see the impact of their efforts firsthand. Students helping build vital buildings for the local communities in the Dominican Republic. Does Volunteering Abroad Look Good on College Applications? Volunteering abroad looks good on college applications and helps students stand out from the rest. Serve at a national park, write letters to other teens in Costa Rica to teach English, help at art galleries, or volunteer at a Head Start. Colleges look for students with diverse qualities and skills. When a teen travels and volunteers abroad, it can demonstrate they’re a well-rounded person who’s passionate, motivated, and capable of stepping out of their comfort zone. Volunteer work also fosters important skills, habits, and mindsets including independence, self-awareness, and empathy—sure to impress a college admissions officer. 4. Pick up a New Hobby or Learn a Skill Summer provides time to explore new hobbies or skills. There are plenty of reasons to learn something unfamiliar and interesting. For example, trying out a new hobby is a great way to get into the zone and relieve stress. Hobbies can also help you meet new people who share similar interests. You might learn how to play a musical instrument, bake, or start a blog. You can have fun trying any hobby that interests you or gets your creativity flowing. Parents can get involved and learn a hobby with their teen. They may start a garden or plan a family vacation together so the teen can practice budgeting, communication, and time management skills. 5. Practice or Learn a New Language Teens can boost their brain power over the summer by learning or practicing a new language. There are benefits to learning a new language, such as: Improves analytical skills Boosts creativity Builds problem-solving skills Enhances job opportunities Improves math and English skills Increases appreciation and respect for different cultures Makes international travel easier Increases flexibility and tolerance Leads to an appreciation of cultural diversity Here are a few tips for learning a new language over summer break: Speak the language out loud and don’t be afraid to mispronounce words. Learn practical phrases first to communicate basic needs. Interact with the language every day by listening to others speak it. Use free online learning tools to practice. Immerse yourself in the language by visiting the country of native speakers. Do Colleges Want Four Years of a Foreign Language? Although requirements vary between schools, colleges generally want students to have at least two years of a foreign language in high school. Multiple colleges recommend that students study three or four years of a foreign language before applying. Either way, learning a new language beyond the requirement can strengthen a college application. Are You Ever Too Old to Learn a New Language? You’re never too old to learn a new language. Language development can happen at any age; however, the earlier you start, the better! Parents might practice language skills with their teen over the summer and enjoy the benefits together. 6. Exercise or Play a Sport Teens are tempted to watch more Netflix once school is out, but the warm summer weather is the perfect setting to engage in a range of fun and challenging activities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends teens get 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous outdoor activities a day. Teens can get the exercise they need by playing a sport like basketball, soccer, or lacrosse. Teens who don’t enjoy sports might like biking, swimming, dancing, or hiking. 7. Travel Abroad If you love adventure, then summer could be time to explore and travel to a new place. When you travel abroad, you have a life-changing experience that helps you grow as a person. Traveling abroad can promote cultural awareness and help develop leadership and communication skills, especially when programs are immersive, well-structured, and focused on meaningful engagement. Where Should You Go for a Summer Adventure? No matter what you love, you can find an adventure that fits your personality and goals. At Rustic Pathways, we offer a wide variety of programs to help students learn, grow, and develop skills. For example, we take students to locations in Costa Rica to help save endangered sea turtles, plan and run a summer camp, or practice speaking Spanish through cultural immersion. We also offer amazing programs for adrenaline junkies or animal lovers looking for unique trip ideas. Teen travelers teaching English to a class in Tanzania Benefits of Continuing to Learn New Things Outside the Classroom Although school teaches essential skills like reading, writing, and math, there’s plenty to learn outside of the classroom during summer break. When teens learn real-world skills like how to interact with others or solve unfamiliar problems, they prepare for college and work beyond school. Learning new skills is also excellent for the brain. According to a study published in Psychological Science, learning new skills enhances memory function. It also strengthens connections between parts of the brain. Here are a couple more reasons to keep learning over the summer. 1. Summer Activities That Can Help Teens Get Into College College admissions officers want to see students do well in school and continue learning and growing over the summer. Summer activities can boost a teen’s college application, especially if they engage in activities that are interesting, creative, and show effort in exploring different careers. Here are multiple summer activities teens can do to set themselves apart: Join a specialized program for high school students: High school students might consider participating in a program held on a college campus. Colleges all over the country offer opportunities for high school students to learn new skills in areas that interest them. Work in research: Students can impress admissions officers by getting involved with college research. High school students can contact professors or university students. Or parents can work university connections to find out how to work in a lab. Take an online course: Teens can sign up for a free online college course to learn about a range of subjects or participate in lectures. Get a job: Colleges love students with work experience. Working shows responsibility, maturity, and initiative. Volunteer: Colleges are impressed by students who are committed to community service. Just two hours a week of volunteer work can make an applicant stand out. Colleges look for qualities like independence, responsibility, and commitment, which students demonstrate when they help others. 2. Summer Holiday Learning Can Inspire Future Career Aspirations You know the saying, “You never know until you try“? Teens might feel overwhelmed by options when it comes to choosing a career path, but summer holidays can help them discover new passions and narrow their choices. When teens explore skills beyond the classroom, they learn more about the world and how to apply their talents and abilities. They might discover they want to study medicine, for example, by volunteering at a hospital. Or maybe older kids will realize they want to be a biologist after traveling abroad and working on beautiful beaches. During summer, explore interests and reevaluate goals before the school year starts again. Parents can help their teens access their options by visiting colleges together to talk to university students, or by arranging job shadowing to learn more about a career that interests them. Explore and Learn Over the Summer With Rustic Pathways It’s important to relax and have fun with friends during summer break. Teens can travel to have fun and learn at the same time. At Rustic Pathways, we offer life-changing experiences that combine education, travel, and community service all in one. Students can learn new languages, explore national parks, build new skills, connect with people from around the globe, volunteer to help communities, and more. Programs are available throughout the summer months, with program and destination options in June, early July, August, and late summer to accommodate different schedules. With over 40 years of experience, we are the leader in international student travel. Discover Your Next Summer Adventure
A quote from Rustic Pathways Director of Admissions Scott Ingram captures the magic of the summer holidays. Summer holiday offers endless possibilities. Road trips down the Pacific Coast Highway with views of the Pacific Ocean. Seeing cities like Seattle or San Francisco buzzing with summer energy. The beauty of learning about organic food in Napa Valley. Hiking together in Big Sur. Writing in a reflection journal about seeing the Grand Canyon. Driving down Route 66 and letting the kids pick the songs. Heading to Key West and soaking it up. These destinations are the summer holiday backdrop for treasured moments. Charming east coast destinations like Cape Cod or Kennebunkport, Maine, with its lobster shacks. The boardwalk fries and carnival rides in Ocean City, Maryland. Boating on Minnesota’s lakes. Train travel across the West. The beaches of the South: Destin, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach and Galveston Island. Mackinac Island’s car-free streets. Red rocks of Sedona. Or just the taste of fresh peaches or grilled corn or ice cream or strawberries at a roadside stand. From coast to coast, summer sings out as a time of discovery. Join us at Rustic Pathways and let us be a part of your summer vacation plans. Travel With Rustic Pathways