The first week of summer is glorious. In the second week, you almost want to go back to school early. Get that thought out of your head - there are tons of activities to try, so grab the opportunities and look for something that grabs your attention.
Steps
Part 1 of 6: Having fun with new interests
Step 1. Learn a new hobby
Is there something you always wanted to learn, but didn't think you could? In the summer, you may have free time to learn something new. Here are some suggestions:
- Learn to play a musical instrument;
- Learn to sing or dance;
- Try a new art form, like photography or knitting.
Step 2. Play a sport
Almost everywhere, summer is a great time for outdoor sports, if the heat is bearable. If you don't already have a favorite sport, there's no better time to find one.
- Get together with friends or join a football, basketball or field hockey team;
- Find an activity for one or two people, like surfing, tennis, or squash.
Step 3. Make a movie
Invite some friends and come up with ideas for a movie. You can make a science fiction story, a cooking contest or a music video. If your project starts, it will keep you entertained for weeks, thanks to the work involved in the script, the costumes, the extras and the editing.
You could also come up with ideas for a series of short videos, and create a channel to upload them to
Step 4. Start a radio show
Get a recording program or a cassette player and start your show. Write a list of things to include: music, jokes, interviews, commercials, real or fake news, etc.
Step 5. Find a craft project
Art and craft projects can take time and patience that you don't have around school, but they're perfect for summer. Here are some ideas:
- Make a paper heart. You can cut out heart-shaped cards for the people you love, or get some square origami paper and try to make a more sophisticated version. There are also many other origami projects to try.
- Make rainbow pastels or try melting pastels on hot rocks to make artwork.
- Make some slime or play dough. Use these weird materials to play jokes, or for fun.
- Make a solar-powered hot air balloon. These balloons can travel hundreds of kilometers in a day and are simple to build.
Step 6. You excel at a complicated game
There are more games than you can learn in a lifetime, but summer gives you the opportunity to pick one and become a master. Some games like bridge, chess, Magic or Starcraft II even offer international tournaments with great rewards for the winners.
Step 7. Learn to cook
If you don't know how to cook or are not a nutrition expert, you can learn recipes. You can find thousands of recipes on the internet, or you can search for them in cookbooks - or you can try these simple ideas to get started:
- Make cold, refreshing smoothies. Try different or weird combinations, to make a nice cold summer drink, or to challenge your friends to drink your weird concoction.
- Make a chocolate and peanut butter parfait for dessert.
- Make hummus as a dip for crackers. If you are feeling ambitious, you could even make some homemade bread.
Part 2 of 6: Personal Development
Step 1. Find a summer job
It will keep you busy, introduce you to new people and allow you to make some money. Many shops, tourist attractions and summer festivals need seasonal workers.
Step 2. Volunteer
Helping the community can bring satisfaction and improve your mood - and of course foster a good cause. Look for organizations that collect garbage, work with injured or abandoned animals, or take an interest in political causes.
Volunteering also allows you to make a good impression on university applications, even if it cannot replace competence and passion
Step 3. Go to the library and read some books
Books can transport you to different worlds, or make you see through the eyes of others. Try to learn everything you can about a particular subject, such as Norse mythology, Japanese history, or space travel.
If you want to learn even more, try an online university course. Some of the best universities in the world even publish their lectures on the internet, and these are often more interesting topics than those covered in high school
Step 4. Write a diary
Many people keep journals to reflect on their days, overcome difficult times, or write their plans for the following days. Maybe, reading it again in a few years, you will smile at your summer memories.
Step 5. Write a novel
This is a great project, which could take up all summer and beyond, if you're particularly inspired. If you don't know where to start, try writing a story that mimics a work of your favorite author, or work with a friend so you can share some ideas.
Step 6. Learn a language
Knowing a foreign language can open up many possibilities for you, not to mention that it's a great addition to your resume. Start by finding a beginner's course, or ask a friend or family member to teach you a language they know. Search the internet for free foreign language lessons, learning tools or foreign conversation partners.
Part 3 of 6: Attending Events
Step 1. Attend local events
Almost all areas host trade fairs, festivals, fairs and other fun events during the summer. Check your city's calendar of events online, or ask other people in the area if they know when they will take place. Check websites for advertisements for nearby venues, including theaters, stadiums and concert venues.
Step 2. Behave like a tourist in your city
Visit the website of the tourism agency in your city or region or read brochures promoting the events; find out which attractions are reserved for travelers from other regions. You may find museums and rides in your city or surrounding areas.
Step 3. Go camping
Spend a few days with friends or family on a campsite, or camp in your own backyard. Gather friends around the fire or have a barbecue party to tell scary stories and prepare something to eat together.
Step 4. Participate in geocaching
Find a geocaching site on the internet, and search for locations near you to see if anyone has hidden rewards. You can search for these rewards or hide them yourself with a GPS unit or by finding the coordinates on a map.
Step 5. Invent a home holiday
If weather, lack of transport or events prevent you from leaving the house, go on a fake vacation. Invite a few friends to sleep with you and decorate your room like a castle, jungle, hotel or whatever you like. Go buy unusual foods and "souvenirs" to share with your guests. If the weather is rainy, dress in swimsuits and sunglasses and relax indoors, imagining visiting a place where summer is warm and sunny.
Step 6. Get in touch with old friends
If your current friends are out of town or busy, browse through old class photos, phone books and email contacts and catch up with people you once knew. All of the activities described above are more fun with friends, and it can also be to spend an afternoon together remembering old times.
Step 7. Try to build something
Anything, a cardboard house or even a simple puzzle. This could help you think logically and keep you busy for a long time.
Part 4 of 6: Having fun in hot weather
Step 1. Go swimming
If you live in an area where summers are hot, you can have fun and cool off at the same time. Go to the beach or pool with friends or family. Play water games like cops and robbers or poison ball, organize swimming competitions or play water polo with friends.
Step 2. Cool off with water activities
Even if you don't have a place to swim, you may find ways to have fun with the water. Put on a swimsuit or light clothing that you don't mind getting wet, and find hot friends to join you in these activities:
- Operate the garden sprinklers and play cops and robbers, hide-and-seek or flag-stealing in the spray of water.
- Do the fight with the water. Fill water balloons, buy cheap water guns or used pumps. It can be a fun activity not to be repeated… or the start of a water war.
Step 3. Make cold drinks and desserts
A cold drink or a bowl of ice cream can be great when it's hot. Making them yourself is also a cure for boredom.
- Try making homemade ice cream, with the classic "salt and ice" method or with the one that reproduces the rich and creamy flavor of real ice cream.
- Make some popsicles and always keep the freezer stocked.
- Fill the fridge with homemade ginger or lemonade.
- Make a simple popsicle. Pour cold water into a cup, add a plastic straw or a teaspoon. Keep it in the freezer for two hours and eat it when it is deliciously cold.
Step 4. Relax indoors
Find a cool, shady room, or create a blanket fort with light sheets to create a refuge from the sun. Turn on a fan, find a book to read, and wait for the hottest hours to pass.
Other relaxing activities to do around the house include sewing, playing solitaire or other card games, watching a movie or listening to music
Step 5. Play when sunset comes
When the evening begins to arrive and the temperatures drop, gather a group of friends to play hide and seek, cops and robbers, flag-stealing or other games in a large garden or park. If the evening is still too hot for physical activities, set up a table outside and play cards or board games until the temperature drops.
- Choose a board game that is not disturbed by the wind, such as Talisman, Taboo or Saltinmente. These are quite popular games, which you can find in many toy stores, but if you want to play it safe, the classics like chess, checkers and all magnetic travel versions of the most popular board games are even easier to find.
- You can also play cards, if the game does not require you to lay out cards on the table, and if you have stones or other heavy objects available to hold each person's stacks.
Part 5 of 6: Decoration and Style
Step 1. Order or redecorate your room
Some people love these activities more than others, but even if you don't really like decorating, it will always be better than sitting around doing nothing. Even just tidying up old stacks of items can help you find toys, books, and other items you forgot. For a larger project, paint your room or hang posters and paintings.
Step 2. Pick some flowers in your neighborhood
See how many different types of wildflowers you can find in your garden or nearby fields. Create a bouquet, or press them to create permanent decorations. You can also dry the leaves for use in art projects or as decorations.
Do not pick flowers from your neighbors' gardens without permission, or flowers that appear to be intentionally planted
Part 6 of 6: Having fun with the beauty routines
Step 1. Create a beauty treatment
There are hundreds of natural DIY recipes, which use yogurt, avocado or other natural ingredients. Open your pantry and treat yourself to a free day at a home spa.
Step 2. Update your wardrobe
Go through your clothes and choose the ones you don't want or are too small. Invite friends over and ask them to bring you clothes and other items they want to throw away. Swap clothes, or sell them at a stall.
Advice
- Choose your favorite activities from this article, add your ideas and create a to-do list before the end of summer. Try to complete it before school starts again.
- In hot weather, drink plenty of water and wear sunscreen if you are outside.
- Find out what your siblings are up to, or invite them to your activities if they are bored too.
- Take the dog for a walk - it's fun and healthy for both you and him.
- Set up a tent in your room and invite friends over for an indoor campground.
- You can invite friends to a sleepover!
- You go on holiday!
- Bring out some of your old toys, like Barbie, Lego, etc.
- If you have a dog, wash it. If you want to earn some money, organize a car wash with friends. Maybe at the end of the day, you can have a water war!
- You can organize a dance party with friends.
Warnings
- Swim only in areas that have a lifeguard or experienced swimmer supervising.
- Make sure your parents agree with the activities you decide to do. Finding yourself in detention in the summer would be a real disappointment.
