Your Summer Checklist

The weather is warming up. The number of days left of school is winding down. Before long, students in the Northern Hemisphere will arrive to their annual day of liberation from class when summer vacation starts.

This is the time freedom begins! No need to study, no need to worry about exams, projects, due dates, getting up early. Instead, the summer can be filled with hours of just enjoying life after a hard year in school.

But should the long days of summer be just that? Three months of Xbox and Nintendo, aimlessly wandering shopping malls, or going to the movies with friends?

There is nothing wrong with entertainment and down time while you have the time. But consider what could happen if you miss an opportunity to do something meaningful during your vacation. Here is what the Bible says about idleness in Proverbs 19:15: “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.”

You may not immediately go starving from filling your time with parties and down time, but how you use your summer will affect your academic and work ethic—qualities that if neglected could jeopardize your future employment!

So, how will you use your time this summer? Are you considering how to make it your most enjoyable, productive season ever?

Let’s examine a checklist of items, tasks and projects that you could accomplish from May to September (whenever you’re your vacation begins and ends). You might not be able to do everything on this list each and every week. But it is the effort that counts: “Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (Ecc. 9:10).

The Summer Job

You might have already disregarded this because it sounds like it will rob you of all joy and freedom. But anyone who has worked part-time often finds the opposite is true.

The structure of having regular hours to work will prevent you from having aimless days, keeping you fulfilled. Plus, it will not take up as much of your time as classes and homework assignments do—you will still have plenty of daylight hours to enjoy your own pursuits. And the paycheck makes it all worth the effort and time.

Most important, doing paid work while you are out of school will provide a summer experience that will benefit you for life.

It will boost your confidence as you overcome challenges such as learning new skills and surviving stressful environments. Your time management will improve, thereby helping you to make even more of your summer than you would otherwise hanging around the house all day. Best of all, you will have learned crucial lessons and experiences that you will recall for the rest of your working life.

“Part of what helps young people grow is to be exposed to a wide range of experiences,” author Lisa Damour said to The Washington Post. “Going places, interacting with other people, trying things outside their comfort zone—that’s where we see growth.”

“In a job, teens are forced to discover or build out parts of themselves that are not required for school, home or sports.”

There are many jobs and opportunities to have these experiences. Grocery stores, fast-food places and restaurants are always looking for part-time employees. You may also look for self-contracted jobs, such as babysitting, yard work, window washing, house painting, house cleaning, garage organization. There are online agencies that will help you connect with those who need someone to do various tasks helping with yard cleanup or moving furniture.

If you are getting close to graduating high school, you will want to dip your toes into possible career work. This can include tutoring for elementary school children who need to get ahead with math, reading or writing skills; providing one-on-one lessons for a sport or music instrument; doing virtual work such as remote writing, advertising or data entry; or creating designs for products that will be sold online. Perhaps there is an internship for the career path you are interested in.

By the end of summer, you should have been able to earn some money. Caution: Do not spend it all in one place. Think ahead. The Feast of Tabernacles is coming—make sure you pay first tithe and save second tithe.

Help Around the House

This is another experience that will foster skills you will need as an adult.

Being a home-helper goes beyond the basics: laundry, vacuuming, dishes and dusting. Go above and beyond by seeking little ways to improve the home—indoors and outdoors.

For starters, organize your room. Purchase a bookshelf with the money you have earned from working to put books on display. Rethink the arrangement of the room and potentially add some nice touches—a plant or a wall-mounted painting.

Branch out of your room and investigate the rest of the house for possible areas to reorganize or even repair. This of course goes with the caveat that parents should have the final say what occurs in their domain. But you can recommend a new piece of furniture or ask for permission to make small improvements such as doing a deep carpet clean or replacing lightbulbs to more energy-efficient ones.

Work with your dad to better organize the garage, to assist with a paint job, or to wash exterior windows. Seek to do your first oil change on a car, or practice changing a tire (with proper guidance).

Work with your mom to practice cooking, decorating and doing a deep clean of the fridge or pantry. Or start sewing and crocheting—these never go out of style.

Summer is the ideal time to work on the yard, too. Consider planting some flowers or a vegetable garden. Suggest to your parents ways you can enhance the yard, for example by adding stone borders around trees, mulch beds, or using a trimmer to edge grass.

Summer also provides plenty of time to practicing cooking—this goes for males too! Pick one day a week to prepare breakfast, lunch or dinner with dessert for your family.

Being proactive in helping around the house will not only earn the praise of your parents, it will also give you crucial training in being your own homemaker and keeper later in life.

Continue Your Education

After a year of your teachers telling you what to know, use the summer to educate yourself about something you want to learn.

Going to the library is a great way to educate yourself without being in a classroom. Borrow some nonfiction books. Pick a biography of a famous president or leader of the past and learn about him, how he made certain decisions either for good or bad, what made him tick. Pick a country that you know little about and study it; get to know its history and culture. Try some good fiction stories.

Unplug yourself—spend some time at the library, open a book, and read it without distraction, absorbing every bit of information.

Often there are classes available at community centers, libraries, high schools or colleges. For a reasonable fee, you can expand your knowledge in a variety of ways, such as taking a first-aid course or learning a second language.

Another route you can take to get real-world, hands-on experience is job shadowing. These programs, offered at through community colleges or job agencies, set you up to spend a work day with professionals in a field of your interest. It will help you determine whether you are suited for that work, give you the opportunity to ask questions, and perhaps allow you to participate alongside your cooperating employees!

Explore Your Local Area

It is natural to think, There is nothing interesting in my backyard, so why should I even bother to look?

For those who are willing to look, bits of interesting history stand right before their eyes!

Starting at your local library, you can find intriguing history about your town, county and state—facts you never knew before. Do you know why your town was given its name? Who first settled the area? What major events have happened in your municipality since it was established?

Every area has its peculiarities. For instance, Wadsworth, Ohio, where Headquarters is located, has a Blue Tip Festival every summer. This had roots in the city’s once-famous blue-tipped matches that it manufactured.

Have you ever spent an afternoon at a farmers market? Fresh produce sold directly from those who harvested the crops. This is a great way to socialize. There is likely one during the summer in your area.

What about picking fruit in an orchard or strawberry patch? Do you know of any museums that have interactive features?

If you live near a medium-size city or bigger, there should be an orchestra holding concerts throughout at least part of the summer. Or if you prefer jazz or independent music artists, check out local venues for upcoming performances.

What is the nearest national park or natural wonder to you? Look up the nearest cave, lighthouse or moored ship tour.

There may even be a period home of a former president or leader of industry tucked away near you. Their homes reveal much about the times in which they lived. All it takes is a quick internet search to find hidden gems near you.

Be Physically Active

Do not let the absence of gym class leave you wilting on the couch all summer.

For one, a break from school does not mean your body is invulnerable to health standards. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that teenagers get 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise per day. This includes both strength training and cardio.

That is a recommendation to improve your health and reduce chance of chronic diseases as you get older. But ultimately you should look forward to the opportunity to get outside and move around while it is warm.

Is your workplace only a few miles from your house? Walk to work. Taking a trip to the library? Bike there. The yardwork you do—push mowing, watering plants, weeding and trimming tree branches—counts toward those 60 minutes as well.

Hiking is a fun way to explore the outdoors while getting in exercise. With a little research, you will find that there are many areas you can explore.

Use the community pools open hours for some aerobic swimming, or look for a clean lake with a beach front.

Seek a summer sports program you can join. If no sports program is available, organize an informal game with your friends.

Whatever you do, stay active!

A Starting Point

As you relish in the relaxing days of summer, do not let them pass you by without fulfilling all the items on this checklist. They are a unique opportunity to develop yourself and move your life forward in areas you enjoy.

Be sure to use the spring months ahead of you to think through how you will accomplish each of the areas mentioned in this article. Also spend time researching other ways you can enhance your free time—this list is only a starting point. There are also volunteer opportunities, starting new hobbies, planning a trip with your family. The possibilities are endless.

Proverbs 10:4 says that “the hand of the diligent makes rich.” If you choose to be productive this summer, you will enrich yourself for life.