After a grueling spring semester, summer break is a well-deserved period of rest and relaxation for college students nationwide. However, sometimes soaking up the sun and ignoring anything remotely academic can leave students’ brains a pile of mush by the time the fall semester rolls around, and can leave students unprepared for the next semester of classes. To combat this, here are the best easy ways to keep your brain active over the summer instead of doomscrolling social media all day.
Reading
Now, I’m not saying you need to crack open an 800-page classic, but reading is a beneficial hobby for keeping brain activity high while actively building a stronger vocabulary. With hundreds of genres, thousands of tropes, and millions of books to choose from, there’s a story for everyone — even the most avid anti-readers. Besides, choosing a purely indulgent novel packed with your own interests instead of being forced to read about a topic that bores you for a class assignment may even spark a newfound love of literature that can keep your brain satisfied throughout summer.
Learning a new language
Whether preparing for a future vacation or study abroad, or purely out of curiosity and fascination for a different culture, learning a language is a great way to stay academically active. Popular language-learning apps such as Duolingo, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone make learning a new language simple through word memorization activities and vocabulary lessons. Plus, these flexible apps allow users to learn at their own pace, making the summer learning experience way more relaxed than a classroom setting would be.
RELATED: Eight student discounts for students to take advantage of
Being crafty
Keeping the brain active also means engaging your creativity and letting your imagination run wild. From something as simple as painting rocks to more complicated projects like learning how to crochet clothing, picking up a new crafty hobby is the perfect summer activity. With so many craft options to choose from, if you don’t know where to start or can’t think of any ideas, consider taking a stroll through a local art store such as Michaels, Blick Art Materials, or Hobby Lobby to get the ideas and inspiration flowing.
Exercise
In the hot summer months, it can be the perfect time to go swimming in a lake, pool, or even the ocean and relax in the brisk water to escape the heat. While it might come as a surprise, regular exercise can help stimulate brain activity in many ways, including improved memory and learning capabilities. This is due to increased blood flow to the brain during physical activity, which has been proven to vitalize brain activity in many areas. Plus, regular exercise can also reduce stress levels, and who wouldn’t want to be stress-free during the summer?
Writing
From keeping a journal documenting your daily adventures and habits to creating complex worlds in a series of novels, writing can be a simple, stress-free way to tap into your creativity and keep your brain sharp. Utilizing new words to describe complicated scenes, or recounting daily events in vivid detail to remember, taking some time out of the day to sit down and write something, whatever that form of writing may be, is an amazing brain booster. Plus, having either a physical collection of papers or an online document at the end of summer to look back through on all of your hard work can feel like an amazing accomplishment.
Take a summer class
For the real go-getters, taking a summer class either at the University of Iowa or online is another way to keep your brain in shape and learn in a more structured system with enforced deadlines. The summer can be a great time to take classes you’re interested in that you can’t take during the regular semesters, and can help earn credits towards your degree. This can also be a useful time to get some general education courses out of the way, freeing up the time during the semester to take the courses you’re excited about for your major.