Although the clue’s in the title here, far be it from me to tell anyone how to spend their summer! Having said that, when you’re exhausted at the end of the term, it can be difficult to think ahead and even think straight! So if you’re after some top tips for how to spend your summer holiday this year, we’ve some ideas for how you can TRULY relax and ensure you’re invigorated ahead of the new term.
- If you can, if you’ve any energy at all, try and plan a little in advance of the holidays, otherwise you’ll find they’ve arrived and everyone is busy and you’ve no-one to spend time with. If you don’t have kids of your own, and not many teacher friends, the holidays can be a lonely time (actually they can be a lonely time even if you do have all of the above!). You sort of wait for them and then when they come, you’re on your lonesome. Make plans in advance! Find out when people are around, fix up dates to meet up with friends -old and new – and you’ll find it invigorating. Mixing with people from non teaching backgrounds will give you a new perspective on life and expand your mind. It’s actually quite refreshing having the realisation that there is a life outside of a school!
- Get away – if you can. Take a break from where you live and go on holiday, it doesn’t need to be expensive. Go camping, stay with friends, take the ferry to France for a few days, volunteer somewhere, have new experiences! It’s all about getting away from the mundane and living your life to the full, no matter how you do it. Go to the seaside, walk in the country, cycle through the forest. Just do something you don’t normally do.
- Nurture relationships. All the people you’ve been too busy to see all year, the spouse you’ve not had a date night with in months, the children you’ve been too tired to play board games with – now is your chance! Organise a family BBQ, or just have a conversation on the phone. It’s never too late. We’ve some fun summer craft ideas you can do with your own children too!
- ORGANISE your life. Buy a planner, clear out cupboards, recycle, sell your old stuff, get rid of what you don’t need, get rid of any clutter. Clean your fridge, bleach your bin, have a good old clean. Anything you’ve not worn in 2 years you are never going to wear, give it to charity. Clear out old books and CDs, give them away, or do a car boot sale and make some money!
- Read, read, read. If you’re like me, you’re probably too tired to read adult books normally. Don’t feel guilty about it, just sit outside, or lie on your bed and read a whole book in a few days, with a cup of tea, wine, fizzy water, whatever. If it’s a self improvement book – all the better! Reading is good for the soul.
- Go into the city! As well as spending time with nature, go out and BE with other adults! Go to London or your nearest city, buy some new frivolous clothes to replace everything you’ve binned, have an afternoon tea, a long lunch, eat cake, whatever – just BE. People watch, don’t be in a rush, take your time. Just do whatever makes you happy!
- Take time to look after yourself – be it a spa break, a weekly swim, going to the gym, getting a facial – whatever floats your boat. Eat more fruit and vegetables, make soups. Focus on your own health and well-being, especially if you have your own children. Make a deal with another parent to look after one another’s children once a week so you can do something that focuses exclusively on your health and well-being, You won’t regret it.
- Do something out of your comfort zone – go to a book club, take up a new hobby, learn a language, go to a bootcamp, learn to roller skate, get into cupcake making, talk to the neighbour you’ve never spoken to before. This is a great way to boost your confidence and truly invigorating, as well as a skill for life.
- DON’T spend your summer doing school work – you don’t know your class yet anyway so there’s little point doing too much prep. Clear your classroom walls perhaps at the end of term and then put some backing paper up, label your trays and pegs, and that’s it! Do some outline planning, your medium term plan definitely, and have some plans for the first week back – don’t over think it, you’ve got plenty of time to work hard next year and you need this break.
- Use sites like Mrs Mactivity, Literacy Shed, EAL Hub and do a little research on what you want to subscribe to, and what will save you the most time going forwards. Download some of our Transition Resources so you’re all sorted for the first week back, and take a look at our Display Resources too to really stand out from the crowd! Nothing worse than boring generic classrooms that just look samey samey. I also encourage you to take a good look at the app and website Fit2Teach – it’s absolutely essential for teacher well-being both in and out of the holidays. If you’re going back to school post COVID-19, remember to explore our recovery curriculum resources.
