With summer in full swing, we thought it was the perfect time to check in and share some ideas to help you feed your brain while school’s out.
Below, you’ll find recommendations from Beaver faculty and students designed to help you learn, move, connect, nourish, and simply be. From indoor activities to outdoor adventures, this list is your summer toolkit designed to inspire exploration, self-care, and a curiosity that lasts all summer long.
Before we dive into the list, here’s a quick refresher of the five “Feed Your Brain” elements—and how they can make a meaningful difference for both your mental and physical well-being.
LEARN 📚
Choose how and what you want to learn. Read, watch, listen, or do something new or connected to what you want to learn more about so you can add to your fund of knowledge. Prior knowledge helps you acquire and learn new information and improves your capacity for problem solving.
MOVE 🚲
Exercise improves brain health, enhances focus, strengthens memory, improves mood, and reduces stress. (Read this fact sheet or listen to this Ted Talk to learn more!)
CONNECT 💬
Make new friends or strengthen existing relationships by sharing a common interest, develop a sense of purpose, learn new skills, and stay active physically and/or mentally.
NOURISH 🍎
Cooking can enhance cognition by improving one’s memory, fine motor skills, attention, and ability to sequence and anticipate. Learn more about the 7 emotional benefits of cooking and the 5 ways cooking boosts your brain. Try to choose foods linked to better brain health!
BE ✨
Choose activities that help you slow down to have a calmer and clearer mind. This also will help improve concentration, memory, and decision-making.
- Meditation: decrease stress, increase focus
- Reading for pleasure increases brain connectivity and builds empathy
- Writing improves creativity, problem-solving, empathy, and self-monitoring skills
- Listening to music elevates mood, reduces stress, stimulates
memories
- Learning something new with Khan Academy
- Check out free classes from Coursera, edx,and Lynda
- Visit a museum or take a virtual tour of a museum
- Learn, play, and give back with Free Rice. (Each correct response in the game sends a financial payment to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support its work saving and changing lives around the world!)
- Learn or practice a language with Memrise or Duolingo
- Additional Spanish resources
- Code with p5
- Coding music and games
- Scratch
- Volunteer in person or remotely for an organization
- Interview friends and family and make a podcast
- Connect with nature through Mass Audubon’s in-person and online nature-based programs. Nature Walks and the Firefly Watch Community Science Project are two of the many options!
- Cook something!
- Homemade Ice Cream in a bag
- Plant some vegetables, herbs, or flowers in your yard or a planter
- Paint, draw, or make art
- Woodworking and DIY Furniture
- Build and fly your own kite
- Design your own board game
- Build something out of found objects
- Have a moment of mindfulness with a guided meditation
- Take a mindfulness break
- Go for a nature walk
- Color
- Take a beach day
- Visit a public museum, garden, or park
- Read a book
- Read a book from the The Ultimate Middle School Summer Reading List or ALSC Summer Reading List
- Do a summer reading challenge
- Write a short story, poem, novel, or whatever you like
- Keep a diary or journal. Write down feelings throughout the day
- Keep a gratitude log. At the end of each day, write down what you are thankful for
- Play music in the house to shift or influence the mood in your home.
- Listen to a Podcast
Play these brain games to enhance the power of your brain!