Summer Vacation — Train Your Brain

Summer vacation! No school, no homework, no essays, no nothing. It’s time to have fun. While you’re thinking of all the neat things to do this summer, I want to encourage you to keep your study skills sharp! Keep your mind trim for the inevitable. The end of summer vacation.

I saw a young girl, about 10 or so. She was with her mother. She caught my attention because she was doing something I haven’t seen in a long time. As she walked, she was reading a book! Not a cell phone, not a tablet, but a real live book. The kind made of paper and printed with ink!

As she walked, she was reading a book!

She’s the reason for this story. Seeing her do what is seen as lame among her peers made me think of something else. An athlete. One would think when the season is over, an athlete sleeps late, eats whatever they want and does whatever they want to do. One might also think they don’t touch a weight, go to a gym, run and train until the day team training starts.

Truth is an athlete is constantly doing things to enhance their performance, making themselves ready for the next season, right after the end of a season. This little girl reminded me of the athlete. She was walking with her mom, reading a book, during her summer vacation. What does this do for her?

Reading trains her brain to keep focused. Reading consist of the majority percentage of class work and assignments. I encourage you to read a book, or two, or three this summer. The books you choose should be something you like. It doesn’t really have to be anything pertaining to the classes you took or the ones you have to take.

I remember I used to like reading about wild animals, space technology and architecture. I didn’t take any classes related to the books I read, but I always read at a level two or three grades higher than my current grade. And I was able to understand instruction better. And when I had a difficult time, there was something I could reflect on that seemed to get me past the hurdles I encountered in class assignments.

So have fun this summer. Go places, make friends and hangout. But read a book. Train your brain the way an athlete trains to better their game.