Keeping HS Skills Sharp in Summer

Question: My daughter will be attending high school in the fall. In the summer, she bores easily and I want her to keep her skills fresh. When I go into bookstores, most of the workbooks are for preschool to eighth grade. Are there any books and/or study aids for incoming high-school freshman to work on? Please help me! -- High School Bound

Answer: You definitely have a good idea, because it is very important for children to keep their skills up during the summer. However, workbooks will not really entice most children to want to do much work. Plus, you will need your daughter's buy-in for summer schoolwork to be successful. Have your daughter read our list of ideas and select a few that may appeal to her if she wants to do some work.

  • -Take a high-school summer class.
  • -Take an online class.
  • -Become a volunteer at the local library.
  • -Tutor younger children.
  • -Study anything online with Khan Academy.
  • -Look at the list of 100 Words High School Freshman Should Know on our website (DearTeacher.com) under Skill Builders: Reading, and begin to learn them.
  • -Get the summer reading list from the high school. --Get a jump start on learning a foreign language if she will be taking one next year.
  • -Obtain textbooks she will be using in high school and study them.
  • -Attend a summer camp where an activity interests her such as soccer, art or gymnastics.
  • -Pick up the information from the high school about when school activities begin.