You made it! You’ve got six weeks off, so we’ve gathered up 21 summer holiday ideas for teachers so you can make the most of it. Whether you like to stay active during the holidays, or you’re looking for a slower pace this year, we’ve covered all the best summer holiday ideas for teachers.
What do teachers in the summer?
There seems to be an odd obsession with what teachers get up on their summer break. To truly get to the bottom of this question, we can take a look at what the teachers say themselves.
Teacher Tapp conducted research into summer breaks, asking a variety of questions about how teachers spend that precious period. Here are some key takeaways:
- Plenty of teachers head off on holiday over the summer. Teachers in their 20s are the most likely to embark on a summer holiday (61%), with teachers in their 50s the least likely (46%)
- 41% of teachers will read between 3 and 5 books during the summer holidays.
- 33% of teachers would refer a five week summer break, with the extra days distributed elsewhere.
- 48% of primary school teachers have a video lesson in the final week, with 26% saying it is a totally fun and non-educational video.
- 38% of primary school teachers get a school-organised end-of-year event. 52% organise the event themselves.
Summer holidays ideas for teachers
1. Celebrate
Getting through the academic year is such a great achievement. The summer holidays are your time to celebrate everything you have achieved over the year – even it’s just that you survived. Treat yourself to your favourite drink and enjoy a good sit down!
2. Lie in
The summer holidays are all about catching up on the sleep you probably lost during the school year. Allow yourself lie-ins. Accept that that first week of the summer holidays is probably going to be sleep-filled. And that’s completely okay.
3. Relax
The first three are along the same theme, but it can actually be quite difficult to push yourself to relax when you’ve been on the hamster wheel of teaching for the last 11 months. Make time for chilling out with a tea. Mindfulness can help a busy mind too and we have a blog that covers all the basics of mindfulness meditation specifically for teachers.
4. Bake
Something a little more active is baking. If you’ve never had a go at baking, the summer holidays are such a great time. Baking is very methodical and can feel quite therapeutic when you’ve spent long periods of time feeling rushed and a little erratic. If you’re looking for real indulgence, Jane’s Patisserie has some incredible free recipes to be going on with. The raspberry brownies are a Hope favourite!
5. DIY
Speaking of skills, you could take the summer holidays as an opportunity to do all the odd jobs of DIY about your home. Again, there are tons of free videos on YouTube where you can learn basic DIY skills. Get that picture hung and paint the banister like you said you would last year!
6. Learn a new skill
With six weeks of time stretching before you, learning a new skill might be a great shout to fill in some of that time. There are so many great free resources for learning new skills. Even apps and signups that you pay for usually give you a free month taster. The biggest issue will probably be what to get your teeth stuck into! Begin learning a new language, learn to crochet or knit, or even begin your coding journey by learning the basics.
7. Clean
Cleaning can often go by the wayside during term time. The summer holidays give teachers lots of time to have a really good deep clean of their living spaces. It might also be a great time to chuck out anything that’s of no use anymore. You don’t have to go all Kondo on your house, but a good spruce towards the beginning could help you relax for the rest of the holiday.
8. Read
For some, reading during term time is a great escape and is easily picked up and put down during busy times. For others, to really focus and enjoy a book is more difficult. The summer holiday is a fantastic chance to read all the books you have wanted for the last year.
9. Walk
There’s nothing like some good fresh air to blow away the cobwebs. Getting outside is good for your health and wellbeing and the UK has so many great walks with stunning views and opportunities to see wildlife in its natural habitat. Get those walking boots on and take it all in!
10. Travel
Whether you manage to get abroad or travel a little close to home on a staycation, exploring new parts of the world is an incredibly enjoyable experience, especially when you have the time to do it. The summer holidays are the perfect opportunity to explore new places.
11. Binge a TV series
Or ten. The summer holidays are yours to spend how you want. If that means binging Luther and Friends for the billionth time, well that’s your prerogative. Don’t forget the tea and biscuits.
12. See family and friends
If you often feel teacher guilt for not seeing friends or family during term time, give yourself a break. The summer holidays are a great chance to catch up with those you haven’t seen for a while or you haven’t spent quality time with. It’s an especially great time to catch up properly with your teacher friends who have been just as snowed as you have!
13. Paint
You can colour in too if painting seems like a stretch. This one goes back to mindfulness; painting and colouring is a great way to relax and sit with your thoughts.
14. Get stuff done
This might seem a bit general but bear with. Term time often sees things like getting your hair cut; your nails done; or your car serviced get pushed further back on the list of things to do. The summer holiday is a great time to get all these bits done in your own sweet time. Get all the bitty jobs done that you didn’t get a chance to in term time.
15. Day trip
Take day trips with your family or teacher friends who also have time off during the summer holidays. Visit a city you’ve never been to; check out a theme park you’ve always wanted to go to; or go to the beach and just listen to the waves crashing. Whatever your day trip, enjoy the benefit of sleeping in your own bed that night!
16. *cough* work *cough*
Okay, okay. It’s not for everyone. And you shouldn’t feel guilty if you don’t fancy this at all. But working during the summer holidays can help if you’re feeling a bit tight on the old pennies. Look up temporary jobs for teachers – summer camps and tutoring could be the perfect financial top-up you need.
17. Detox digitally
If you’ve spent a lot of time on social media during term time as a way of socialising with other teachers or just to keep up on the latest changes from the DfE, the summer holidays could be a chance for you to detox digitally. Put your phone in the other room – the physical distance will help you take some time out.
18. Pick your own fruit
If you’ve never done this, you’ve missed out. Google ‘local pick your own fruit farms’ and pick a sunny day to go and pick your own fruit. You could even use what you pick in your own baking. See number 4.
19. Exercise
It is so hard to keep a good fitness routine during term time. But exercise is so good for you! So, use these six weeks to do some exercise that you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be a marathon; yoga can give you a good workout and you don’t even have to leave your home.
20. Reflect
The summer holiday gives you time to reflect over the past year. Have you achieved the goals you set out to? Is it time to set some new goals for the coming year? Take some time to think about the past year and the one that is approaching. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t achieve your goals. If you worked hard (and you did because you’re a teacher) that is enough.
21. Shop
A new diary, smelly pens, and that perfect whiteboard pen (that’s likely to go missing within the first few days of term). The summer holiday is definitely a time for shopping! Stock up on stationery and a new outfit for the new school year ahead.
What not to do – dread going back
The Fear is a very real thing and it’s difficult to avoid. Use the list above to soothe the anxieties you have about going back. Reach out to your teacher friends – you are definitely not the only one with that tingling butterfly feeling you have every time you think about the new term. And try to remember that that feeling will go within minutes of being back in the classroom.
From everyone at Hope Education, we wish you an enjoyable and safe summer holiday. Enjoy it because you deserve it.