How Christian teens can make the most of their post-GCSE summer

80 days – That’s how much time 16-year-olds have off after their GCSEs – that’s nearly 3 months of free time. You’d think that after all the stress, anxiety, worry, revision cards, past papers, and the constant barricade of reminders to study, a young person would have a rough idea of what they intend to do with this freedom. Of course, they had Prom – and one had to feel sorry for some of them dressed in suits in 33 degrees Celsius! Yet now that this is done, it seems that many of the GCSE year, as well as those in other years – have no concrete ideas whatsoever of what they intend to do during the summer besides a vague idea of ‘chilling.’

the summer holiday, and particularly the post-GCSE summer holiday, is a time for laughter, after the cries of the exam period

Some would argue that once the ex-year 11s have recovered from the mental exhaustion, they’re better poised to consider how they might maximise this once in a lifetime window to make some significant investments in their future. But my experience is that some of them will in fact do little outside gaming marathons, doom scrolling and a handful of spontaneous excursions organised by family and friends; and whilst these are all great ways to rest, my worry is that many young people will fail to venture beyond this and so fail to make the most of this gift of time.

A once in a lifetime break

The Bible tells us that life is punctuated by different seasons, during which it is best to know what course of action is to be pursued (Ecclesiastes 3:1). It seems to me that the summer holiday, and particularly the post-GCSE summer holiday, is a time for laughter, after the cries of the exam period (Ecclesiastes 3:4) as well as a time for peace, after the war against time limits and questions (Ecclesiastes 3:8). Two to three months give young people ample time to laugh and enjoy the peace they deserve in so many ways.

in my experience, too much rest can result in restlessness

It’s important for young people to know that these extended holidays are a gift to them during their adolescence and will not happen again once they enter the world of work. This is one of the main reasons why the Bible tells young people: ‘it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in…’ (Ecclesiastes 11:9). I certainly did.

Throughout my high school days, we used to look forward to our summer breaks; we would plot and dream about the many things we would do to enjoy the holiday. From sleepovers to PlayStation tournaments, to family hangouts, to travel, to cinema trips, to summer camps; there was so much to look forward to! In fact, these plans were the fuel that drove us past the finish line of our end of year exams. This year, young people are spoilt for choice.

If you’re into sports, the World Cup and Wimbledon are free to watch on BBC iPlayer and ITVX. Sleepovers are always possible. Minions and Monsters, Supergirl, and the new Moana are already out in cinemas (and Enola Holmes 3 is finally out on Netflix!); while Spiderman Brand New Day (31^st July) and Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie (August 7^th) are still to come. Christian youth camps and festivals like Newday and Satellites, and Wildfires Youth are just around the corner.

If there is no balanced vision for such extended breaks, young people will waste these once in a lifetime opportunities

And of course, parents can plan family trips, activities and outings. All these opportunities could provide precious life-long memories that are full of laughter, peace, rest and relaxation. However, in my experience, too much rest can result in restlessness; and young people can miss great chances because of too much ‘chilling’.

Intentional, not idle

I assume that most of us have made the mistake of shopping for food while we’re hungry. We tend to buy a lot more than we actually need because our hunger gives us an inflated idea of just how hungry we will be and how much we can consume. When we get home, we eat 2 out of the 5 nibbles we intended to consume.

It’s often the same with young people and their summer holidays. Many of them are convinced that they will just chill or sleep throughout the summer to compensate for the deluge of homework and early mornings during the school term. But two weeks in, and the rest turns to restlessness – they’re bored and edgy because of the lack of routine and the absence of fruitful pursuits leaves them idle; and idleness and disruptive behaviour are closely linked (2 Thessalonians 3:11). And that is why I believe that parents can play a huge role in helping young people to be intentional about their holiday times (Proverbs 21:5); so that they can balance sleep with skill-development, games with growth.

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Summer Is the perfect time for encouraging Bible reading in your family

In addition to sport, films, sleepovers, and time with family and friends, young people can invest in their future and their development by:

• getting a part-time job
• volunteering somewhere
• attending a Christian summer camp
• going on a mission trip somewhere local (or abroad if possible)
• reflecting on the past year and how they can improve in certain areas (academically and otherwise) in the year ahead.

These are just a few ideas. If there is no balanced vision for such extended breaks, young people will waste these once in a lifetime opportunities (Proverbs 29:18). In this connection, parents are key to providing such vision and helping young people to plan accordingly.