Most students long for summer break after a year filled with early mornings, the stress of tests and grades, and seemingly endless homework. But how can students best use their break to ensure that they start the next year on the right foot?

Here are 50 reasons why students love summer, how they like to spend their time away from school, and ways to make sure they don’t suffer from the dreaded summer learning loss:

1. No homework!
2. The chance to earn some money at a summer job.
3. Eat lots and lots of ice cream.
4. Spend as much time as possible outdoors—riding bikes, hiking, playing a sport, or just lounging in the yard.
5. Summer camp!
6. Go on vacation—or a staycation!—with family.
7. Sleep in instead of getting up early to catch the bus to school.
8. Read books that interest you rather than just books assigned by teachers.
9. Keep your creative juices flowing with writing prompts.
10. Plenty of time to play video or board games!
11. Participate in activities at the local library or community center.
12. Hang out with friends.
13. Escape the heat (or rain!) by watching TV or heading to the movies.
14. Do some fun arts and crafts projects.
15. Build sandcastles and collect shells at the beach.
16. Go camping—even if it’s just in your own backyard!
17. Visit a museum and try out any hands-on experiments.
18. Watch the fireworks on July 4^th.
19. Go swimming and play Marco Polo.
20. No tests!!
21. Volunteer in your community.
22. Set up a playhouse, tree house, or fort in your backyard.
23. Have a picnic at a local park.
24. Run through the sprinklers on the lawn!
25. Plant flowers, fruits, or vegetables in your garden.
26. Watch baseball.
27. Keep the learning going—take a class in something that interests you, but isn’t offered at school.
28. Set up a lemonade stand in your driveway or neighborhood.
29. Take a nap whenever you want!
30. Go to a zoo or aquarium to learn more about the various species.
31. See a play, or put one on in your own backyard with friends.
32. Start a journal, dream diary, or doodle book.
33. See if your library has a summer reading challenge.
34. Look for activities, opportunities, classes, or internships that will help you get a step ahead for college.
35. If you play a sport, work on upping your game for the next season.
36. Learn to code. (Read our Why Coding? series to learn more!)
37. Host a yard sale and get rid of toys, clothes, and other items you no longer use—it's a great way to make some extra cash. 
38. Arrange a scavenger hunt with friends.
39. Find a new hobby and spend the summer working on it.
40. Learn a new language—there are plenty of apps that make this fun!
41. Get out the sidewalk chalk and draw pictures, write notes, or play hopscotch.
42. Visit an amusement park and go on all the crazy rides.
43. Paint (or finger paint) outside where you don’t have to worry about the mess.
44. Go to the fair!
45. Have a water balloon or Super Soaker fight! (Did you know that the inventor of the Super Soaker was an engineer who worked at NASA?)
46. Learn how to cook or bake lots of yummy recipes.
47. Browse through the list of clubs and activities available at school and plan for the next year.
48. Have a slumber party.
49. Play mini golf, ride go-karts, or take a swing at the local batting cages.
50. Go back to school shopping—but not until the end of the summer!!

What do you recommend students do during summer break? Let us know in the comments below!