Innovation at WAB | Keeping Learning Active Over the Summer 

A family is getting ready for a summer trip. One child is checking the weather and helping decide what to pack. Another is comparing snack prices at the supermarket. An older sibling is looking at the route to the train station and working out how much time they will need. None of this feels like school, and that is the point. It feels like summer: practical, shared, sometimes messy, and often fun. But in these small moments, students are making decisions, solving problems, and using their knowledge in real life.

As the school year wraps up, summer offers students a different kind of learning: time to explore, take on new responsibilities, and apply what they have learned in real, everyday contexts. Across this innovation series, we have discussed the importance of competencies: skills and knowledge in action. The summer break gives students an opportunity to put those competencies into practice, turning everyday experiences into moments for decision-making, problem-solving, communication, and growth. 

Everyday life as a learning lab 

Summer is full of opportunities for students of all ages to practice real‑world skills: 

• Budgeting and money management: Whether it’s planning pocket money for a trip, managing a small “summer budget,” or comparing prices at the supermarket, students can make decisions, reflect on their choices, and see the impact directly. 

• Trip planning and navigation: Involving children in researching destinations, mapping routes, or creating simple itineraries builds research skills, critical thinking, and shared responsibility. Younger students can take the help navigate an airport, read signs, or choose a route on a map, while older students can take the lead on parts of a family trip or local outing, from booking tickets to planning meals. 

• Creative projects: Summer also creates space for students to follow their interests through creative projects. Younger students might make a comic, build with recycled materials, keep a photo journal, or design a simple game. Older students might create a short film, podcast, art piece, design prototype, garden plan, or independent research project. 

• Everyday problem-solving: From adjusting plans when travel changes, to helping organize a family activity, to finding ways to reduce waste or manage time, summer gives students many chances to think flexibly, communicate clearly, and take responsibility for shared decisions. 

• Home responsibilities: Students of all ages can build independence by taking on meaningful responsibilities at home. Younger students might help prepare snacks, care for plants, pack their own bags, or organize a small space. Older students can plan and cook a meal, manage part of the shopping list, help with travel preparation, or support younger siblings. 

Parents can support this learning by giving students real ownership, offering guidance without taking over, and making time for simple reflection: What worked well? What was challenging? What might you do differently next time? These tasks ask students to collaborate with parents and siblings, communicate clearly, and negotiate different perspectives. 

Embracing challenges 

We also invite students to lean into healthy challenge: trying things that feel slightly uncomfortable or unfamiliar. 

That might look like: 

• Starting a new physical routine: cycling, swimming, hiking, or a daily walk, to build resilience and wellbeing. 

• Joining a community activity or volunteering, which can grow empathy and leadership. 

• Setting a personal “stretch goal,” such as learning a recipe, building something, or practicing a second (or third) language. 

By choosing and owning these challenges, students exercise agency and learn to see discomfort as part of growth. 

Staying curious through reading and reflection 

Reading remains one of the simplest and most powerful ways to keep minds active over the summer. We encourage students to: 

• Follow their interests: novels, comics, non‑fiction, articles, or books connected to future travel. 

• Talk about what they are reading with family and friends, or keep a simple journal of thoughts, questions and ideas. 

• Read together as a family: Shared read-alouds, family book time, and casual conversations about books are often more powerful than tracking apps. 

These conversations help students practice communication skills and connect reading to real life. For older students, summer can also be a chance to explore topics linked to future pathways: design, technology, the environment, global issues and come back in August with new questions and ideas to share. 

Learning driven by student agency 

When students help shape how they spend their time, make decisions, and reflect on what worked (and what didn’t), they are practicing being independent, thoughtful learners. This is the heart of innovation at WAB: students using their competencies in new, unfamiliar contexts, collaborating, teaching and learning alongside others, and discovering that learning can happen anywhere. 

As we head into summer, we invite WAB families to ask together: 

• What is one new responsibility I can take on? 

• What is one challenge I’ll try, even if it feels a bit uncomfortable? 

• What is one way I will keep reading, exploring, and staying curious? 

Summer should still feel like summer: a time to rest, play, explore, and enjoy family life. At the same time, small, intentional choices can give students chances to practice independence, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving in ways that feel natural and fun, often without them realizing they are building important skills. 

This year, through our Innovation Series, in collaboration with Stephen Taylor, our Director of Innovation, we’ll be sharing stories and examples of what innovation looks like across WAB. We’ll share stories from classrooms, examples from alumni, and insights from global partners. Our hope is that together, we can build a clearer picture of how innovation at WAB helps our students become better learners and prepared for life beyond WAB.