It’s that weirdly exciting time of the year; the end of school is near, the long stretch of school holidays is waiting for us, and holiday celebrations are thrown in the mix just for good measure. On the other hand, we say ‘weirdly’ exciting because it can also be a time when we feel like we should be getting more done than we are!
Whether you’re finishing the school year and looking ahead to new pursuits or stepping up into the next year or level of studies – there’s always something to be thinking about! However, sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that the school holidays are the perfect time to kick back, relax, and recharge our batteries. After all, we don’t want to go into 2025 with an empty tank!
We’re all too aware of how quickly the school holidays fly by. So, we put our thinking caps on and came up with our top list of things you can do to help you make the most of the summer AND prepare for the new year – all without breaking a sweat. Read on to discover school holiday activities, dates for the school term in 2025, and 5 ways to reset, recharge, and rev-up over summer!
Jump to:
- What are the three R’s?
- The school term dates for 2025
- 5 ways students can make the most of their school holidays
Why is Summer Break Good for Students
It’s super important that we recognise the profound importance of rest and relaxation. This time offers more than just a pause from academic pursuits; it’s also a great opportunity for rejuvenation and self-care! In the same way that a lack of study breaks can negatively impact our homework sessions, excessively busy school holidays can leave us feeling too tired to start 2025 on the right foot.
Taking the time to unwind, whether through leisurely activities, spending time with loved ones, or simply embracing moments of solitude, can really help to increase your mental and emotional well-being. So, treat yourself to some serious relaxation these school holidays; it’s an investment in your long-term success and a chance to return to your studies with newfound energy and focus, too!
Set up Your School Holiday Game Plan With the Three Rs
Here at Explore Careers, we’re huge fans of implementing the Three Rs to maximise your school holidays. We know, this sounds a little mysterious, but don’t worry; we’re about to clear up what the ‘Three R’ method actually entails.
Reset
A school holidays-style reset can mean many things, but essentially, it’s your opportunity to think about everything you’ve achieved in the past year including your goals and what you want to focus on in the year ahead!
Think of your ‘reset’ this as your planning phase and have fun with it! Some fun school holiday activities to include in a reset could be:
- Setting some goals: Goals are a great way to clarify what you want to achieve and help you stay motivated! In fact, psychology research has shown we’re actually much more likely to achieve the things we want when we set ourselves clear and attainable goals; if that isn’t a great motivator, we don’t know what is! As part of your school holiday reset, reflecting on what you want in the year ahead is a great way to get started!
- Get some feedback: If you’re not sure what you want your focus, aims or goals to be in the year ahead, we can guarantee there are lots of people around you who can offer some excellent guidance. Approach your parents, teachers, siblings and friends and ask them what they think you should focus on for the new year; their answers might be silly, serious or surprising, but we bet they’ll definitely give you lots to think about!
- Creating a vision board: You could do this digitally using a tool like Pinterest or grab a stack of old magazines and get crafty these school holidays! A vision board works best if you can put it somewhere you can see every day – that might be a poster in your room or a screensaver on your phone.
Now that you know how to go about your reset, you may as well get started! That way, when the school holidays arrive, you’ll already have some good ideas on how you’re going to maximise your time and what you’d like to start working on.
Recharge
The school holidays are the best time of year for lazy days at the beach, chilling out with your mates or maybe even a road trip or vacation with the family. Alternatively, you might just want to sloth it out in your bedroom, playing video games, reading, drawing and making TikToks; it’s all about your preferred way to recharge!
When we reach the school holidays, it’s super important to take a break, but remember, it’s all about balance! Research suggests that eight days is the optimum amount of time to take off for total relaxation; any less than this and we don’t fully relax, more than this and we start to feel anxious (which undoes all the great relaxation we’ve done).
Rev-Up
Now you’ve done some reflecting, thinking and planning and given yourself a proper break over the school holidays – it’s time to rev-up into some action!
Your rev-up actions should be connected to whatever might have come out of your reset. This will be individual to you and what you’d like to start achieving in the new year.
Your school holiday rev-up might include:
- Researching your top three career pathways
- Updating your resume and cover letter
- Applying for some part-time work, work experience, or internships
- Supporting your community through volunteering
- Researching possible academic pathways for your future.
- Joining (or starting!) a social group or activity you’re interested in.
- Working on some academic or educational goals, ready for the new school year.
Be realistic and only take on what feels manageable during your school holidays. It’s much more productive to do a few things really well and feel great about them, instead of taking on too much and not being able to achieve what you want!
The School Term 2025 Dates
A great way to plan for the year ahead during the school holidays is by filling out your calendar with important dates (like the school term 2025 dates)! Don’t know where to look? Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered:
Australian Capital Territory School Term 2025
Term 1 School Holidays: April 12 – 28
Term 2 School Holidays: July 6 – 12
Term 3 School Holidays: September 27 – October 13
Term 4 School Holidays: December 18 – January 31
New South Wales School Term 2025
Term 1 School Holidays: April 12 – 25
Term 2 School Holidays: July 5 – 20
Term 3 School Holidays: September 27 – October 12
Term 4 School Holidays: December 20 – January 26
Northern Territory School Term 2025
Term 1 School Holidays: April 5 – 13
Term 2 School Holidays: June 21 – July 14
Term 3 School Holidays: September 20 – October 5
Term 4 School Holidays: December 13 – January 27
Queensland School Term 2025
Term 1 School Holidays: April 5 – 21
Term 2 School Holidays: June 28 – July 13
Term 3 School Holidays: September 20 – October 6
Term 4 School Holidays: December 13 – January 26
South Australia School Term 2025
Term 1 School Holidays: April 12 – 27
Term 2 School Holidays: July 5 – 20
Term 3 School Holidays: September 27 – October 12
Term 4 School Holidays: December 13 – January 26
Tasmania School Term 2025
Term 1 School Holidays: April 12 – 27
Term 2 School Holidays: July 5 – 20
Term 3 School Holidays: September 27 – October 12
Term 4 School Holidays: TBC
Victoria School Term 2025
Term 1 School Holidays: April 5 – 21
Term 2 School Holidays: July 5 – 20
Term 3 School Holidays: September 20 – October 5
Term 4 School Holidays: December 20 – January 27
Western Australia School Term 2025
Term 1 School Holidays: April 12 – 27
Term 2 School Holidays: July 5 – 20
Term 3 School Holidays: September 27 – October 12
Term 4 School Holidays: December 19 – February 1
Top 5 Ways to Spend Your Break
So, now that you’re well equipped with ways to reset, recharge and rev up, and all the school term dates you need to plan your year, it’s time to think about some other exciting ways to use your spare time these school holidays. If you’re stuck for ideas, try out one of the following:
1. Volunteer
If you have some spare time that you want to dedicate to a good cause (or supercharging your future career journey) these school holidays, try out volunteering! Not only will it teach you tonnes of transferrable soft skills, but it could also help you try out working in industries that you’re interested in!
2. Keep Learning
The school holidays are also a great time to try out some self-directed learning. It doesn’t matter what topic you’re interested in; just pick something you truly care about and see how much you can pick up over the break!
3. Spend Quality Time with Friends and Family
Trust us, you’ll want to set aside some time to hang out and bond with your family and friends. After all, the school holidays are the best time to do so without the pressure of upcoming assignments, homework or extracurricular activities.
4. Get Creative
Finding a creative outlet is a great way to unwind and pick up or develop your artistic skills. Whether you’re spending your school holidays learning to play an instrument, painting masterpieces or writing a novel, getting creative is never a bad idea!
5. Research Next Steps
The school holidays are a great time to start working on your career plan! Figure out the next steps you need to take to get you to where you want to go; trust us, future you will thank you for it!
And if you’re unsure where to start, don’t look past our free career quiz! Not only is it a fun way to figure out what industry you’re suited to, but it’ll give you a starting point to start building your career plan from! So, what are you waiting for? Take the quiz today!
