Summer is almost over. New teachers, waking up early, a heavier workload, and changes in the friend group are all challenges that may be on the top of your mind as you prepare to start the new school year. You sit down at a desk and try to clear your crowded head of the anxious nerve-wrecking thoughts. Then, the teacher starts speaking. Speaking rapidly, the teacher goes on and on to the unresponsive class. What is the teacher saying? Hadn’t you just passed your world language final only 3 months ago? You begin to panic as the teacher addresses you in gibberish. Flustered, you give a weak response that leaves everyone else confused.

Let’s face it, getting back to your language of study after a long break is the worst. It can take weeks to remember everything and achieve the level you had been at the end of the last school year. Entering my 4th year of Chinese, I still find that I am forgetful even after a week of not practicing. However, I have developed a few habits that help keep my memory sharp over the holidays. I like these methods because not only are they more interesting than reading paragraphs or watching movies, they are also great to do by yourself; perfect if no one who speaks your language of study is readily available!

1) Labeling Household Items
Labeling items can be an effective and fun way to keep some essential vocabulary in your head. It can also be a very fun project too! All you need is some paper, tape and a pen. You want to start by writing down the object's name in your language on a slip of paper. Then, take a small piece of tape and clip it to the item. Now, whenever you use the item, you can take a look and instantly remind yourself of the vocabulary. Although this is a fun way to remember some words, keep in mind this only accounts for a limited amount of vocabulary, as well as not exercising grammar. Also, if you want to do this please check with the people you are living with to see if it will bother them or not.

2) Utilizing Free Language Learning Apps
This may sound basic, but there are a variety of language learning platforms that can be a nice supplement to your studies. Personally, my favorite app to use is Duolingo (due to a lack of apps providing Chinese courses, but it is also a very engaging method of learning). Keep in mind, when using Duolingo or other language apps there is usually a limit as to how much material they cover. However, features such as streaks, awards, and leagues help keep me excited to practice and in turn keeps me more focused on my goals. If you don’t want to use an app, there are also plenty of options on the web. My preference online would be Quizlet.com due to the expansive amount of study sets available. Quizlet also has fun learning tools, with matching games, flashcards, and more. Furthermore, depending on your language of study, there are plenty of websites that provide reading and listening materials. Remember, be wary of dangerous websites when finding these materials.

3) Lottery Practice Prompts
This might be my favorite method. I have been trying to incorporate this method more often because I find it extremely effective in keeping both my vocabulary and grammar in shape. ‘Lottery’ practice prompts consists of randomly selecting a practice prompt based on a past unit and writing a response (how long depends on preference and knowledge level). This method allows you to review what you have already learned in class, but at the same time encourages creative thinking and problem solving; perfect for real life situations. To make things more interesting and spontaneous, I use a spinner wheel online with all the topics of the past year on it. If you utilize this method, keep in mind you want to challenge yourself as much as possible by trying to incorporate more advanced lexicon and a wide array of adjectives, verbs, and P.O.V.’s.

Hopefully with some of these new methods I provided, studying your language over the summer can be more engaging and productive. I am far from being fluent, but using some of these techniques I feel like I am improving rapidly. With some hard work and studying, you will be able to walk into your language class this fall without any worries. Remember, learning languages takes lots of practice and it is okay to struggle. Happy learning!