Level Up Your Skills – 9 Productive Ways to Use Your Term 1 Break

Introduction:

Term break is finally here – a well-earned chance to rest after intense weeks of classes and assignments. While every high school student (especially HSC students) deserves downtime, a break doesn't have to mean letting your brain idle for weeks.

Research shows that long gaps without learning can lead to forgetting material​, but a bit of engaging activity can keep your mind sharp and even give you a head start next term.

The key is balance: enjoy your freedom and try these nine productive (yet enjoyable!) activities to build academic, professional, or personal skills.

Key Insight:

By using just a portion of your break for skill-building – and keeping the rest for relaxation – you'll return to school refreshed and ahead. As one educator put it, "allowing a study routine to slip means missing a huge opportunity to get ahead"​.

Below, we present 9 actionable strategies for making the most of your term break. From online courses to volunteering, each idea includes tips, research-backed benefits, and examples to get you inspired. Pick a few that excite you, and make your Term 1 break both refreshing and rewarding!

1. Take an Online Course or MOOC

Why it's worth it: Online courses let you explore new subjects beyond the school syllabus or deepen your knowledge in an HSC subject – at your own pace.

With thousands of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and educational platforms available, you can learn anything from coding to creative writing.

Many students worldwide have jumped on the e-learning bandwagon – studies show more than one-third of students have enrolled in an online course​.

How to get started:

For example, if you struggled with a concept in Maths, you might take a Khan Academy module on it. If you're eyeing a career in medicine, try a free introductory biology course from Coursera or OpenLearning. There are also HSC-specific online resources (like HSCprep's own video lessons or quizzes) you can tap into.

Example: Jane, a Year 11 student, spent her winter break on a free "Introduction to Python Programming" course. She dedicated an hour each morning to interactive coding lessons. By term's start, not only had she learned to code a simple game, but she also found her maths problem-solving improved from the logical thinking practice.

"I actually had fun learning something new online,"

Jane says. "Now I help my classmates with coding, and it might even go on my uni applications!"

Whether or not the content is on the HSC, the self-motivation and curiosity you develop will spill over into your schoolwork. "Students can discover and incorporate a variety of amazing, interesting things into daily lives."

One university article notes - and pursuing those interests leads to personal growth and even addiction in the best way – "they become addicted" to learning new things​.

In short, learning for fun can remind you why learning matters at all, keeping your academic spark alive. Research-backed benefits: Online learning can improve time management and self-discipline.

And remember, universities and employers appreciate proactive learners. Completing an online course shows initiative and can strengthen your resume or uni application. Who knows, you might also earn a certificate to print and put in your portfolio!

2. Start a Hobby Project (Personal Passion Project)

Why it's worth it? Term breaks are ideal for diving into a personal hobby or project that you normally don't have time for during school. Unlike assignments, a hobby project is your choice – it could be building a mobile app, writing a short story, creating art, designing a DIY science experiment, or starting a small business idea.

Students often find hobby projects deeply rewarding - they offer a sense of accomplishment and a break from academic pressure. Engaging in hobbies has been linked to personal growth, better self-esteem, and even stress relief for students

Maybe you sketch fashion designs in class – use the break to sew a simple outfit. Love video games? Try designing a game level or learning basic game programming. Perhaps you enjoy cooking – experiment with new recipes and create a mini "recipe book" from your results. Set a realistic goal for your project (e.g. "Build a simple website for my dad's business by end of holidays" or "Paint a landscape on canvas"). Then break it into steps and schedule time every other day to chip away at it.

Case Study: The DIY Drone – Arjun

Arjun, a Year 12 student, used his term 1 break to work on a personal tech project: building a custom drone. He'd been fascinated by electronics but never had extended time to tinker. Over the two-week holiday, Arjun followed online guides and gradually assembled a drone from scratch, even 3D-printing some parts. It wasn't for marks or competition – just his own interest. By break's end, he had a working drone to show for it.

In other words, when you engage deeply in something you love, you're also building valuable skills. Unlike school tasks, hobby projects let you fail freely and learn joyfully – exactly how some of the best innovations happen. Who knows – your little project could spark a lifelong passion or even a career path.

3. Get an Internship or Part-Time Job

Why it's worth it? Earning real-world work experience as a high schooler can level up your professional and personal skills dramatically. Whether it's a formal internship in a field of interest or a casual part-time job at a local shop, you'll learn responsibility, communication, and time management.

According to one education source, holding a job can boost confidence and teach you to juggle multiple responsibilities. Even a short holiday stint can give you a taste of adult working life and make your resume stand out.

For instance, you might ask a family friend if you can intern at their office for a week, or apply for holiday shifts at a café, retail store, or local library. Another idea is shadowing a professional in a career you're curious about – it's usually unpaid, but the insights are invaluable.

When applying or inquiring, mention you're a student on break looking to learn and help. Even a few weeks of work can teach you basics like customer service, teamwork, and punctuality (yes, showing up on time every day is a skill!).

Real-world lessons:

You'll also start to grasp the relationship between education and earnings. Many teens find that working a low-wage job motivates them to aim higher in their studies: "Most high school students work low-income jobs...which can help make it clear that to earn a good living, schooling is essential," notes an academic source.

In addition, you'll encounter new people; learning to communicate with bosses, co-workers, or customers builds your social and professional etiquette.

"Nearly 30% of high school students are employed ... at least a portion of the school year" - So you'll be in good company if you choose to work.

Getting out of the school bubble for a bit can increase your maturity and independence.

Balance warning: If you do get a job, be mindful not to overdo the hours. Research suggests working over 20 hours a week can hurt academic performance. During a short break, that likely won't happen – but remember your main job is still being a student. A holiday job is a learning experience, not just a paycheck. When term starts again, consider cutting back hours to weekends so you keep up with studies.

4. Volunteer for a Cause

Why it's worth it:

Volunteering can also improve your mental well-being – it feels good to make a difference. A recent study of 50,000 young people found those who volunteered were 66% more likely to report being "flourishing" (a measure of overall well-being) and 25% less likely to have anxiety.

In short, doing good can help you feel good. Plus, community service can be an impressive addition to scholarship and uni applications, showcasing your character and initiative.

Many councils and organisations in Australia have holiday volunteer programs – for example, beach clean-ups, tree planting days, or charity fundraisers. Websites like GoVolunteer or Seek Volunteer list roles by location. Even simply helping neighbors or family – like tutoring a younger cousin or assisting at your community church/sports club – counts as volunteering.

What you'll gain: Volunteering helps you practice communication, organisation, and problem-solving in real scenarios. You might lead a group of other volunteers, or need to think on your feet if an event doesn't go as planned.

These experiences build leadership skills and resilience. Students who volunteer also tend to do better academically; one long-term study found that teens who volunteered performed better in reading and math and were more engaged in school.

Stat Spotlight

According to research published in 2023, young people who did community service were 34% more likely to be in excellent health and 35% less likely to have behavioral problems than those who didn't.

That's a huge difference

Volunteering not only helps others, it directly benefits you. By engaging with your community, you gain a sense of purpose and connection that can reduce stress and boost happiness. This is why experts often recommend volunteering as a tool for maintaining good mental health in high-pressure years like Year 12.

As TIME Magazine reported, "Giving back to the community, it seems, may be one [tool]" to improve youth mental health.

You can use your break to contribute to something meaningful and return to school with renewed perspective. Helping people in need or working for a cause bigger than yourself often makes academic stresses feel more manageable in comparison.

5. Tackle a "Skill-Building" Challenge

Skill challenges add a game-like element to self-improvement – you set a goal to practice something every day. This could be a coding challenge (e.g. "30 days of code"), a writing challenge (write a journal entry or poem daily), a language challenge (practice Spanish 15 minutes each day), or even a personal fitness or creativity challenge.

The idea is to make daily progress in a specific area. Research on habit formation suggests that doing a new behavior consistently for a few weeks helps it stick – one study found it takes on average 66 days to fully form a habit, but even 2–4 weeks is enough to see improvement and get the ball rolling. So a short holiday is perfect to kick-start a new habit or skill!

Examples: solve one new HSC-style math problem each day to keep your problem-solving sharp; learn 5 new vocabulary words in English or a foreign language daily; do a quick sketch or doodle every day to boost your art skills; or complete a small programming task each day if you're into IT. There are online calendars and apps for 30-day challenges – or simply make a checklist on paper and tick off each day you complete the task. By making it a "challenge," you turn it into a game with yourself, which can be highly motivating.

Tips to succeed

For instance, if you're doing a reading challenge, maybe read 10 pages every day. If you miss a day, don't quit – just resume the next day. Remember, "missing one day did not hinder progress" in habit formation, according to a psychology study.

It's also more fun if you do it with a friend – challenge a classmate to join you (e.g. both of you agree to write 200 words of a story each day and share excerpts). You can even reward yourself at the end (new game, outing, etc.) if you complete the challenge.

Case Study – 14-Day Creative Writing Sprint:

The challenge kept their minds engaged and creative, and made writing – a skill essential for English – feel fun rather than a school chore.

Why it works:

Challenges provide structure and motivation through small wins. Each day you stick to the plan, you get a hit of accomplishment. Psychologically, this builds momentum. By break's end, you've not only improved a skill, you've proven to yourself that you can set a goal and achieve it.

That confidence can carry into your next term. As one mental health expert noted, "practicing a new behavior daily can help you develop better habits" – even if 30 days doesn't make it permanent forever, it's enough to see tangible progress. And who knows? You might keep going with the habit even after school resumes (many do!).

6. Read for Pleasure (and Growth)

Whether it's novels, non-fiction, or magazines, reading for pleasure improves your vocabulary, writing skills, general knowledge, and even empathy. Importantly for HSC students, studies show that students who read independently have better results in all subjects – not just English.

It boosts comprehension and critical thinking, which can help in everything from understanding complex science texts to analysing history sources.

A famous 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by 68% – more effectively than listening to music or going for a walk. Just 6 minutes of reading was enough to slow heart rates and ease muscle tension.

So curling up with a good book is literally a way to relax your mind and body after a stressful term!

Pick a genre or topic you love – fantasy, mystery, biographies of people you admire, self-improvement, science fiction, anything. Set aside some part of your day or week for reading – maybe every night before bed instead of scrolling your phone.

If you're not a habitual reader, start with short reads or YA novels that are page-turners. Audiobooks count too, and can be great if you're on a long car ride or just want to give your eyes a rest. The goal is to make reading fun, not a chore. Visit your local library or an online bookstore and let curiosity guide you.

It's been said that "reading for pleasure acts like mental exercise, improving literacy, social skills, and health outcomes." In fact, regular leisure reading has been linked to better academic achievement and even better psychological well-being.

And here's the bonus: when you read something interesting, you bring fresh ideas and vocabulary back into the classroom.

In the HSC context, that means your casual holiday reading could indirectly boost your exam scores and essay quality. More importantly, it can remind you that learning isn't only for exams – it can be a source of joy and escape.

7. Get Moving: Exercise and Physical Challenges

When school is in session, it's easy to neglect exercise due to packed schedules. But staying active is crucial for both physical and mental performance. The school break is a chance to establish a good exercise routine or try a new physical activity.

For example, a large study of 34,000 students found those with regular physical activity had better academic performance and lower rates of school burnout.

Translation: working out can actually make you sharper and more focused when you hit the books again.

It's no wonder research concludes that students who exercise tend to have improved concentration, especially in subjects like mathematics.

Find something you enjoy - dance, tennis with a friend, a pickup game of soccer, or just morning jogs with music. Make it a habit by doing it at the same time each day (e.g. a run every morning, or a walk every evening). You could also set a fitness goal for the break: for instance, "be able to do 20 push-ups in a row" or "learn a new sport like badminton".

Track your progress – seeing improvement (running a bit farther, lifting slightly heavier, etc.) is rewarding. Involve friends or family for extra motivation; a weekend hike or family bike ride can be both exercise and bonding.

Mind-body benefits:

Exercise is one of the best stress busters. It releases endorphins which improve your mood and reduce anxiety. After a stressful term, doing physical activities can help clear your mind. Headspace (the youth mental health foundation) notes that any activity, even a short walk, can alleviate symptoms of stress and anxiety in young people.

You might find that after a run or a game of sport, you sleep better and feel more energetic. Better sleep and energy then translate to better focus – it's a virtuous cycle. In fact, about half of 16-17 year-olds in Australia don't get the recommended 8–10 hours of sleep on school nights (often due to study stress), and exercise can help fix that by regulating your body clock.

Statistic:

One study noted that being physically active before school (like walking or cycling to school) was associated with higher academic performance – likely because it enhances concentration in the classroom.

Another research review concluded that dedicating time to PE or exercise does not detract from academics; in fact, it often improves students' attention and achievement. So by using your holidays to build an exercise habit, you're investing in a healthier, more focused you for next term.

Regular exercise can prevent the mental fatigue that comes from nonstop studying. Think of your brain as a muscle – it needs blood and oxygen and a break from mental strain to grow stronger.

8. Review and Organise Academic Material

While a break is not meant for full-on studying, doing a light academic review can consolidate your learning and reduce stress later. During the busy term, you probably didn't get to polish all your notes or revisit every topic deeply. Use a small portion of your break to organise and reflect on what you learned last term. This might mean summarising your notes for each subject, making flashcards for key concepts, or reworking difficult problems you got wrong in exams.

Cognitive science tells us that spacing out your studying (revisiting material after some time) dramatically improves retention. Spacing effect studies have shown that students who reviewed content a week later remembered more than those who crammed and never looked back.

For example, if math Module 3 was tough, spend an afternoon doing a few practice questions on it or writing a summary sheet of the formulas. If you had feedback from an English essay, reread it and note how you can improve. You could also make a study plan for next term – list upcoming topics or assessments you know about, so they don't catch you off-guard.

Some experts suggest writing brief summaries of each chapter or topic you covered – this acts as retrieval practice and highlights anything you still find confusing. Keep these sessions short (like 1-2 hours a few times over the break) – you'll still have plenty of free time.

These techniques strengthen memory more than passive rereading. Also, consider using spaced repetition tools or apps if you have a lot of content (for languages or sciences, for example). The idea is to prevent the "holiday fade" – the forgetting curve where we lose information over time if not reviewed. By doing a gentle review now, you'll return to class retaining most of last term's knowledge, ready to build on it instead of catching up.

Research Highlight:

Education experts note that "the brain acts just like a muscle; it needs regular exercise to keep working at its best." Taking weeks off from any mental exercise can make it harder to ramp up again. That's why doing some "low-level studying throughout the break" will make you "first in class to pick up where they left off."

"Spacing out study sessions enhances long-term memory and is far better than cramming." So an hour spent reviewing now could save you many hours of re-learning later. Think of it as maintenance work on the knowledge engine you built during the term.

The Power of Spaced Review

One classic study showed that students who took a review quiz 8 days after a lecture scored higher on a test 5 weeks later than those who took a quiz just 1 day after the lecture.The delay forced their brains to work a bit harder to retrieve info, which strengthened their memory.

Applying this to your HSC prep: reviewing your Term 1 content during the break (which might be ~2-3 weeks after you learned it) is perfect timing to reinforce learning. It will keep your knowledge fresh so you're not rusty when Term 2 begins.

As a bonus, this process highlights areas you still don't get, giving you a chance to seek help (from teachers or tutors) before those topics snowball. You'll enter the new term confident and caught up, rather than anxious about forgotten content.

9. Practice Mindfulness and Mental Well-Being Techniques

HSC years can be mentally taxing. One of the best skills you can cultivate – for school and life – is the ability to manage stress and maintain good mental health.

During the break, take time to explore mental health tools such as mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises, or journaling. Building resilience and coping strategies will not only make you a happier student, but also improve your academic performance (it's hard to do well if you're anxious or burnt out). Numerous studies back the benefits of mindfulness for students: using a meditation app for just 10 days has been shown to reduce stress by 14% and increase positivity and well-being.

Another study found that teens practicing mindfulness had improved focus and less mind-wandering during tasks - crucial for effective study sessions. Think of mental health exercises as "brain training" that keeps you calm, focused, and motivated.

Headspace offers short guided meditations, and research found that 3 weeks of using it increased compassion by 23% and reduced aggression (frustration) by 57% – helping you stay level-headed. You can start with just 5-10 minutes a day of a breathing exercise or guided relaxation, maybe when you wake up or before bed.

If meditation isn't your thing, other options: journaling (write down your thoughts or 3 things you're grateful for each day), practicing yoga, or even simply taking regular nature walks (time in nature is restorative for mental health).

Another tool is learning about stress itself – sometimes understanding the psychology of stress can make it less scary and easier to handle. There are great resources from organisations like headspace (Australia) on managing school stress, which you could read during the break.

Perhaps adopt a morning routine on holidays - e.g. wake up, do a 10-minute meditation, stretch, have breakfast. Or use evenings to wind down tech-free and do breathing exercises. These habits can carry into term time to help you maintain balance.

Also, use the break to ensure you're recharging mentally – spend time with family and friends, pursue hobbies (covered above), and get enough sleep. If Term 1 was extremely stressful, you might even talk to someone about it – maybe a brief session with a counsellor or a trusted teacher/mentor, to debrief and strategise for next term. The break offers mental space to process your experiences without the pressure of imminent exams.

She encourages students to treat mental health activities as equal in importance to study:

By experimenting with these techniques during your break, you can discover what helps you most – be it deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or even creative outlets like music – and have those tools ready when challenges arise.

One survey of Australian youth revealed that coping with stress and mental health were among the top concerns for students. Recognising this, many successful HSC students schedule time for meditation, exercise, or simply unwinding, knowing it actually makes their study time more effective.

So, use the break to recharge your mental batteries and learn new coping skills. Come next term, when others are feeling overwhelmed, you'll have an edge: a calmer mind, better focus, and resilience in the face of challenges. As the saying goes, "you can't pour from an empty cup" – by refilling your cup now, you'll be ready to pour your best effort into Term 2.

Conclusion & Next Steps: Make Your Holiday Work for You

A term break only lasts a couple of weeks, but it can be a springboard for months (or years) of benefits. By engaging in even a few of the activities above – be it learning something new online, volunteering, exercising, or honing a hobby – you're investing in yourself. You'll return to school not only rested, but also a more skilled, confident, and well-rounded student.

Remember, productivity in holidays isn't about studying 8 hours a day; it's about growth. Even the smallest new habit or achievement can set you apart. So pick what excites you from these 9 strategies and give it a go!

Make a plan (even a very loose one) for your remaining break days so time doesn't just slip away. And don't forget to enjoy the process – this isn't meant to be another source of stress, but a way to explore and improve in a fun, relaxed manner. As you head into the new term, you'll thank yourself for the head start.

HSCprep – Helping you turn small steps into big success. Let's make this term break count! 🚀