Taking Summer Off? Independent Language Study Tips for English Learners

I'm a Japanese language student myself and, most of the 10 years I spent actively studying, I studied the language on my own. It's not as efficient as learning with a tutor, but it's cheap and it's convenient - you can study at your leisure.

Everything I'll share are methods that I personally tested and tried over the years. Remember that a combination of a few strategies is the best way to go!

So, if you're taking a break from lessons this summer, here are a few strategies that you can use to keep your English skills up or even learn something new independently:

Watch movies or TV shows in English - You don't have to understand 100% to get the benefits of watching TV shows in English. Movies and TV shows are a great source of natural language that covers a wide variety of topics and situations. The best thing: it doesn't feel like studying because it's fun!

Search for information in English - Whether you're searching for a perfect recipe, Googling specific information about a scientific question, or asking ChatGPT to help you correct grammar in your journal entry, searching and reading the information in English will expose you to the language in unpredictable (and very natural) ways. It might be difficult because you can't grasp information so quickly, but it's worth the effort!

Set your phone/computer to English - This one was a game changer for me. When I changed my phone settings to Japanese, I suddenly had to figure out kanji in a natural setting. It's a great way to increase your exposure to a foreign language because it puts you into an environment where you have to use English to do a task.

Journaling - Even if it's just a few sentences per day, writing a journal is great because it forces you to form your own sentences in English (or another target language) every day. Perfect grammar is not really important here - focus on expressing your thoughts as well as you can. If you write just a little bit every day, it really adds up over the summer.

Music in English - The next time you're driving or riding a train, put on some tunes in English. Because of its rhythm and catchiness, music is a great way to remember new words and practice pronunciation. Bonus points if you sing a little!

Find your next favorite YouTube channel or podcast - YouTube is an incredible resource for language learners; you can find both language lessons and videos with natural speech. My favorite way to learn new vocabulary is to watch streamers play games like Minecraft or The Sims - they narrate what they're doing so you can watch and understand without knowing all the words.

Graded readers - If you're not confident reading books in English just yet, consider getting a few graded readers. They're books and stories that use simple language targeted at your language level - and every next book will be a little bit more difficult. I always recommend the Oxford Bookworm series.

Play games - You can play video games made in English or play regular games like puzzles, quizzes, and mind experiments with an English-speaking partner for a fun and easy way to boost your English. I can help you with that - I have a special kind of English lesson where we only play games using English together! :)

Learning happens one step at a time, so sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. If using your target language becomes fun or useful, it'll be easier to keep on learning every day. And when you do something every day - it will become natural and easy even before the summer ends :)