Summertime Activities That Prepare Kids for an AI-Driven Future
#TIPS4FAMILIES | How to break the Groundhog Day cycle of summertime planning and embrace the traditional experiences that may ultimately build the most future-proof skills in an AI-driven world.
I find those first summer "internship-globetrotting-sports-camp-competitive-educational-college-ready-opportunity" emails that pop up in February very Groundhog Day-like. Each year, they arrive with increasing urgency, promising transformative experiences that will somehow position our children ahead of their peers. 😵💫🎓🙈
We all want our kids to make the best use of the summer months (whatever that means to them or us), but if families want to be strategic about activities that prepare kids for the future, should those activities now look differently? Should we be rethinking our approach entirely?
While there is no absolute answer, of course, I do have a few suggestions that might surprise you—ideas that challenge the conventional wisdom about what constitutes a "valuable" summer experience…
As Far as the AI Can See
While we can't say for sure what the world will look like when our kids are entering the job market (even if that's soonish), we do know what skills are already becoming valuable today.
These can provide a starting point to start to evaluate any opportunity:
Adaptive Thinking
The ability to adapt will be crucial as change accelerates. Children who can pivot quickly, learn continuously, and remain flexible in their thinking will navigate career transitions more successfully than those expecting stability.
Creative Problem-Solving
Creative thinking, especially when it comes to solving problems, remains a distinctly human skill. But when it comes to AI, the technology can generate variations on existing patterns, but it will be the imaginative leap to entirely new approaches that still requires human creativity.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
EQ was all the buzz years ago, but it should top-of-mind now too. One could even argue that EQ will become more valuable than IQ when approaching a future that requires effective collaboration, leadership, and service provision in ways that machines can’t duplicate. Understanding the needs, motivations, and feelings of others will remain essential in most human endeavors from here into the future.
It was Dr. Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence” that thrust EQ onto the world stage and made the skill increasingly mainstream. Goleman now offers online courses that may be useful to parents or teens.
Ethical Reasoning
Many of the above categories can be broadly approached, but ethical reasoning takes a more precise focus. And it's critical; growing more important as technology presents novel situations without established guidelines. Children who can thoughtfully evaluate complex moral questions will bring invaluable perspective to the workplace of the future.
Technological Fluency
Being "fluent" in technology is a slightly different way to think about acquiring technical skill. Instead of becoming a master coder (which arguably won't even exist in the future) we should ensure children "speak the language" of a diverse range of technologies. This ability, balanced with critical thinking about technology's role and limitations, will enable children to work effectively with evolving tools without being dominated by them.
What's Old is New Again
Now, of course, understanding what skills are needed in the years ahead isn't necessarily the same as figuring out the camp a child should attend or which internship they should pursue. But using this list as an additional set of considerations can help narrow it down.
That said, if you want to go a bit further and start to consider a list of activities that build these important "human" skills, you might find the list looks strikingly similar to our own from decades ago.
The very experiences that seem quaint or outdated in our hyper-scheduled, achievement-oriented culture might actually be developing exactly the capabilities that will matter most in an AI-transformed future.
For instance, unstructured free time allows children to develop self-direction and creativity. And the ability to manage boredom, generate ideas, and create entertainment without external structure builds executive functioning skills that structured activities may not.
Manual labor (mowing lawns, cleaning pools, gardening) and chores teach persistence, attention to detail, and the satisfaction of physical accomplishment. And whether it's garden work, helping with family businesses, or neighborhood jobs, these experiences build work ethic and practical problem-solving skills.
Even reading for pleasure nurtures imagination and concentration in ways that directed reading cannot.
What were your summers like? I worked at a Gap store in our local shopping mall. Between learning sales tricks and customer service skills, I gained an education in responsibility, hustle, and workplace dynamics, as well as, how to manage boredom and tedious, repetitive tasks. I navigated practical challenges too: staying safe in dimly lit parking lots after closing, driving home late at night, and handling encounters with unsavory mall characters. Outside those structured hours, summer meant lazy days talking with friends, swimming, and reading without academic pressure — unscheduled hours that we now call "nothing" but were actually space to build these future-proof skills.
A Possible Full Re-think of Summer?
Of course, many times what our kids do (or don't do!) in the summer is dictated by requirements not covered in the above. They may need to practice a sport, have to catch up on subjects needed for school, or have family obligations to attend to. But outside of this, to prepare for a future dominated by AI may take less STEM and more HUMAN training.
It's about going back to basics and making sure kids have plenty of unstructured time for self-directed exploration, physical activity, outdoor experiences, social opportunities with diverse peer groups, time with family, and plenty of household responsibility as well.
Some less common (in today’s world) summer experiences offer surprising developmental benefits, for instance:
Intergenerational activities like community volunteering alongside adults of various ages help children develop communication skills across different perspectives and life experiences.
Maker spaces and tinkering workshops allow children to explore technology, crafts, and building without prescribed outcomes, combining digital and physical creativity.
Nature immersion programs that teach wilderness skills foster resilience, risk assessment, and environmental awareness—capabilities increasingly valuable in climate-conscious workplaces.
Mixed-age play groups provide opportunities for both mentoring and being mentored, developing leadership and collaboration skills simultaneously.
What Questions to Ask
Rather than asking "What will look good on applications?" you might want to consider a different set of questions, such as:
What experiences might help my child discover new interests?
Where could my child develop greater independence?
What activities bring genuine joy and engagement?
What experiences might build resilience and problem-solving?
How might my child contribute meaningfully to our family or community?
The anxiety around summer planning often stems from a fear about future competitiveness. However, the most forward-thinking approach may be giving children time to develop the self-knowledge, creativity, and resilience that come from less programmed experiences—qualities that will serve them regardless of how the future job market evolves.
You also don’t need to look far for confirmation of this fact:
Build better humans, and you prepare them for the unknown AI-driven world ahead.