• Consider summer school. Summer programs are not just for kids who are having difficulty in school. Many programs provide enrichment activities. Look into math enrichment because kids tend not to practice math a lot when they're out of school.

        • Look for activities in your community that are academic-related. Your local library probably has a summer reading program for emerging and beginning readers. Local museums also may offer events.

        • Plan your summer trip with an educational theme. For example, if you're headed to a national park, take the kids on a ranger-led geological or historical tour. Have them read a book about where you're going before you leave. If you're still thinking about where to vacation, find out what your child will be studying in the coming school year. If the Constitution is in the curriculum, consider a trip to Philadelphia.

        • Talk to a teacher in your child's next grade. Find out what books your child might read over summer to be prepared for the coming year. If your child is an emerging or beginning reader, ask the teacher to suggest books you can read to and with them. Ask what the content of the math curriculum will be and then visit a local teachers' supply store.

        • Read aloud to your child and encourage independent reading.

        • Have children practice writing by keeping a journal, writing letters home from camp or letters and e-mails to out-of-town friends or relatives.

        • Practice math by estimating the distance to the horizon on a car trip, estimating or calculating mentally the total cost of a shopping trip, practicing measurement and fractions when cooking, sewing or building with wood. Develop spatial skills with jigsaw puzzles or models.

        • Third and fourth grades are years to strengthen facts. Try www.aplusmath.com for electronic flash cards.

        Sources: Andy Speno, fourth-grade teacher, Cincinnati Country Day; Dr. Harris Cooper, professor of psychology at University of Missouri-Columbia

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