How to start and keep children learning — painlessly — over the summer:
*See if a school reading list or math packet is available.
*Let your kids tell you what they want to learn about and build on that.
*Turn to thinkfinity.org for tens of thousands of free resources, including games. For younger children, check out starfall.com for reading with phonics.
*Reading comes in many forms — quality comic books or an article on how to crack a game on Wii. To test comprehension, ask kids what they got out of it.
*Visit a theater, museum, nature preserve or historic site and discuss it for exposure to new terms.
*Encourage children to write in a journal or blog. Making a digital photo book can improve writing and reading skills, plus keep the memory fresh.
*Ask librarians for reading suggestions or join summer reading programs.
*Seek out learning programs that don’t replicate classroom lessons. Instead of teaching ordinary science, try a program might offer a crime scene investigation lab; to better understand English, kids might make a newspaper.
