Parents can add to your children's reading writing, science, and math skills with books, travel, museum visits, experiments, crafts, and games this summer. Learning during the summer months can be hands-on, outdoors, and self-directed.

Over the next few weeks, I'll provide some exciting ideas for activities that you and your children can do to keep the summer months exciting, while continuing to develop a loving bond and creating memories that will last a lifetime:

Reading and writing

• Make reading a habit. Encourage kids to have a ritual of reading for the first half hour or hour of the day after they awake. Reading at night before bedtime is also a great way of sharing quality time with your child. Also, set a reading goal with your children. The number of books read/day would depend on the age and/or reading level of your child.
• Make reading adventurous and exciting. Hold read-aloud slumber parties and reading dates at the park after trips to the library. Or, you might take kids picnicking, and have a 20 minute reading break.
• Start a diary. The kids can add a daily entry, focusing on a detail of the day's events that provoked a positive emotion such as excitement. Your children will develop a habit of entering the information and won't want to miss a day. They'll thank you for it later in life when they're able to reflect on those positive memories.

Creativity

• Start a story while driving or running errands. Build up to a cliffhanger, then have your child pick up the rest of the story for the next few minutes (starting from the beginning, if you want to boost memory skills).

Numbers and places

• Plan trips. Whether it's to Disney World, Dahlonega or the Atlanta Zoo, kids from 8 years and up can map your route. Web sites containing local event information and maps with directions can help you determine what places to see, how long to schedule stops, and the length of the trip.
• Enhance math skills by figuring mileage and trip time, in addition to how much gas and spending money will be needed.
• Create imaginary activities and travels by asking, "If you could go anywhere in world, where would you go and how would you get there?"

Science

• Play with water. Provide them with a bucket of water, soup ladles, cups, or anything else that will hold or move water. Transferring water back and forth helps younger kids develop fine motor skills, while older kids can learn about volume and measuring.
• Take the kids on an exploration of the yard. . You could host a scavenger hunt and send them out searching for objects that are rough, smooth, wet, live, green, shiny, round, square, etc. They can start looking for one trait and then for things with multiple characteristics.

...And at the end of the day....

Turn off the television and take turns discussing the day's events. What did they enjoy the most? The least? What do they want to do next? What do they never want to try again? Make the most of your time spent together, creating enjoyable and unforgettable memories.