Do's and Don'ts for a Productive Summer

Do you have some suggestions on ways that my children can have a happy and healthy summer? -- Wondering
Answer: Unfortunately, an alarming number of children in grades K through 12 are gaining more weight and falling further behind in academic achievement during the summer. You certainly don't want this to happen to your children. Our list of do's and don'ts for a productive summer will help you do this.
Do's for a productive summer
--Bring your children up to grade level in every subject through your efforts or outside help from tutors, learning centers or summer school.
--Have a daily family reading half-hour where everyone gathers in one room and reads. No discussion is necessary. However, it can be fun if several family members read the same books and/or magazines and talk about them. For example, think of the different perspectives you and your children might have on articles in People magazine.
--Make summer a skill-building time for such non-academic activities as sports, music, dance, cooking, knitting, photography and whatever else interests your children. Gaining skills in any of these areas will help children build confidence in their abilities. This is especially important if your children are not academic superstars.
--Plan a variety of family-oriented activities, such as weekend hikes or biking outings, game nights, picnics, visits to historical sights and colleges and attendance at sporting events and musical performances.
--Have daily household jobs for every child that contribute meaningfully to the running of the house.
Don'ts for a productive summer
--Let your children spend too much of their time on media entertainment, including TV, video games, Facebook and Twitter.
--Let your children avoid fairly vigorous daily physical activity.
--Let your children eat a steady diet of unhealthy foods.