Academic skills drop quickly when children are not receiving daily reinforcement through drills and other hands-on teacher instructions that they get in the classroom. This is always true during any school vacation. However, the problem this year is that many students have lagged behind in mastering the skills needed to move on to the next grade level. Parents should definitely go to their state's education website and download the academic standards for the grade that their children just completed. Then look closely first at the academic standards in language arts, reading, and math to make sure the children have acquired the necessary skills in these subjects before looking at the requirements in other academic areas like science and social studies.
The help that you select for your children will depend on how far behind they are in being ready for the next grade. Some children may need help from learning centers, summer school, and tutors. While others may find all the help they need from online classes. And then there are those children who just need to keep their skill levels up through reading or participating in library book clubs or just playing educational games.