Summer vacation is here. Where did the school year go? While summer at home can be more relaxed than the school year is, summer shouldn't be a vacation from learning. During these precious three months, family home activities can help children retain the skills they learned during the school year.

One area to focus on is writing. Here are some family ideas for fun family activities to keep your kids writing this summer: 

  • Write letters and e-mails. Kids can write to grandparents or their favorite sports or television personalities. The key is to find someone who motivates children to communicate. Even little ones can “write”  by sending drawings or dictating their thoughts to you. Writing letters is a very effective tool because children are thrilled to get replies via snail mail. After all, how often do kids get letters! E-mail is great because the feedback can be nearly immediate.
  • Write mom's shopping list. Assign your kids the responsibility of keeping up the grocery list. Each time your family needs something from the grocery store, let your children write it on the list. You can reward their efforts by letting your children add one item of their own.
  • Write stories. Talk to your children about the different elements of a story: the beginning, the middle, and the end. Then encourage each child to write a story. After they have finished, you can help them identify the different parts of their stories. They can illustrate their stories and make a book to keep or send to a friend or relative. Are they stuck for an idea? Fill a story jar with titles on slips of paper, for example, "Jerry Dragon's Bad Day," or "Uncle Rooster's Silly Visit ."
  • Write poems. Most kids like poetry. Get out their favorite nursery rhyme book or another book of poems and read some of them to your children. Once they get the feel for the rhyming patterns and rhythm of poetry, encourage your children to write some poems of their own. You can make cards that include the poems and send them to friends and relatives.
  • Write songs. Children often make up songs naturally—many of them very silly. When your kids are in the mood to do some impromptu singing, encourage them to write down the lyrics.Then they can sing the songs over and over again. (Go find your earplugs!) Or, take one of their favorite melodies and write new words. (Did you know that "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "The ABC Song," and "Baa Baa Black Sheep" all have the same melody?) Help your younger children write the words or have them dictate the songs to you.
  • Write journals. Give your kids a blank notebook and encourage them to keep a journal with daily entries. Little children can draw a picture about each day.
  • Write notes to one another. Write your children love notes and hide them in strategic spots or post them around the house. Or using magnetic letters, write out a message on the fridge. Invite your children to respond in kind.
  • Write coded messages. Use a simple code to write secret messages to your children. Invite them to decode the messages. Don't lose your code, because your kids will certainly use the code to write back.

Lynn Dean is the mother of three children who all like to write.