Over the next two months your child could lose two months of educational acumen. Happy thought, isn’t it? Summer stretches before you with fun things to do, and now I’ve made you worry your kids are about to lose brainpower. But with a little guidance from you, your kids will have fun and learn along the way.

Meet this challenge and your child builds great habits for a lifetime. She also will return to school in the fall ready to soar.

It’s really not that hard to add learning to summer, and done right, you and your children will get a kick out of it. For instance, are you going to a baseball game? Suggest your child read a book about his or her favorite player beforehand. Heading to the beach? Pack a book or children’s magazines with your beach towel, sunscreen, and snacks. Reading just ten to fifteen minutes a day makes a difference. If your child is resistant, read to her while she eats her snack.

Children will learn a lot if they help with travel plans. Send for brochures for all the states you will visit and read about the things to see and do. Even if you’re staying near home, there is plenty to read about. You could fill a summer and more with Civil Rights sites alone.

Reading plays a central role in helping children maintain their skills. Reading as few as five or six books should be enough to ward off summer setback, and reading more could actually advance your child’s skills. So help them select books that interest them, written at their level.

One way you can find out if a book is a good match for your child’s reading skills is the “Five Finger Rule.” When your child has a book she’s excited to take home, have her read a page. Every time she encounters a word she doesn’t know, hold up a finger. If there are five or more fingers up by the end of the page, that’s a book you should read together. Pick an easier one for her to read alone.

Fortunately, the children’s librarians in both Auburn and Opelika are well aware of the research on summer setback and have designed sensational summer reading programs to motivate children to develop positive attitudes about reading and books.

“Children and students who participate in summer reading activities continue their intellectual development from one academic year to the next,” said Eve Kneeland, the children’s librarian at the Auburn Public Library, explains. “Studies have shown that those who do not read during the summer continue to drop behind, and by sixth grade, may be as much as two academic years behind those who actively participate in reading activities in the summer.”

Tim Cooper, the children’s librarian at the Lewis Cooper Jr. Memorial Library in Opelika, agrees. “We want to help children maintain their reading skills during the summer vacation and encourage our younger patrons to use the library.”

In addition, many schools have reading incentive programs. If your child’s school has a summer reading program, enroll them. Schools may send home a suggested reading list and ask you to verify what your youngster reads.

But don’t turn all this reading into a chore. Make it fun, and get it done.