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One of the easiest ways to help your child practice writing this summer is to make a "Vacation Memory Book."

If you are going away on vacation, or just taking short day trips to the beach with your child this summer, this is a fun and simple project.

Here's what you will need:

• An inexpensive, disposable camera from Wal-Mart, CVS, or any convenience store, or printable photos from your cell phone.
• A blank notebook

Together with your child, take pictures of fun at the beach or other things of interest on a family vacation.

Then:

• Have the photographs printed.
• Let your child choose the photos he or she likes best.
• Place the photos in the order the events occurred.
• Paste the photos on the top of the notebook page, one photo per page.
• Together, talk about the photo, and what was happening when it was taken.
• Let your child write underneath the picture on the notebook page, just what the photo is showing. For example, "Here is a picture of the Statue of Liberty."
• Or, you can help your child write the comments, if writing is too difficult for them.
• Don't forget to date the pages.

Using photographs helps your child create a mental "picture" to go with the words. Putting the photos in sequence helps your child organize their writing. The end result is a wonderful summer memory book to be read again and again!