Here’s a scary (or in some cases, happy) news bulletin: If you haven’t looked at your calendar lately, the next school year is rapidly approaching. The question is, has your kid cracked a book or flashed those math facts he was supposed to learn this summer? Hmmm. We always have such plans to boost our kids' academic skills when school is out, but how many of us get around to doing so?

Johns Hopkins University found that teachers spend a good deal of time in the fall re-teaching those skills our kids lose over the summer months. As a former classroom teacher, I agree with the research, but as a mom of three I can also see the other side. After all, isn’t summer all about having a good time?

Well, with a little ingenuity you can find ways to boost your child’s academic skills and still make learning fun. Here, a few parenting secrets to help you:

* Are there a few moms still in town who have kids the same age as yours? If so, why not start a mom-kid book club? The three basic rules are: take turns hosting, always serve refreshments, and find books that your kids love to read. Jim Trelease’s Read Aloud Handbook offers fabulous suggestions. Or check out the reading list NBC Today Show’s Al Roker has for his summer book club for kids.

* Going on a trip soon? Purchase a tour guide of your intended location or print descriptions of the historical spot from the computer and ask your child to read up so he can become your family tour guide.

* Take advantage of car time for learning. Buy an Atlas and purchase an inexpensive compass. Keep them in the car, and then have your child become your navigator. She can learn directions -- and how to read a map.

* Set aside a time each night during which everyone has a book in their hands to read. (And that means everyone.) If everyone consistently reads at the same time each night, it will become a habit. Little ones can “tell” the story, bigger ones can read.

* Got a tween or teen with a required summer reading list from school? (Check your kid’s unopened backpack to see if the list is there). Then check out or purchase two copies of each book -- one for you and one for your child -- and read each simultaneously. This was one of my favorite activities when my kids got older. I loved discussing books such as The Diary of Anne Frank, Beloved, Crime and Punishment, Grapes of Wrath with each son. No arguments – they had to read them and I loved the opportunity to hear their views.

* Visit your public library regularly with your child. Is your child enrolled in one of those great read-aloud programs where they can earn prizes by reading?

* Read the newspaper together. Mark special articles your child may enjoy hearing or reading about. Or purchase magazines designed for your child’s reading level: Highlight, American Girl, Teen People, Sports Illustrated.

* Is your child an avid baseball fan? There’s nothing better than reading the back of those baseball cards to boost reading and math skills (comparing baseball players’ batting averages, on-base percentages, and ratio of homeruns). There are all types of cards with fascinating facts kids can read.

* Does your child need more in-depth drills to learn multiplication facts or vocabulary words? Why not find another friend with similar needs so the two can learn together? Or what about hiring a middle school or high school student as a tutor? It might make learning a bit more fun and take the pressure off you.

I’d love to hear your parenting secrets as well. Pass them on so we can use them. Meanwhile, if you haven’t picked up a copy of Harry Potter for your family to read with the rest of the kids of the world, do so. But don't skip ahead to the end. You’ll ruin the surprise!

Dr. Michele Borba is the author of Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me: The Top 25 Friendship Problems and How to Solve Them.