Students can forget as much as two months' worth of math and
reading instruction over the summer, according to some reports.
To keep their children on track, many parents have enrolled them
in summer learning programs. But for students who are unable to
attend one, playing certain video games or practicing skills
around the house can help. "People don't often think about games
as a way to exercise the brain," says Patrick Supanc, president
of College and Career Readiness at textbook publisher Pearson.
"But even mainstream games have some really important elements
in them that help students develop important skills." [Learn how
to spend the summer before college.] Supanc says Brainage, a
Nintendo DS game, has received a lot of publicity for its
educational value, but that there are other games that can help
students as well. Strategy games like Civilization, SimCity, and
Spore help students' decision making skills and are fairly text-
heavy, so gamers have to read and interpret while playing. "Kids
are going to