Summertime means fun for the kids and family, but it is helpful if the kids can keep up on some academics so they will be ready to head back to school in the fall. Simple outdoor games can help you send your children back to school with better hand-eye coordination for writing, drawing, and using scissors. Try these tips to build and strengthen hand-eye coordination:

1.  Play catch with increasingly smaller balls (beach ball, soccer ball, soft ball).  Or have your child throw balls into goals of different sizes (laundry basket, large box).

2.  Make a ring toss game. Cut the centers out of paper plates, and let your youngster toss the rings onto water bottles. Make the challenge more difficult by having her take a giant step backward after each successful toss.

3.  Fill two spray bottles with water, and ask your child to draw two circles on the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk. Race to see who can soak a circle first.