You’ve been there supporting them all year long, but now your nieces and nephews are gearing up for summer vacation. You can show your support and love by getting involved in their end of the year plans and planning fun activities for the summer. Here are five activities to do with your niece or nephew before the school year comes to an end.

Remind them to get everyone to sign their yearbook. Tell them how nice it is to have those memories. This might even give you a chance to break out your old school yearbooks and show them what you were like in school.

Help them create a 2009-2010 scrapbook with all their favorite memories from the school year. Assemble pictures, ticket stubs and gifts from family friends in the book. It’ll be a great way to spend time with your niece or nephew and learn all about their year. Plus you’ll have a beautiful memory book in the end!

Assist your niece of nephew in writing thank you cards to their favorite teachers. They’ve been great mentors to your niece/nephew—they deserve the recognition. Kind gestures, no matter how small, never go unnoticed.

Start a summer reading club with your niece or nephew. Both you and your niece or nephew should make a list of the books you want to read for leisure. Keep a reading journal and share with each other all the things you love about your summer reads.

Sign up for a summer class with your family members. If your niece/nephew isn’t too tied down with other summer activities, consider taking a class with them in a creative field like painting, cooking or fashion design!

Marlene Wallach is President and Owner of Wilhelmina Kids and Teens, and Founder of JustAskMarlene.com. You can always Just Ask Marlene your questions in the Comments section below, or email Savvy Auntie at Editor@SavvyAuntie.com to pass the message along to me.

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