Before you consider tutoring or summer school, familiarize yourself with the expectations of your child's school district, specific school and teacher. Ask to see a blank copy of a third-grade report card, which often differs from the second-grade report card. Your school district's website should list the third-grade state standards for every curricular area. If you know the teacher your child will have, request a meeting to find out about specific units and skills she plans to highlight at the beginning of the year. Parents of children entering fourth grade may also have good advice about specific teacher expectations.
Third grade marks a shift in the emphasis of reading for decoding and reading with fluency and comprehension. If your child still struggles with sounding out words, boost fluency with repeated reading. In repeated reading, you select a text a child reads with relative ease and have him read it several times. To check your child's comprehension, ask him questions about characters, setting and plot. Your child should be able to distinguish between the beginning, middle and end of a story. He should express opinions about a story, and give facts to support his opinions.
Students who have memorized math facts at the end of second grade may forget them over the course of the summer. Rather than drill facts throughout the summer, integrate mathematical practice and thinking into daily life. Have your child predict the change he should receive after purchasing something. Ask him about the shapes and patterns around him. Use board games, card games and playground games as opportunities to count by two, five and 10. Review fractions by cooking together.
Third-grade teachers expect students to be able to express themselves in writing. A simple way to build writing skills is to have your child keep a daily journal. Encourage him to choose topics of interest about which to write. Some days, he may want to create a comic strip. Other days, he can copy down a recipe or make a birthday list. Support him in writing in different genres such as poetry, nonfiction, opinion and fiction.