To help students keep up their writing skills, I often create a collection of visual prompts to spark their imaginations and help them write.  I create stories with them, and we share what we have created back and forth all summer long.  Besides giving students practice writing, they also get practice reading and critiquing what I have written.  This summer writing project becomes an important collaboration where both student and teacher take risks, think creatively, and revise their work based on mutual feedback.