(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

(THE CONVERSATION) It’s that time of the year. Summer vacations are almost over.

For most kids, this time of summer has been about finishing the readings and completing the packets that were handed out to them as summer work. As a result, school often conjures up ideas about reading, writing and arithmetic (the “three R’s”).

But this approach is both problematic and myopic. As pressures to meet standards in the three R’s increase, other areas fall off the radar. Having an answer to...