Reading Tips for Parents of Second Graders

Children love to hear stories about their family. Talk about a funny thing that happened when you were young.

Create a book together. Fold pieces of paper in half and staple them to make a book. Ask your child to write sentences on each page and add his or her own illustrations.

Fill a box with drawing and writing materials. Find opportunities for your child to write, such as the shopping list, thank you notes, or birthday cards.

Take turns adding to a story the two of you make up while riding in a car or bus. Try making the story funny or spooky.

Ask your child to read aloud what he or she has written for school. Be an enthusiastic listener.

Explain how related words have similar spellings and meanings. Show how a word like knowledge, for example, relates to a word like know.

When your child has sounded out an unfamiliar word, have him or her re-read that sentence. Often kids are so busy figuring out a word they lose the meaning of what they’ve just read.

Have your child create a writing checklist with reminders such as, “Do all of my sentences start with a capital? Yes/No.”

Ask an author to talk to your child’s class about the writing process. Young children often think they aren’t smart enough if they can’t sit down and write a perfect story on the first try.

Use new words your child has learned in lively flash card or computer drills. Sometimes these help kids automatically recognize and read words, especially those that are used frequently.