Here are some reading tips for the parents of second graders. Reading Rockets is a great site to learn about how to support your child at home.<\/p>\n
Find ways to read, write, and tell stories together with your child. Always applaud your young reader and beginning story writer! The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.<\/p>\n
\u25a0 Tell family tales. Children love to hear stories about their family. Talk about a funny thing that happened when you were young.<\/p>\n
\u25a0 Create a writing toolbox. 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.<\/p>\n
\u25a0 Be your child\u2019s #1 fan. Ask your child to read aloud what he or she has written for school. Be an enthusiastic listener. \u25a0 One more time with feeling. 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\u2019ve just read.<\/p>\n
\u25a0 Invite an author to class. Ask an author to talk to your child\u2019s class about the writing process. Young children often think they aren\u2019t smart enough if they can\u2019t sit down and write a perfect story on the first try.<\/p>\n
\u25a0 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. \u25a0 Do storytelling on the go. 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. \u25a0 Point out the relationship between words. Explain how related words have similar spellings and meanings. Show how a word like knowledge, for example, relates to a word like know.<\/p>\n
\u25a0 Use a writing checklist. Have your child create a writing checklist with reminders such as, \u201cDo all of my sentences start with a capital? Yes\/No.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25a0 Quick, quick. 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.<\/p>\n