Quick and Easy Activities For Home

Reading - Stop and ask questions.  As you read with your child (which is hopefully every day!) stop every now and then and ask questions.  You don't have to wait until the end of the book to ask comprehension questions and your questions can be of the "I wonder why..." variety to promote critical thinking.  For instance, if you are reading a fiction text (Charlotte's Web for example), stop every now and then to wonder about something that has happened or that a character has said.  If you are reading a nonfiction text with your child (a book about sharks, for example), stop and say, "I wonder what that shark eats?  Or maybe, "I wonder what the biggest shark in the world is!" Get your child to wonder and ask questions as they read. Then see if your questions are answered by the author.  Sometimes the answer is not explicitly stated, it is only implied.  Figuring out that the answer exists but is not directly stated is an advanced reading skill that really boosts comprehension!!

Math - Looking ahead in math, it won't be long at all and we will be working on telling time and counting money.  One skill that makes these two concepts so much easier for students is if they can already skip count by fives and tens.  While skip counting is taught and practiced in first grade, there are still many children who come into second grade having difficulty with this task.  If your child is unable to skip count quickly (forward and backwards, starting from any number), please spend the time in the car, waiting in line or at the dinner table practicing counting by fives and tens.  It will really help your child!