Provide a variety of tools and materials for your child to use, such as oil pastels, colored pencils, yarn, modeling clay, crayons, water-based markers, water colors, fabric scraps, tissue paper, weaving and stitchery supplies, supplies for print-making such as paint and cut vegetables, and blunt tipped scissors, paper, and glue.
Praise and display your child’s work in special places
Work with your child to make drawings from observation, imagination, and memory.
Encourage your child to make artwork often that can be shared with family and friends.
Visit galleries and museums, and speak with your child about similarities and differences between other cultures and your own.
Visit the library and take a look at books that picture master artworks with objects which are familiar in the child’s world. Encourage your child to use similar compositions and themes as they develop their own works of art.
Instructional Technology
Help your child identify the uses of technology in everyday life, such as bar code readers at the grocery store, automatic teller machines, smart phones, and computerized gas pumps.
Help your child use software programs and apps that are appropriate for Grade 2, such as Pixie and Kidspiration
Practice computer skills with your child at home or at the library.
Visit appropriate websites to help support classroom instruction.
Health
Practice responding to emergencies.
Identify with your child the adults to go to for help.
Practice healthy eating habits and good dental hygiene.
Discuss the difference between prescription and over-the-counter medicines and the potential dangers of each.
Practice habits that will prevent the spread of diseases.
Language Arts/Library Media
Read as often as possible with your child. Encourage your child to try different ways to figure out unknown words. Help your child use what he or she knows about the meaning of the sentence, parts of words, and letter sounds to read new words.
Talk about books before, during, and after reading.
Before: Discuss the title, author, illustrator, title page, and dedication page. Ask what the story might be about.
During: Discuss what is happening in the story and ask what might happen next.
After: Discuss favorite and exciting parts and meanings of new words. Discuss what the author or illustrator did to make the book interesting to read.
Encourage your child to independently read at least 25 books annually.
Encourage your child to write frequently.
Provide an area in your home for writing with special materials (pencils, different types of paper, markers, erasers, envelopes).
Praise your child’s writing.
Share letters and cards from friends and relatives.
Encourage your child to write thank-you notes, invitations, letters to friends and relatives, lists, and items to take on a trip
Encourage journal-writing for special occasions (trips, family events, planning a birthday party).
Allow your child to make mistakes on a rough draft. Be your child’s partner for revising and editing.
Read an action story or tale of adventure to replace an evening TV program.
Be a role model. Let your child see you read for pleasure.
Practice using the Super3 model for problem solving everyday life situations.
Obtain a library card for your child, and schedule regular family visits to the library.
Encourage your child to participate in age-appropriate activities sponsored by the public library
Look for computer programs that encourage reading.
The school system provides online resources to assist students (SIRS Discoverer, Culture Grams, and World Book Online). Check with the library media specialist at your school for access information.
Mathematics
Listen to your child as he or she works through math problems.
Help your child read and write numbers to 1000.
Review the names and values of coins.
Help your child add and subtract two- and three- digit numbers.
Assist your child in naming and writing odd and even numbers.
Review addition and subtraction with regrouping.
Encourage your child to estimate, then measure objects and distances in inches, feet, and yards
Review addition facts to 20 with your child.
Find opportunities to do math each day.
Explore the math in books you read together.
Make mistakes a part of learning.
Use calculators and computers to solve problems
Music
Listen to a wide range of music with your child, and discuss what is heard.
Explore the music found in home record, tape, and CD collections, library collections, radio, and television programs.
Teach your child to sing songs that are familiar to you. Encourage your child to sing and teach you songs learned at school. Discuss the words and elements of the music they share.
Encourage your child to explore and create movement which reflects his or her feelings toward a wide variety of music.
Ask your child to explain and demonstrate the music symbols used in the school music class.
Select and watch television shows and video tapes with your child that show the uses of music in different cultures.
Physical Education
Allow your child to practice dodging by playing tag.
Play catch with your child, encouraging the child to catch and throw the ball in one continuous motion.
Discuss ways to show consideration of others during a game.
Science
Encourage your child to observe carefully and to describe things in the environment whether indoors or outdoors, such as plant and animal life, weather events, the movement of people, animals, and objects.
Allow your child to observe objects through a magnifying glass and discuss what is seen.
Help your child learn about the properties of liquids, pouring liquids into different sized containers, and mixing safe kitchen ingredients.
Observe the Moon during the day and night.
Discuss changes in the position and apparent shape of the Moon over time.