Homeschooling Your Second Grader

Whether you have been homeschooling since preschool or this is your first year, keep in mind one of the top reasons that you’re probably homeschooling- so you can move at your child’s pace. That said, here are some of the basic things that are generally taught in second grade.

Math– Count, read, and write whole numbers up to 1000, adding and subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers. Your child should be learning measuring objects using inches, and centimeters.  Delve into learning place values, and adding and subtracting money with decimal points. Work on time up to quarter-hour.

Language Arts– Encourage daily silent reading time, continue to work on reading comprehension, inference. Study short and long vowel sounds.  Teach your child about punctuation and proper capitalization.  Alphabetizing by first letter, and possibly second. Introduce synonyms and antonyms. Increase vocabulary and spelling lessons.

Science– This is a great age to dive into field trips if you haven’t already, visit a science museum or planetarium.  Cook and create “chemical reactions” with your child.  Create a small science center, even if it’s just a small tote. Put in some basics like goggles, gloves, beakers, or petri dishes, tongs, an inexpensive microscope. Check Pinterest for tons of science experiment ideas. Open the world of scientific discovery for your child. Measure the rain fall in your own backyard.

Social Studies– In Kindergarten and even first grade children are learning about the immediate world around them such as; family, and their neighborhood.  You should now be moving on to teaching your child about their country and customs. National holidays, and why we celebrate them. Teach them about national symbols. And even expand beyond to other countries. Traditional foods, dress, and other cultural differences. Find volunteer opportunities in your community to further make them aware of and empathetic to the world around them.

History and Geography– These two are often rolled up together, when learning about one it’s natural for the other to come into play.  A subscription to National Geographic for Kids is a great learning tool.  So is the Little Passports monthly subscription– Your child will receive a letter a, souvenirs, and activities to complete for a different country or state.   When you are learning about various states and countries dig into their history, where they  came from,  how certain aspects of that place came to be.

 Family vacations and day trips can be amazing field trips for you and your little schooler. Visit Washington D.C, the Grand Canyon, St. Augustine, or even a local  Natural History museum.  Learn about the history of the city you live in. Study family history and help your child put together a family tree with as much information as you can find.