The second grade is a critically formative stage in your child’s development. There are many important academic goals for 2nd graders, but looking at things as a whole, this is the stage where they’ll learn the foundational skills necessary for acquiring knowledge. They’re at the beginning of their journey and are starting to develop an educational identity, which comes with a plethora of new interests and ideas.
As a parent, you’re more important than ever, and offering the right support can make a big difference not only to how your child develops now, but also in the future.
In this article, you’ll learn 10 key components for helping your child perform better and enjoy their educational pursuits.
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- Establishing a Good Routine
A solid routine is key for fostering the right environment for your child to learn, and that goes for both their educational routine and the more basic elements of their life, like meal times, bedtimes, and play.
Beyond the obvious stuff, you should set aside time for them to discuss their school life and engage with homework each evening: before dinner is usually a good time for this, after which they’re free to enjoy the rest of their evening before school the next day.
- Prioritizing Math
While learning one subject should never come at the expense of learning another, it’s always a good idea to prioritize helping your child build a good relationship with math.
This subject is typically the one children struggle with the most, and once they’ve formed a negative association with it, it can be very difficult to move forward. Alongside supporting their school work, you can help them by bringing math into everyday life, such as with counting money or even having them help you with cooking, whereby they’ll need to weigh out ingredients and measure.
- Helping them Become Better Organized
Organization is one of those adult skills that many children learn too late, so it’s important to start instilling good habits from a young age.
One of the best ways to do so is by teaching them how to keep their room tidy and arrange their backpack. These are basic lessons that will establish proper habits going forward, and they’ll have a carryover to many other aspects of their life.
Poor organization can lead to poor performance, and it has nothing to do with your child’s actual intellect, but rather their inability to apply themselves due to a lack of life skills.
- Building Habits Around Reading
Especially in the digital age, it’s crucial to have your child build a healthy relationship with reading, and this can be quite tricky if they’re initially resistant to it.
There are so many instantly gratifying technologies around today that the prospect of opening a book isn’t exciting for many, so you might need to think outside the box. Consider the movies they like and games they enjoy playing: are there any novels associated with them? Engaging them with stories they already enjoy is your best bet.
- Maintaining Communication with Their Teachers
In order to gain true insight into how your child is performing at school, you’ll have to talk regularly with their teachers.
What’s written in their textbooks and the marks they receive only tell half the story – you’ll need to understand how they interact in class (how they answer questions, work with other children, and so on) to get a handle on things.
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- Providing a Nutritious Diet
As well as being at a formative age from an educational perspective, your 2nd grader is also going through a lot of physiological changes, and a good diet is essential for supporting them.
When you’re preparing their breakfast, lunch, and dinner, consider how the meals are partitioned. Are they eating enough fruits and vegetables? Do they have a protein source in each meal? Are junk foods minimized?
You don’t have to be super strict, but their diet should be composed mostly of whole foods. They need energy to perform well in the classroom, and what you prepare for them can make a big difference here.
- Teaching Problem-Solving Skills
Problem-solving skills help with every subject, so they’re a fundamental part of your child’s education going forward.
The second grade is where children typically become receptive to learning about how to think through problems, so now is an excellent time to start. One of the best methods is simply asking them thought-provoking questions. If you’re in the car on a long journey, for example, you could offer them a very simple riddle to engage their mind.
- Celebrating Their Achievements
Helping your child succeed is only one side of the coin – it’s also important to recognize their achievements.
It’s difficult to explain why education is important to a kid in the second grade, but positive reinforcement helps them understand that what they’re doing is good. Verbal praise is a must, and you could also set up something like a sticker star chart to incentivise them to do their homework (once they get enough stars, they get a prize – something like that).
- Utilizing Outdoor Learning
There are a lot of exciting learning opportunities outside school and the home to consider. Museums are always a good bet for inspiring your child’s sense of wonder, and you can take them out to places of historical importance to help them learn about the world.
When you’re thinking of places to go, try to latch onto something you already know they’re interested in and go from there.
- Understanding the Need for Social Development
And finally, it’s key not to get so involved in the acute aspects of learning that you forget about the importance of socialization.
You don’t want to be one of those parents who are such sticklers for the rules that education comes at the expense of making friends. Always encourage extracurricular activities and social gatherings, as people skills matter just as much as anything they’ll learn from a textbook.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, you now have a better idea of how to support your child through the second grade. There’s a lot going on at this age, but by helping them develop in the key areas described above, you’ll be doing the best you can. Good luck!