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by Jacquie McTaggart
Topics: Second Grade, Writing

Improving your second grader’s writing skills is a big job that must be accomplished both in school and at home. But, if broken down into smaller periods of time, writing practice doesn't have to be painful. In fact, with some of the topics suggested below, your child might even enjoy his newfound self-expression!

What You Need:

Journal: Bound (spiral or glued) with lined pages

Author’s Tool: A pen or pencil that reflects the user’s personality, hobby or interest

Timeline:

Once a week for fifty-two weeks. (If you make this a non-threatening, enjoyable activity, your child will continue the practice indefinitely and may make it part of her daily routine.)

Guidelines:

  • Explain the “Author at Work” project with enthusiasm and give your child an appealing new journal and “special” pen or pencil - to be used exclusively for this yearlong project. Let your child pick a weekday for this writing activity, and – barring an emergency – stick to that day.

  • On Author Day give your child a topic and ask him to write three complete sentences about it. Remind him to use capital letters and end-of-sentence punctuations. Keep your child’s interests and experiences in mind when picking the topic. A few possibilities include…

  1. Foods I Hate (Love)

  2. Friends I Like to Play With

  3. The Worst (Best) Thing About School

  4. My Teacher

  5. Our Family

  6. My Best Pal

  • All three sentences must start with a different word. This prevents the “I hate broccoli,” “I hate liver,” “I hate mayonnaise” pattern that beginning writers like to use.

Follow-up: