The Parent's Guide to First Grade

We've got the answers to your burning questions about first grade! Explore developmental milestones. Learn what to expect in reading and math this year. Or roll up your sleeves and engage your child's brain, with dozens of fun, hands-on learning activities.

Go to:

Academic

Go to:

Social

Go to:

Developmental

School and Academics

First Grade Math at Home

In first grade, kids move from object-based, hands-on math, to more standard pencil-and-paper scribbling. Here are some things you can do at home, to help your child make the leap.

Writing: It Takes Practice

For many children, first grade is the time when they begin to learn academic skills such as reading and writing. It’s also the time when differences between their own work and that of their peers start to become apparent. Some children learn certain skills faster and some seem to learn them ...

Literacy Development Begins at Home, With a Literate Home Environment

One of the most effective approaches to helping young children develop literacy skills is to have a home environment that supports literacy. A literate home means more than just having books and writing materials on hand.

How Parents Can Help Their First Graders Learn to Read

What things can parents do at home to help a first grader learn to read? This article, by the National Institute for Literacy, has some suggestions.

First Grader: Cracking the Code of Words

Reading Milestones: First Graders

First Grader: Listening Milestones

Writing Milestones: First Graders

Parent-School Reading Compacts: Activity Sheet

See all articles »

Social and Emotional

How a 1st Grader Child Thinks

Your rambunctious first grader is always curious and asking questions, but how much actually gets through? Here's what the experts have to say on the topic.

Social Graces: What to Expect in 1st Grade

Your first grader is now able to hold a pencil, write simple sentences and follow more complex directions, so why not try teaching him how to butter his bread, write a simple thank you letter, and answer the phone?

Your 1st Grader's Social Life

A child's social behavior is easy to track in the classroom or on a playdate. But what about those moments where children are free to interact with one another without direct adult supervision? Whether it's on the playground, in the hallway, or when adult backs are turned, a child's peer ...

According to the School Psychologist: 1st grade

Sometimes a first grader can sound like a broken record, stuck on the two ditties, “Can I have a juice box?” and “I want mac and cheese!” Sound familiar? “The average first grader uses about 2,500 words and their sentences usually contain about seven,” states Dr. Laurie Zelinger, ...

Physical Development Milestones: 1st Grade

Teach Problem-Solving

Reading Homework Tips for Parents

See all articles »

Milestones and Development

1st Grade Science: What Happens

First grade science is a welcome opportunity for kids to do lots of hands-on exploration. What sort of things do they learn? Read on to find out!

1st Grade Math: What Happens

Reading and writing are important and challenging skills for your first grader to learn, but math comes in close behind them. First grade math is generally made up of skills that can be divided into groups such as number sense, geometry, operations, and problem solving.

Help for Speech Development: 1st Grade

If your child reaches first grade with a speech problem, whether a lisp or mispronouncing a sound, she should see a specialist. But you can help, too. And you can do it from home, in ways that feel more like fun than practice.

1st Grade Writing: What Happens

It's easy to think, “Okay, I taught/helped teach my child to read, whew – I'm glad that is over.” But writing might be the hardest thing your child does all day. Want to know what's typical for first grade? Read on.

First Grader: Talking Milestones

1st Grade Reading: What Happens

See all articles »

Our Essential First Grade Gift Guide

We've looked high and low for the best toys, books, games, and gadgets to make gift-giving easy. Check out our gift guide for top picks that combine learning value, staying power, and major kid-appeal!

See all gifts for first grade

back

Harris Finds His Feet

by Catherine Raynor

This is not a book to be rushed through in the mad dash for bedtime. Though it's short, with only a few lines of text on each page, this is a book that should be savored. Beautiful watercolor illustrations sweep across every page, bringing to life the story of Harris, a wild hare with enormous feet.

Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles

by Rupert Kingfisher

Full of incredibly creative ingredients and fairytale characters, this book reminds us of early Roald Dahl. And, just as with books like Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it makes a wonderfully delicious read-aloud for first graders who are inching towards chapter books.

Cesar Takes a Break

by Susan Collins Thoms, illustrated by Roge

Cesar is the class pet in Ms. Lee's second grade room, and the luckiest iguana on the planet until disaster strikes...Spring Break! His 25 best friends race for the door and Cesar finds himself alone for the week. He's a puddle of sadness until Cesar decides to take a vacation of his own.

This strategy game is made of bamboo-- a fast-growing, earth-friendly raw material, and it's colored with non-toxic, water-based paint. A bit like a 3-D version of the age-old game of Dots and Squares, Castella forces kids to think ahead, building their strategy skills in the process.

With 444 pieces, this baby will keep your kid scrambling around the rug for hours. Where to start-- the cargo ship, the patrol tower, or the dock? Because it comes with three separate models to build, it's easy to convince a child to put down the pieces and save some for later.

Where do dolphins sleep? How do birds steer? Kids are bursting with curiosity and this magazine, courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation, is full of amazing facts, hands-on activities, and photography of the world and the creatures that call it home. Each month, they'll run for the mailbox!

Think Sudoku is too advanced for your first grader? Think again. This is a kid-friendly version of the popular puzzles. In this version, the 48 playing cards only contain the numbers 1-4, and children must place the color-coded tokens on the cards to complete the challenge. Kids, we've got your number!

If you think long lines at the airport can never be fun, think again. This set turns check-in into a super cool adventure, with a sleek counter, swiveling computer monitor, and moving luggage belt, so kids can watch suitcases wind all the way from the attendant to the plane.

Set the hands of the move-able clock, put out the chalkboard marquis, and part the velvet curtains...it's showtime! This well-made wooden theater offers hours of imaginative play. Perfect for developing storytelling skills, and turning a day cooped up inside into a dramatic adventure!

Attach this simple birdhouse to a window and breathe some life into what your kid's learning in school. The solid wood house has a clear plastic panel at the back for easy viewing. A sure way to stoke a love for science and give your first grader a bird's eye view of the natural world!

Sometimes, it's the simple things that give us the most pleasure, and do the most good for our brains! This game is a cross between a three-dimensional word-search puzzle and the classic strategy game Connect Four, with quirky dogs, Toot and Otto, as the game's mascots.

This modern house courts boys and girls alike, with its cool modular construction possibilities. Pieces can be clicked together in whichever way your young architect chooses, simply by sliding small pegs into holes and stacking or swiveling at will.

From sliding down sewers, to watching what happens when a toilet flushes green dye, to riding a roller coaster for over an hour in order to understand the physics behind loop-de-loops, this fantastic DVD series culls the best episodes from Discovery Channel's now defunct television series.

These carpet skates can provide some great gross motor exercise when going outside just isn't an option. Carpet skating is like sliding on a hardwood floor in your socks, but better. Strap on these plastic planks, clear a safe space in your hallway or living room, and let the games begin!

Encourage your kid to draw on the walls! At least the walls of this house... Large enough for friends to play inside, too, this easy-to-assemble cardboard farmhouse is like a hopped-up version of the playing-in-the-discarded-refrigerator-box idea.