1st and 2nd Grade English Language Arts Activities

Craft a paper rocket in this hands-on activity inspired by the life of Mae Jemison!

Use a deck of playing cards to practice place value and other math concepts with your upper elementary child!

Practice reading with this fun game, where your first grader will "hunt" for hidden words around the house.

It's always good to have a little help during the holiday. Show your child how to set a table setting and then help him create a placemat map.

Help your learner develop her fine motor and communication skills with this fun and festive fall activity.

Foster a love of words in your little cupid this Valentine's Day by creating a memory game that doubles as an early reading activity.

For Read Across America Day, challenge your first grader to come up with a story using magnetic words inspired by "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss.

Use the appeal of the common road sign to your advantage by creating a game with hidden learning opportunities.

Here is a fun holiday exercise to reinforce your grade-schooler's understanding of adjectives from adverbs while she's away on winter break!

Spark your kids' interest in writing by helping them write a mini-book about their favorite subject: themselves!

Try this simple activity to stimulate some very complex thinking with your first grader to develop those all-important reading and comprehension skills.

Play hopscotch with numbers, but also with letters, to get kids ready for reading.

In this design thinking activity, your child will choose an animal to research, learn about the animal’s habitat, and then replicate the animal's habitat using household items.

Help your child make an imaginative scene come to life by making a diorama. Your child will be practicing three dimensional thinking and language arts skills.

This 'handy' Thanksgiving wreath gets your child to focus on things he's grateful for all year. Create a Thanksgiving wreath with your child this November.

Here's an activity that puts a new twist on a classic game. Help your first-grader create their own wooden word blocks and play sight word Jenga.

All you need is chalk and pavement to set up this silly, fun, and practical game that reinforces important vocabulary.

Help your first grade child figure out contractions and their original two words by playing this simple game, Contraction Concentration!

On Father's Day, delight Dad--and stretch your early reader, too!--with this adorable ABC book of "Fun with Dad."

Help your first grader build sight word knowledge by creating a reading pointer and taking the family on a house-wide reading tour!

Children research and make a timeline of an inspiring woman in this biography activity.

Write a letter to Santa and bring back the lost art of letter writing. Learn how to write a carefully crafted wishlist using proper letter form.

Make a wanted poster of a villain from a favorite book or fairy tale in this fun reading comprehension activity!

Help your first grade reader master those letter blends like "ch" and "sh" with this memorable and hilarious beanbag toss game.

Let your imagination take flight as you explore the beautiful continent of Africa! Do this fun writing activity with your child to honor Black History Month.

Combine kids' love of scavenger hunts with consonant blends to create a fun game that's perfect for everything from birthday parties to rainy days at home.

This goofy scramble book activity will bring laughs...but also some good, solid comprehension skills too!

Make these simple homemade New Year's gifts with your child this holiday season to give to friends and family, each with a special message inside.

Build your child's social studies skills by making a map together.

Challenge your first or second grade reader to make 100 words in this reading and spelling activity for the 100th Day of School.