Bennett Valley School District

Primary Grades (K-3)

The Kindergarten Child:

Will Probably Be:

Will Probably Have:

Family Activities that Support Learning in Kindergarten:

Read to and with your child daily and ask questions about the story
Encourage older children to read to younger siblings
Reinforce the importance of reading by being a reader yourself
Label items around the house and encourage your child to read the labels
Talk with and listen to your child
Encourage your child to ask questions and seek answers
Plan educational games with your child, including counting games
Create special times for your child to be alone with you or to participate in activities with you
Take your child places and talk about the places you visit.
Read nursery rhymes, songs, and family stories to your child and encourage him/her to memorize the words.
Give your child responsibilities to contribute to the family such as making the bed or picking up belongings
Monitor your child’s TV viewing
Teach your child to write his name using upper and lower case letters
Teach your child his/her phone number and address
Encourage the use of toys that develop small muscle coordination such as clay, small blocks, etc.
Let your child know that you expect him/her to do well in school and to behave

The First Grade Child:

Will Probably Be:

Impulsive: Tending to go to extremes of behavior
Changeable: Experiencing periods of laughter and tears in quick succession; periods of deep thinking and periods of inattention
Often dawdling: More interested in playing than in eating or dressing
Often careless of his/her clothes or toys
Active: climbing, running, wrestling
Easily frustrated by lack of motor skills
Enjoying imaginative play
Demanding of other
Becoming aware of past and future time
Attempting to do things too difficult for him/her
Aware of the world outside home
Ready for anything new

Will Probably Have:

Family Activities that Support Learning in First Grade:

Continue to read to and with your child daily, pointing our simple words and sounds.
Continue to encourage older siblings to read to and tutor younger siblings
Make regular visits to the library with your child
Point out printed words in the community or home—stop signs, words in the newspaper, signs in stores,
Discuss and monitor television programs
Take walks around the neighborhood, counting common objects such as trees, talking about local businesses, street names, and interesting points in nature.
Tell stories about family history and culture
Ask your child to count pennies or other coins when at the market
Point out and discuss various shapes and sizes around the home—the circle on the clock face, size of a milk carton, etc.
Link scheduled family activities to the time of day—lunch at noon, bedtime at 8:00, etc.
Give your child responsibilities to contribute to the family such as cleaning his/her room, recycling
Provide opportunities for your child to interact with members of the extended family: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc

The Second Grade Child:

Will Probably Be:

Will Probably Have:

Family Activities that Support Learning for the Second Grader

Let your child plan meals and cook with you focus on measuring and how foods and liquids change when heated
Help your child make a map of his/her home or neighborhood, label simple items
Encourage your child to do homework independently, while still expressing an interest in his/her work
Teach your child to write simple thank you notes to grandparents, etc.
Encourage your child to read books that contain factual information about dogs, plants, etc.
Use reference materials in your home with your child—dictionaries, simple encyclopedias, computers, atlases, etc.
Find the country of your ancestors on a map and trace their route to America.
Talk about your job and how it affects others in the community.
Have your child become familiar with the prices of common items.
Gradually increase your child’s level of home responsibility.

The Third Grade Child:

Will Probably Be:

Will Probably Have:

Family Activities that Support Learning in Third Grade

Continue to read to and with your child daily, choosing a variety of literature and longer books that can be read over an extended period of time
Share your enjoyment of reading with your child
Visit museums, parks, aquariums, and cultural events and discuss them with your child; as possible, connect family outings to your child’s school studies
Talk to your child about what you do to help your community and involve your child where possible; for example, participate in the Human Race or other community event as a family
Provide your child with access to the local newspaper and discuss current events at the dinner table.
Help your child memorize multiplication facts in a fun, game-like manner.
Involve your child in developing family traditions for holidays, special occasions and times of seasonal