Skipping kindgergarten and going straight into first grade is a decision that cannot be made lightly. The fact of the matter is that the transition from preschool to first grade is most often best accomplished in a kindergarten setting. Having said that, skipping kindergarten and going straight to first grade is sometimes the right decision for a child.

It is important to keep in mind that there are many components to a child’s development that all factor into whether or not he should skip kindergarten and go straight to first grade. While it is true that a preschooler may be very advanced intellectually, and that she may have mastered all of the material that she would be presented with in kindergarten, she may just not be ready socially to make that jump. In addition, because so many preschool programs are not full time, she may have a hard time transitioning to a full day of school in terms of energy and the ability to stay focused on learning for a longer period of time. In these instances, kindergarten provides something that just can’t be made up for in first grade. If a child is skipping to first grade, she needs to address these issues ahead of time.

Very often, educators will prefer to steer away from skipping kindergarten. They may suggest, and often rightly so, that a child’s intellectual and learning potential can, in some cases, level off after an early burst. In other words, the child that skips kindergarten and goes straight to first grade might find that, before too long, he is in over his head, and he is unable to keep up. In addition, educators may argue the fact that, if the child is truly that gifted academically, there will be more appropriate times later on to skip a grade, rather than skipping kindergarten.

If you are considering your child skipping kindergarten, you need to be certain that she is able to go straight to first grade without intellectual or social difficulties. For some children, it can be hard to know for sure whether this is the case or not.

In most cases, a child should be able to read relatively well by the time that he is a second grader. During first grade, reading is perhaps the most important educational objective that teachers and schools focus on. Now, this doesn’t mean that your second grader will be able to read lengthy novels, or that he won’t struggle with things like chapter books. There will still be words that he cannot sound out, and words that he won’t recognize. On balance, however, a second grader should be reading, at least at a remedial level.

During both first and second grade, much of the educational activities are centered around reading. Children will often read in small groups or with a partner. In some cases, they may have a teacher or another educator, such as a literacy specialist, read to them as well. By the time that a child is a second grader, he should be able to know that there are different purposes for reading. For example, sometimes a second grader will read for pleasure. At other times, a second grader will be asked to read and follow a set of directions. Still other sorts of reading are geared toward learning and education.

Your second grader will begin to be able to read with inflection in her voice. She may also use different voices for the different characters in a story. She should be making good transitions at the end of sentences, and be able to read with the punctuation in mind by the time that she is ending second grade. Your second grader will also continue to expand her reading vocabulary. She will very likely have spelling tests, as well as work with high frequency words.

If you are concerned that your second grader is not reading well enough, there are usually several places that you can seek help. Your child’s teacher is a great person to start with. In some cases, your school or school district may have a literacy specialist that can help your second grader who is struggling. A reading tutor may also be a useful resource.

Many children enter the first grade either reading very little or not reading at all. However, reading is one of the most fundamental things that is taught in the first grade, and by the end of the first grade year, your first grader should be reading relatively well. This is not to say that she doesn’t still have a lot to learn about reading, or that she will be able to read materials that are difficult or that are extremely long; it does, however, mean that she should be able to recognize a good number of words, to sound out many of the words that she doesn’t recognize, and to read books and other materials that are appropriate to a first grader.

Your first grader will have many opportunities to read, both in small groups and individually. He will also be listening to a teacher, or perhaps even a literacy specialist, read books out loud. He will be starting to understand that reading has many different purposes, such as gaining information, reading for pleasure, or even to find the directions to do something. Your first grader will be exposed to a variety of sorts of materials for reading, including poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. He will experience rhyme and he will experience rhythm. He will learn to figure out who the author of a book is, who the illustrator is, and what the title of the book is.

Towards the beginning of first grade, your first grader will be reviewing her letters and their sounds. She will start learning blended sounds, and begin working on word families. She will begin to learn to break words into separate sounds, and to understand the relationships between letters and sounds. Beginning almost at the first day of first grade, she will start to learn words that are frequently used, sometimes called “high frequency words.”

If you are concerned about your first grader’s reading, or worried that he is not reading well, you should speak with your child’s teacher or the school’s literacy specialist if there is one. If your first grader is behind in reading, there may be things that you can do, as well as programs that are available to help him become a better reader.

Making reading fun for your second grader can sometimes be something of a challenge. The fact of the matter is that most second graders would probably be watching television, playing outside, or playing with friends than reading a book. Sometimes, it seems as if your second grader will never want to read. However, there are some things that you can do to help make reading a fun experience for your second grader, and to help instill the lifelong love of reading that is so important.

The first thing that you can do to help make reading fun for your second grader is help to turn reading into a game. For example, as your child reads a story, you could pantomime the things that are happening. If she is reading about Cinderella, for example, you could pretend to sweep a broom or clean the chimney, and then pretend to dance with the prince, and so on. By making reading a game in this particular way, you also can expose your child to a little bit of theatrics and ideas about performance.

Even if you’re not up for acting out a story, sometimes all your second grader really needs to make reading fun is for you to be right there next to him. Encourage him as he reads, and help him as he tries to sound out new words. Let him know that he is doing well, and that you are truly enjoying listening to him read you a story. In this same vein, second graders still like to be read to. Take the time to read a book to your second grader. Using funny voices and reading with inflection will not only make reading fun for your second grader, it will help him to learn those important skills, as well.

If your second grader is really struggling with reading, there may be a variety of resources in your school and community. Many areas have literacy programs that, among other things, will work to help make reading fun for your second grader and to help your second grader become a better reader overall.

Every first grader just loves the prospect of reading. As a matter of fact, first graders would much rather sit still on the couch reading a book than they would go outside and run around all day long. Of course, this isn’t true at all. In fact, many first graders have a hard time reading, even if they do grow up to enjoy it later on. Learning to read is hard work, and reading takes effort, patience, and energy. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to help make reading fun for your first grader.

One way to make reading fun for your first grader is to read with her. Some of the time, you can read to her; some of the time, she can read to you. When you read to her, you can use voices for the different characters, and read with excitement and inflection in your voice. This can be especially fun for you, as well as for your first grader. First graders, like all children, crave one-on-one time with their parents, and reading together is one fun way to do just that.

Another way to make reading fun for your first grader is to use flash cards. You can either buy these at the store, or you can make them together with your first grader, which is another fun project. On one side of the flash card, for example, you could write the word, “cat.” On the other side of the flash card, your first grader could draw a cat. You can then take the completed flash cards and use them to help your first grader remember how to spell words.

You can also make reading fun for your first grader by providing certain rewards. For example, you might offer to give him a dollar for each book that he reads. If he reads a chapter book (as he may be able to do later on in first grade), you might offer to give him two dollars. Obviously, the rewards that you give don’t have to be monetary. You could reward your first grader for reading ten books with a trip to the park, for example.

Your child’s teacher may also have suggestions about making reading fun for your first grader. In addition, if your first grader is struggling with reading, there may be help available in the form of a literacy specialist in your school district, or through a reading program at the local library, or some other organization.