What Are Digraphs? (With Examples & Word Lists)
What are digraphs? If your child is learning to read, you’ll start hearing this term once they move beyond simple letter sounds. In this guide, we’ll walk through what digraphs are, how they’re different from blends, and how you can help your child practice them at home with examples and word lists.
50 Playful Writing Prompts for Kindergarteners (That Don’t Feel Like Homework)
Writing prompts for kindergarteners should feel light, playful, and encouraging. These 50 prompts are designed to help young children share their ideas, build confidence, and begin seeing themselves as writers without it ever feeling like homework.
How Old Are Kids in Each Grade? A Parent’s Guide
How old are kids in each grade? It sounds like a simple question, but the answer often leaves parents feeling unsure about whether their child is ahead, behind, or right where they should be. In this guide, we break down typical age ranges by grade and explain why development matters more than the number on a calendar.
50 Creative Writing Prompts for 2nd Graders That Spark Imagination
Writing can feel overwhelming for young learners when they have to think of an idea, spell the words, and form sentences all at once. That’s why writing prompts for 2nd graders are such a powerful tool! These 50 playful prompts are designed to make writing feel fun, doable, and rewarding for every child.
B and D Reversal: Why It's Normal & How to Help Your Child
Wondering why your child reverses b and d? It's completely normal! Discover why letter reversals happen and get easy strategies to help your Pre-K or Kindergartener overcome them.
Three-Syllable Words for Early Readers: When & How to Teach Them
In this post, you’ll learn when children are ready to read three-syllable words and how to teach them in a way that feels manageable and encouraging. With simple, step-by-step strategies, you can help your child move from sounding out short words to tackling longer ones with confidence!
50 CVC Words for Beginning Readers to Practice at Home
CVC words for beginning readers are one of the most important stepping stones in early reading. Words like cat, hop, and sun help children learn how letters and sounds work together, moving them from phonics practice into reading. In this post, you’ll learn how to make CVC word practice at home simple and fun, with a list of 50 CVC words organized by vowel sound.
Second Grade Reading Comprehension
In this post, Miss Beth shares practical, play-based strategies to strengthen second grade reading comprehension, so your child can become a confident and curious reader at home and in the classroom.
Spelling Word List for Second Grade: 70 Words to Boost Reading Fluency
A well-structured spelling word list for second grade helps turn curiosity into confidence. In this post, Miss Beth shares a complete list of 70 spelling words for second graders, along with simple, play-based strategies to help your child master them.
2nd Grade Sight Words: A Parent’s Guide to Reading Success
Second grade sight words mark an exciting step in your child’s reading journey! In this guide, Miss Beth shares research-backed strategies (including The Heart Method) to make sight word learning fun and effective for lifelong reading success.
High-Frequency Words vs. Sight Words: What’s the Difference?
Many parents and teachers use the terms high-frequency words and sight words as if they mean the same thing, but they don’t! In this post, Miss Beth breaks down what high-frequency words really are, what makes a true sight word, and why memorizing long word lists can backfire.
If You Have a Reluctant Reader…
Let’s be honest:
Summer reading can feel like a battlefield for some families.
If your second grader is avoiding books like they’re broccoli, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong.
But here’s the good news:
With just a few simple tweaks, you can turn “Ugh, do I have to?” into “Wait, can we keep reading?”
Below are 3 unexpected tricks that actually work—especially for second graders who are on the edge of building reading confidence and comprehension.