Second Grade

Below are suggested summer activities in the areas of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics that will help keep your skills sharp. This is not mandatory summer work, but your teachers and schools know that doing a little bit each day is very helpful in making you the best-3rd grader you can be at the start of next year! In addition to all of these activities, please make sure to check with the Technology Extension and Enrichment Activities webpage for additional resources. Please note that your child should be working in the grade they just completed. For those students who are new to our school, please join in using all of our free sites and resources.

When in doubt, here is a quick list of the most important activities.

Play! Have fun outside! Here's a fun neighborhood scavenger hunt!
Set a routine to read everyday. Find new and interesting books that are "just right" for you. Read for a good chunk of time!
Start a summer writing journal with various types of writing.
Keep your math skills fresh by practicing math facts!

See below for more detailed resources in each area...

Reading

Read daily at their independent reading level or below for at least 20 minutes. Students can also be responding to what they’ve read. A list of possible response topics is attached.
See the Millburn Library website for their summer offerings.
Here is the link to the Millburn Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge
For access to ebooks during the summer:
1. See the Millburn Library page and click on "eBooks & Audiobooks" under Digital Resources.
2. Epic!- Free 30-day trial for parents that allows access to over 40,000 premium books.
3. Epic Free- If students have access to EPIC already, students will have 2 hours of free reading a week in a limited library from 7:00 am until 3:00 pm Monday through Friday.
Practice Language Arts skills on Starfall.com, ABCYA, or IXL.com (limited free access).

Writing

Keep a summer journal. Each day record what you’ve done that day. A list of ideas is linked.

Rising third graders can use words and sentences. Some spelling errors are expected but they should be encouraged to rely on their word study and red word knowledge to tap out words and attempt proper spellings as appropriate. It is still important for students of this age to continue to illustrate if possible and to record writing using a pen or pencil. Students may also choose to use this journal to practice their cursive writing as well. Proper capitalization and punctuation is expected at this age. At least several well-connected sentences would be expected at this age.

Math

Math Games and Activities

Below are a few resources your family can use to explore math together at home. These activities are developmentally appropriate and encourage mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, and curiosity.

SplashLearn, Starfall, and IXL: Engaging math games that build fluency and problem-solving (free and limited access versions).
Bedtime Math: Quick daily math stories to build number sense in fun, low-pressure ways.
Easy Math Games to Build Number Sense: Primary to Intermediate games the whole family can play!
Math Games with a Deck of Cards: Primary to Intermediate games the whole family can play!
Math Games with a Pair of Dice: Primary to Intermediate games the whole family can play!
K5 Learning Grade 2 Extra Practice: Free printables that provide additional practice with addition and subtraction, place value, multiplication foundations, measurement, telling time, money, geometry, fractions, and word problems for students who enjoy extra practice at home.

Simple Family Math Ideas

Practice addition and subtraction facts while riding in the car or waiting in line.
Have your child estimate the total cost of a few grocery items, then compare their estimate to the actual amount.
Use a calendar to count days between events and talk about weeks and months.
Practice telling time throughout the day by asking questions such as, "What time will dinner be in one hour?"
Collect and count coins to make different amounts of money.
Measure ingredients while cooking and compare amounts using words like more, less, longer, and shorter.
Look for simple fractions in everyday life by dividing snacks, pizza, or sandwiches into equal parts.
Create simple arrays with small objects, such as buttons or blocks, to explore early multiplication concepts.
Track daily temperatures or weather conditions and discuss patterns you notice over time.
Play number guessing games using clues such as greater than, less than, or equal to.

Second grade math helps students strengthen their understanding of numbers, develop fluency with addition and subtraction, build foundations for multiplication, and explore concepts such as money, time, measurement, and fractions. More importantly, it is about encouraging children to think strategically, explain their reasoning, and apply mathematical ideas to solve real-world problems in meaningful ways.

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