At the end of last year, I signed up as a volunteer for an organization that arranges one-on-one reading time between adults and under-performing elementary school kids. My “readee” is named Jonathan and he’s in 2nd grade. It seemed like such a fun and fabulous idea then, but now my first day is looming and I admit to being a little nervous. I don’t have kids. I don’t have nieces or nephews. I don’t really know anyone who has kids of any age. I have a couple cats, but I have a feeling that cats and kids tend to have different behavior patterns.
I used to teach an after school drama program at a middle school, so I’m not going in entirely green… but a 2nd grader just seems so alien to me.
So what can I expect? What are 7-8 year olds like? What interests them? What’s their cognitive functioning level?
I want to feel comfortable because I want to have fun and I want Jonathan to have fun and be happy and learn something. I definitely don’t want to talk down to him. I want to seem cool.
Oh am I an expert on this one!!! I am a teacher and teach grades jk-6. I also have a second grader as a son.
Kids this age love beyblades. My son is obsessed with them.
My son also loves the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Harry Potter.
My kids are only 11 and 13, so it wasn’t that long ago for me. I read to my kids every night at that age and they loved it! They loved reading along and looking at the pictures.
I got them involved too, by pausing and asking them what they thought was going to happen next, or what they thought of the story, etc.
Just be yourself and don’t be condescending. Kids that age think adults are omniscient, and compared to their view of the world you probably are. You’ll be fine.
Second graders are usually too young to be into girls or sports. May I suggest a book about bodily functions? There are a number of them. My son liked one that I think was called Why Are Boogers Green or somesuch. Adventure stories are probably good. Monster stories also seem appropriate. I have a book with stories from the 1001 Arabian Nights, one story in particular The Fisherman and the Afreet, I have read over and over. They like that someone gets tricked. My son is six, but my daughter is eight, so I feel your guy should fit right in with their range of likes. Good Luck.
Don’t talk down to them, engage them on a regular level. Skip the adult questions, and ask him what his favorite joke is. Kids at the age do love their puns as language seems to be just clicking for them at that level. Simple ones like: What kind of shoes are made from banana skins? Slippers or How do you know when it’s raining cats and dogs? When you step in a poodle. They love 'em. Eat em up then share them with their friends and repeat them over and over at the dinner table. When I was teaching my ex’s kids to read (they were late bloomers, the boy was 7 when he started to read), that was where I started with a simple book of puns. The reading was easy enough and they felt like they were taking something away by having jokes to share.
So essentially, 2nd graders are just like my boyfriend? Awesome, that simplifies things.
I appreciate all the suggestions so far. I figured on the first day, I would just try to have a conversation with Jonathan and see what kinds of books and subjects he’s interested in. But it will be good to go in armed with cool suggestions of my own – I especially like the joke book and Why are Boogers Green ideas.
I was just reading about the making of the show Blue’s Clues. They do the same thing, and they find that it really helps the kids learn. Of course, that’s aimed at a lower age group.
I once read to a group of 2nd graders. Not intimidating at all, but so immature! (I was in 3rd grade at the time.)
I worked with an 8-year-old boy and a 9-year-old boy last semester, also having no experience with kids. I was nervous the way you are, but it turned out really well. They both liked talking about sports, video games, and imaginative scenarios (making up stories, stuff like “what if the world really was flat”, etc.) . They didn’t particularly like talking about school or their siblings/parents.
Both also loved jokes and riddles.
Like someone said above, you don’t need to talk down to Jonathan. I was able to talk to both kids like they were adults. Obviously don’t address inappropriate topics like sex or drug use (duh) or use words like “perspicacious” but at that age they’re really fun to chat with.
I have a 2nd grade boy. The kids in his class are able to read and write simple sentences. They’re starting to grasp more abstract concepts, problem-solving, figuring out how things work. But you said that this program is for “underperforming” school-age children, so if this child is in this program, he may be struggling with reading.
That being said, a lot of kids books are “rated” by reading level. A typical 2nd grader is not quite ready for “chapter” books without pictures (too boring) but will enjoy books with pictures and maybe 5-7 sentences per page.
You can choose a few books you think he might like for the first session; then ask him what his interests are/what topics he’d like to read/learn about. That gives him a chance to have input into things he’d enjoy. Trust me, 2nd graders are not shy about telling you what they think! Then you can choose books for the subsequent sessions that are about his interests (for instance, my son loves sharks and Star Wars).
My second grade daughter loves stories about faires, ballet, cats and little girls in history. The boy next door is her age and in the same grade. He likes just about all sports ever known. I see him reading stories about ice hockey, basketball, football and soccer. Reading abilities can vary widely at this age. Some of the kids are reading more advanced chapter books and classic history children’s literature like The Little House on the Prairie books. Others are still getting comfortable with the written word.
Talk to the kid and ask what he likes. Come by with a few books of varying age levels beforehand. Your local librarian can be of great help here. He’ll probably enjoy just interacting with you for now.
Consider non-fiction, too. There are so many high-interest topics (sports, cars, dinosaurs, sharks, bugs, snakes, and space are usually at the top of the list for young boys), and nonfiction books can be very accessible to struggling readers. There are usually lots of pictures (he can start with just reading the captions of the pictures that catch his attention). Plus, with non-fiction he can skip around since it’s not essential that they read from front to back/start to finish. That will help if he has issues with paying attention and following a plot, or if he can only handle small chunks at a time.
Graphic novels (aka comic strips) are the big thing right now, and publishers are coming out with graphic novels for young readers by the truckload. Again, there lots of topics and genres to choose from, both fiction and non-fiction.
How about a David Macaulay book? Huge, gorgeous, detailed pictures of all manner of things, like the construction of a castle, or the dismantling of a skyscraper.
Have a selection of varied books on hand, and let him pick which one to read. Getting to choose the book will get him involved. (And don’t be surprised if he wants to read the same book over again multiple times – kids do that.)
Or that first time, take him to the library with you, and pick out books to take home to read next time.
