Second grade is such a fun age in our homeschool.

Children are becoming increasingly independent readers and thinkers, but they are still wonderfully curious, imaginative, and eager to learn through stories and hands-on experiences. This year, I'm hoping to give our second grader a little more academic structure while continuing to protect the things that make homeschooling so enjoyable: great books, narration, nature, conversation, creativity, and plenty of time to play.

Here's what we're planning for his second grade year.

Math: Singapore 2A & 2B

This year we're making a change in our math curriculum and moving to Singapore Math 2A and 2B.

We've been using The Good and the Beautiful for math, but this year we wanted something a little more skill-based rather than spiral. Last year my son basically outpaced the Good and the Beautiful 1st grade curriculum and because it was spiral it was hard to just jump ahead. So I pulled out my old Singapore 2A curriculum and he was much happier with that curriculum. So we'll continue to work through Singapore 2A and 2B at his pace, allowing him to move ahead when he has truly mastered a concept.

We'll also supplement with Kate Snow's Math Facts That Stick series, particularly for subtraction. Depending on how the year progresses, we may even begin working on multiplication toward the end of the year if he's ready.

As always, I want math to be something he understands rather than simply something he completes. We'll continue using games and hands-on practice whenever they help make the concepts stick.

Language Arts: Handwriting, Reading, Narration & Spelling

Our language arts will be a combination of several simple pieces rather than one large program.

For handwriting, he'll be using The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 2.

He'll also do notebook narrations throughout the week in subjects such as history, Bible, and science. I love this practice because narration gives children a way to process what they've learned and communicate it in their own words.

As his writing skills continue to develop, these simple narrations will gradually become a foundation for more formal written work.

Reading

Reading will be a major part of his year.

He'll read lots of early readers and read aloud to me for about 10–15 minutes each day.

At this stage, I'm much more interested in building confidence, fluency, and a genuine love of reading than rushing through a particular reading level.

There is something so special about listening to a child sound out a story, gain confidence, and suddenly realize, I can read this myself. 

Spelling

For spelling, we'll continue with Spelling Workout.

This is one of those simple resources that has just worked well for our family. He'll typically complete one or two pages a day, giving us a consistent spelling practice without taking up a huge portion of our school day. When he finishes a spelling list section, we’ll take a simple test for him to practice the words and see how he’s doing. This may not be the most robust spelling program, but it is simple and doesn’t require lots of extra time on my part. That has been the right combo for our family. 

History: Stories, Projects & Living It

History is one of the subjects I'm particularly excited about this year.

Our co-op uses The Story of Civilization as the spine for history, so he'll have a weekly history class built around it.

But the class isn't simply listening to a history lecture.

Our co-op teachers bring history to life through art, projects, simulations, activities, and hands-on experiences that help the children enter into the time period they're studying.

At home, we'll continue that learning through additional history projects and lots of historical read-alouds. This is definitely one of our family’s favorite subjects!

We'll also listen to The Story of the World as a supplement. I like having the two resources together because Story of the World gives us a broader geographical perspective and helps us make connections between civilizations and events happening in different parts of the world.

The goal isn't simply to remember dates. It's to give him a growing sense of the great story of human history.

Science: Nature Study & Wonder

Science will also be woven into our co-op experience.

He'll have a weekly science class based on Exploring Nature with Children, which is a wonderful fit for the kind of science education I want at this age.

Each week includes a nature walk and nature journaling, along with living science and nature books, experiments, and hands-on activities.

I love the emphasis on actually observing the natural world. Rather than beginning with a textbook full of facts about nature, he gets to go outside and see it for himself. A child who has spent time watching a bird build a nest, examining a leaf, observing an insect, or noticing how the seasons change is already beginning to think like a scientist. This practice also builds a natural sense of love and wonder for God’s creation; it teaches us to appreciate the beauty in very small details around us every day. 

Bible & Religion

This is an especially meaningful year for him because he will be preparing for his First Communion through Sunday school.

At home, we'll be using Into the Deep's Mass Unit Study, a resource I've used and loved with one of my older sons. It walks through the different parts of the Mass and helps children understand their connections to Scripture, the life of Christ, and the history and traditions of the Church. I'm looking forward to having these conversations with him as he prepares to receive his First Communion and begins to understand the Mass on a deeper level.

We'll also be reading The Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor and Stories of the Saints throughout the year. As with all of our faith formation, I want these to be more than lessons to complete. I want them to become stories and ideas that shape how he sees the world and lives his faith.

Shakespeare!

One of the most exciting additions to our family studies this year is Shakespeare.

We'll be doing a deeper dive into Shakespeare together as a family, and I'll also be co-directing a Shakespeare play at the end of our co-op year.

And yes—our second grader will have a role!

I love the idea of introducing children to Shakespeare not by worrying about whether they understand every word, but by allowing them to hear the language, watch the stories unfold, act out the characters, and experience the drama together. This is, after all, how Shakespeare was always meant to be studied. 

Learning Together as a Family

There are a few other subjects that aren't represented in this particular list because they will be part of our family studies.

Bible memory, music, art, poetry, and some of our other subjects will be woven into our days together rather than taught separately to each child. This is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling - everyone learning together and steeping ourselves in some of the riches of art, scripture, and music. 

I'll share more about those family subjects in another post because they are such an important part of how we structure our homeschool.

Our 2nd Grade Plan at a Glance

Math: Singapore Math 2A & 2B
Math facts: Kate Snow's Math Facts That Stick
Handwriting: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 2
Reading: Daily reading aloud + lots of early readers
Writing: Notebook narrations across multiple subjects
Spelling: Spelling Workout
History: The Story of Civilization + The Story of the World + living books and projects
Science: Exploring Nature with Children through our co-op + nature study and journaling
Religion: Into the Deep's Mass Unit Study + The Little Pilgrim's Progress + Stories of the Saints
Shakespeare: Family study + co-op production
Community: Weekly homeschool co-op
Family subjects: Art, music, Bible, poetry, and more

A Year of Growing

Looking at this list, it may seem like quite a lot for a second grader. But so much of this is centered on good literature, hands-on activities, and outdoor exploration. 

He's ready for more independence this year and more academic challenge, and I'm excited to give him that. But I also want to remember that he is still seven years old and that childhood itself is a worthy part of his education - time to play and get lost in his imagination. We'll read good stories, go outside, practice our math facts, narrate back what we've learned, study the lives of the saints, watch Shakespeare come alive on stage, and enjoy this wonderful age of becoming a reader and a thinker.

It's going to be a good year!