We are doing a few fun things for my daughter’s 2nd grade reading curriculum this year. She reads well above her grade level so a formal curriculum was not needed for her. But, I did want some sort of a direction, so I outlined a few things we would be intentional with to continue to develop her reading skills. She LOVES to read, which is such a joy. Anything to do with reading, even her comprehension workbook, brings her joy.

Before I get into this glorious post all about how my daughter loves to read, chooses to read, reads above grade level and is a total joy with anything reading… let me assure you, my boys were NOT like this. She is one of those kids who just naturally loves books. Sure, I exposed her to loads of great things as a baby and young child, but overall I think it is just who she is. I exposed my boys too, and although they now like to read, they are nothing like her! And yes, I am super grateful to have my last child be such a natural reader, it is fun to spend time with a child who simply loves books. I am thankful for her love of books and that we can enjoy this together!

The basics…

She reads chapter books on her own.
I read chapter books aloud to her.
We have picture book reading time together, she and I both read aloud.
She has a reading comprehension workbook.
We go to the library together at least every 2 weeks.
She reads a LOT in her free time, by choice.

One portion of her reading plan is independent chapter book reading! She mostly does this at night before bed. She reads a variety of books, and is keeping a record of all of the chapter books she reads this year. I started a post on my School Tools blog here to share the books she completes, the most recent 4 will be at the top of the post.

I am typing up her reading record to keep with her school records this year, you can see it here! Want a blank reading record like hers? There’s one in this 5th grade book list post!

Below is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago of the books she has read so far this year. The stack is much taller now!

This is her shelf above her bed, you can see her 2 current nightly reads laying in front. I read the Little House book aloud at night and she reads the other one independently.

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Reading aloud to her is another aspect of her reading plan. I read aloud from Little House most nights, and we are also reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle during the school day. Sometimes she chooses for me to read picture books aloud and that’s fine.

She also reads aloud to me! I let her choose one book each school day and we snuggle up on my bed together. She reads with such amazing fluency and animation, I rarely have to guide her at all. Her favorites to read aloud right now are the Pigeon books by Mo Willems, she is hilarious!

Picture books are still a huge part of our reading plan! She goes to the library with me about twice a month and we stay as long as we can! We always bring home a huge stack, I try to remember to share her favorites on Instagram with the hashtag #ladybugslibraryfavs.

One of her favorite free-time activities is to grab a stack of books and snuggle on my bed and read, sometimes for hours.

Another portion of her reading plan is a simple comprehension workbook. She flies through this, but I like giving her some experience with test-taking skills. She does not complain about this at all since she loves any kind of reading.