How to Volunteer in your Second Grader's Class

Your seven-year-old is now a second grader. How did the time pass so quickly? A great way to stay in touch with your child and what he's doing in school is by volunteering in his classroom. Not only will you get a feel for the environment he's in most of the day and what he's learning, you'll also get the joy of reliving second grade all over again. Once you get a feel for what his teacher's main needs are in a volunteer, you can settle in and really enjoy the experience of the classroom and understand the work that your child is assigned throughout the year. Plus your special touch will make your child feel important and will improve your child's classroom and school community, simply from you caring enough to be there.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. While your child is still in first grade, go and check out the second grade teachers. Get to know them and their policies and see how they feel about parents volunteering in the classroom.

2. If you didn't get a chance to meet the teachers before your child entered second grade, introduce yourself on the first day of school and let the teacher know that you are interested in volunteering. Once school settles into a routine after a week or so, your teacher will probably be interested in having you start coming in.

3. Let the teacher know that you can commit to a certain day and time a week, if she'd like that. Usually a teacher will prefer a set time that they can expect you and will plan activities for you to help out with during your volunteer time. You might let her know of any skills you have and enjoy (like reading with the kids, cooking or doing science) to help her use you to your best ability.

4. In second grade, teachers may use you to make word charts, read with kids, help with grading classwork, help celebrate holidays, cut out hanging mobiles, laminate posters, do artwork, file paperwork, staple and sort classroom assignments.

5. If you can't commit to a few hours every week, let your teacher know that you'd like to help out on special occasions such as festivals, book fairs, holidays or class parties. Teachers are always looking for an extra set of hands.