In our twelve years of homeschooling, we have found that second graders can tend to go one way or another when it comes to math. They either forge ahead because they love the challenge, or they get bogged down in the daily drill of math facts and tables.

For my students who aren't naturally mathematically inclined, I find I need to inject some fun and variety just to keep them from falling apart over math sometime during the school year.

Daily Math Practice, Grade 2, was a great little gem this year. We have a second grader who is particularly antagonistic in regards to math, so as we began the year I knew I'd have to be on my toes and present her with something new and exciting every once in awhile just to keep her from falling apart. Daily Math Practice, Grade 2 fit the bill nicely.

Each daily practice sheet is short (half of an 8.5" x 11" worksheet) and to the point:

I. Draw lines to match each word name to its number.

forty-two 99
four hundred 113
one hundred thirteen 42
ninety-nine 400
seven hundred eight 708

II. Circle each number that shows a dollar value. Underline each number that shows cents.

$11.89
$5.25
$710.72
$8.07
$19.52

The entire exercise might take two minutes, tops; just the right amount of time for a supplemental math worksheet or for encouraging a reluctant student like our daughter.

There is a small worksheet for each day of the school week, some focusing on specific skills, some on math vocabulary, and some on application. You can use the activities in a variety of ways- as daily warm-ups, quick assessment tools, or helpful reviews.

Using Daily Math Practice, Grade 2, we've seen our reluctant second grader suddenly willing and able to do her math each day. Small victories in the homeschool lead to big victories overall!