Why should the learning stop when the kids leave the classroom? Here are some simple things you and your first grader can do at home to build academic skills in reading, math, geography, and science.

Daily Read
You should read to your child every day during these early, formative years. Your child's interest in the stories you read will tell you a great deal about his or her developing listening and comprehension skills. By sometimes asking your child to tell the story back to you, you not only observe the growth of these skills but also encourage two-way communication.

Create a Pattern
Put cardboard shapes into a pattern: for example, line up a circle, square, triangle, circle, square, and triangle. Ask your child to put other pieces together in the same pattern. This is a classification activity.

Animal Sounds
Animals are part of the environment. You might ask your child to tell you the sounds animals make. "What do sheep say? Dogs? Cows? Cats? Birds?"

Phone Talk
Have your child talk on the telephone to Grandma or Grandpa, uncles and aunts. You will see how the child is gaining confidence and language skills.

Reprinted from 101 Educational Conversations with Your Kindergartner -- 1st Grader by Vito Perrone.
Copyright 1994 by Chelsea House Publishers, a division of Main Line Book Co. All rights reserved.