The Wheels on the Bus Song will help students learn in a fun way. This is the classic nursery rhyme that kids love to sing and do the motions.
This treasure hunt directions activity board game helps K-2nd grade students follow spoken and written directions as they race to Treasure Island. Answer key included.
This don't wake the librarian sorting books by genre activity is a quiet board game where 1st to 3rd grade readers sort fiction, nonfiction and poetry books. Answer key included.
This follow directions worksheet asks 2nd graders to read six sentences and draw each colored shape in the right box, with an answer key to check careful reading and position words.
Using Lucky Charms Before and After Activity, studentsplay this fun game to practice identifying before and after.
This drawing details activity lets kindergarten to 2nd grade students read describing sentences and add the missing details to each picture. Answer key included for quick checking.
Make a Snowman Worksheet gives 2nd Grade students five mixed-up steps to put in order, plus two short written questions and an answer key, so sequencing practice feels like a snow day.
Children read a sentence and draw the missing detail in this drawing to add details activity for Kindergarten to 2nd Grade. Answer key included for quick checking.
Listen, read, then do it step by step
Following directions is a life skill second graders use all day long. They learn to listen for order words like first, next, then and last, and to follow two-step and three-step directions without reminders. They read written directions and check off each step as they finish. They also follow map directions, like "walk north two blocks, then turn left." The click comes when a child stops before starting, reads every step, and gets it right the first time.
These moves build careful listeners and careful readers.
Give a page of directions and teach the rule "Read every step before you start." Kids underline the action word in each step. Underlining slows them down just enough to catch every detail.
Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.
Try it withFollow Directions WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Say three directions in a row, like "Stand up, touch your nose, then sit down." Kids follow them in order. Add a fourth step as they get better. Quick listening rounds make a big difference.
Why it works: a big review of study methods ranked quick self-quizzing among the most powerful ways to remember (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withMake a Snowman WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Post picture steps for daily routines like washing hands or packing up. Kids follow them every day and soon don't need them. Repeating real routines is the best practice.
Why it works: spreading practice out over days is one of the two most effective study methods in a major research review (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withWash My Hands SongSongsOpen it →Second graders love a challenge with a surprise at the end.
ActivitiesFollow map directions across the board game to find the treasure first.
Open Treasure Hunt Directions Activity Board Game →WorksheetsFollow each step exactly to draw and decorate a snowman. Did everyone's match?
Open Make a Snowman Worksheet →
ActivitiesPartners sit back to back. One gives drawing directions, the other draws. Then compare!
Open Drawing Details Activity →Teacher favorites right now: Wash My Hands Song, Wheels on the Bus Song (Animated Music Video) and Treasure Hunt Directions Activity Board Game.
Most 2nd graders can follow three-step directions they hear and multi-step directions they read. Some still need picture reminders, and that is okay.
Get eye contact first, give directions in a short and clear order, and ask your child to repeat them back before starting. Praise them when they finish every step.
Usually they rush and start before reading everything. Teaching them to read all the steps first and check each one off fixes most mistakes.
Simon Says, treasure hunts, drawing games and simple recipes are all great. Anything with steps in a fixed order builds listening skills.
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