BlogSchool Resources for KidsWhat Do First Graders Learn? Overview, Subjects, & Skills

What Do First Graders Learn? Overview, Subjects, & Skills

Welcome to the exciting world of first grade! What do first graders learn? They explore various subjects, including reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and the arts.

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As your child embarks on this important educational journey, you may experience a mix of emotions—anticipation, excitement, and perhaps even a touch of nervousness. Rest assured, you’re not alone. Together, we’ll navigate this year of growth and discovery. Get ready to explore what first grade has in store—from the first day of school

This research from the Harvard Graduate School of Education shows that academic success can often be predicted as early as first grade. While struggles in this grade don’t guarantee future difficulties, they highlight the need for extra support, such as help with reading or math. First grade lays the educational foundation, and it’s crucial to ensure it’s a solid one.

As your child progresses through first grade, many of the skills they learned in kindergarten will continue to build. If you’re curious about what specific skills and concepts kindergarten typically covers, check out this guide: What Do Kids Learn in Kindergarten: Important Concepts & Skills.

What Do First Graders Learn?: 9 Subjects and Skills

This comprehensive guide outlines the essential first-grade subjects and skills. Read on to discover the Grade 1 curriculum, important learning objectives, and fun first-grade activities to support your child’s academic growth. Use this resource to create a personalized first-grade skills checklist and track your child’s progress throughout the year. 

1. Reading in the 1st Grade

Reading skills in first grade

First grade is often called “the reading year” because it’s when literacy skills really take off. This study says that students who struggle to read at the end of first grade will likely continue to struggle in fourth grade. 

The reading level increases in the first grade. First graders learn more complex words and sounds and start reading sentences and paragraphs. By the end of first grade, they should be able to read fluently and understand what they read. Reading skills focus on crucial elements such as reading comprehension, phonics, phonological awareness, and vocabulary.

Here are some essential reading skills kids learn in the 1st grade and engaging activities parents can use to support their child’s reading journey:

  • Blending and segmenting single-syllable words.

i) Clap or Tap: Clap or tap while saying each sound in a word like “dog” (/d/ /o/ /g/), then blend the sounds to say the word together.

ii) Stretch Out the Sound: Say a word slowly, stretching out each sound (e.g., “c-a-t”). Have your child listen and blend the sounds together to say the word. Switch roles and let them segment a word for you to blend.

iii) Blending and Segmenting Games: In these games, kids will enjoy fun activities like joining letter sounds that come in bubbles to make a new word and stretching a word to break it down into its sounds.

  • Understanding the letter-sound correspondences in common blends and consonant digraphs (e.g., sh, ch, th).

i) Flashcards: Create flashcards with common blends (e.g., bl, cr, st) and digraphs (e.g., sh, ch, th). Show the cards to your child and have them say the sound, then think of a word that starts with or includes that sound.

ii) Sorting: Write a mix of words with different blends and digraphs (e.g., “ship,” “chip,” “brave,” “crash”) on cards. Ask your child to sort them into groups based on the blend or digraph they contain, helping reinforce the letter-sound connections.

iii) Blending Games: Here are interactive consonant blend games that help kids explore words with initial and end blends. For instance, kids will drag and drop the initial blend “tr” at the right place in the puzzle “_im” to create the word “trim.” They will also learn each individual sound along the way.

  • Creating new words by manipulating individual sounds (phonemes).

i) Sound Swap: Give your child a word (e.g., “bat”) and ask them to change one sound to make a new word (e.g., change /b/ to /c/ to make “cat”). Repeat with different sounds (beginning, middle, or end).

ii) Word Chain: Start with a word (e.g., “pan”). Each player takes turns changing one sound to create a new word (e.g., “pan” → “pin” → “pit”). This encourages children to think about how manipulating sounds changes words.

  • Decoding long vowel sounds in one-syllable words.

i) Silent E Words: Show them a word like “cake” and explain how the silent ‘e’ makes the ‘a’ a long vowel sound, then have them practice reading similar words (like “bike,” “rope”).

ii) Read Aloud: Write out one-syllable words with long vowels, like “lake” and “bone,” and ask them to read the words, emphasizing the long vowel sound.

iii) Interactive Games: These games are aligned with the science of reading, which teaches phonics in a clear and organized way. They focus on long vowel sounds like a, e, i, o, and u. Kids can play games to learn these sounds, like matching the right sound to a word or figuring out if a word has a long or short vowel. This helps them read words correctly, understand phonics, and spell better.

  • Counting the number of syllables in a word.

i) Clapping: Clap your hands for each syllable in a word (e.g., “ba-na-na” gets three claps) and have them do the same.

ii) Tapping Fingers: Say a word like “apple” and ask them to tap their fingers on the table for each syllable as they say it aloud.

iii) Syllable Worksheets: Have kids practice with these fun printables. In these exercises, kids will enjoy fun activities like solving a maze by connecting single-syllable words, counting the number of syllables, or spotting words with a specific number of syllables:

Related Reading: How to Teach Syllables in 8 Easy Steps
  • Reading sight words

i) Sight Words Flashcards: Use flashcards to create a list of common sight words for first graders like “the,” “and,” and “said,” and have them read the words aloud.

ii) Memory Game: Play a memory game where they match pairs of sight words to reinforce recognition.

iii) Sight Word Games: Add these sight word games to your child’s study routine! They cover both Dolch and Fry sight words. Kids will try to recognize and spot common sight words repeatedly in a group of words.

  • Identifying root words and suffixes.

i) Write a word like “happily” and have them identify the root word “happy” and the suffix “-ly.”

ii) Create a matching game where they pair root words (like “play”) with common suffixes (like “-ing” to form “playing”).

iii) Reinforce the concept using these fun printable worksheets. Here, kids will create new words using affixes and expand their vocabulary with root words:

  • Answer questions about key ideas, the central message, and details in a text.

i) W-Chart: Create a chart with columns labeled “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” and “Why.” After reading, ask your child to fill in the chart with information from the story, helping them focus on key details.

ii) Question Cards: After reading a story, use pre-made question cards (e.g., “What is the story mostly about?”, “Who are the main characters?”, “What lesson did the story teach?”). Have your child answer these questions to check their understanding.

iii) Reinforce with Worksheets: Consider using these printables to boost kids’ comprehension through engaging activities such as picking the best description for a given picture, or reading a passage and choosing the central message.

  • Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story.

i) Make a chart where your child can list each main character’s traits (e.g., “brave,” “kind,” “curious”) and provide examples from the story that show these traits. This helps them understand and describe the characters in more depth.

ii) Create a story map with sections for “Characters,” “Setting,” and “Major Events.” Have your child fill in each section with descriptions from the story, helping them organize the information.

iii) Consider using these printables that encourage kids to answer essential questions about the story, compare characters, and create their own stories using a given context and pictures.

  • Use illustrations and details in literary and informational texts to discuss story elements and/or topics.

i) Illustration-Detail Match: After reading a story, ask your child to pick an illustration from the book and describe how it connects to a specific part of the text. They can explain how the picture shows the setting, an important event, or a character’s actions or feelings.

ii) Encourage your kids to bring a recently-read story to life through their vibrant art. Help them draw a picture matching a given description. You can also ask them to caption illustrations. These worksheets will help you plan these activities with ease:

  • Reading Books:

Books can teach kids countless things just through daily reading! Parents should spend quality reading time with their children to build this habit. Each page opens up a new world. The benefits of reading together include:

  • Boosting imagination
  • Expanding vocabulary
  • Building empathy and comprehension
  • Fostering a love of learning
  • Strengthening your bond with your child

Here are some fantastic books to kickstart a fun reading journey with your child, covering read-alouds, decoding books (for phonics fun), leveled readers (books categorized by their reading level), fun bedtime stories, and more!

Book 1: Vegetables

Book 2: Adventurous A

Book 3: What are dreams?

Inspire a love of reading in your child!
Read Alouds | Leveled Readers | Bedtime Stories

Parents can choose between the Read-to-Me and Read-by-Myself features. The read-aloud feature makes it easier for younger children or early readers to enjoy stories independently. Full-page illustrations, simple texts, and audio support make reading a fun experience!

Related Reading: Best Books To Read For 1st graders

2. Writing in the 1st Grade

Schoolgirl does homework at school desk
Source: @kalpataru.com

In first grade, expect writing skills to improve significantly. With motor skills already developed in kindergarten, the focus shifts to creative and inventive writing. Encourage your child to use their imagination and write unique stories using fun writing prompts. Help them understand word sounds and practice writing them down. Handwriting improvement is also a key part of the first-grade curriculum. 

Let’s understand other important things and aspects that first-grade writing lessons include, along with fun learning activities parents can use to reinforce these skills:

  • Understanding the right way to use frequency words in writing.

i) Create simple sentences and ask them to add frequency words like “always,” “sometimes,” or “never” (e.g., “I always eat breakfast”).

ii) Write a few sentences and have them choose the appropriate frequency word to complete each one (e.g., “I ___ go to the park”).

  • Writing more detailed and comprehensive texts (introducing a topic, giving some facts, and wrapping it up with a conclusion). 

i) Ask them to write about their favorite animal. Start by introducing the animal, providing a few facts, and ending with why they like it.

ii) Have them write a simple “How-To” text (e.g., “How to make a sandwich.”), focusing on introducing the task, explaining the steps, and concluding with a conclusion. Here’s a fun worksheet to get started with:

  • Writing an opinion on a topic or personal experience and supporting it with reasons.

i) Ask them to write about their favorite food and explain why they like it, giving at least two reasons to support their opinion.

ii) Have them write about a fun day they had, stating what made it enjoyable and supporting their opinion with reasons like, “I liked it because I played with my friends and had ice cream.”

iii) Here’s a fun guiding worksheet designed to help kids understand how to structure their opinions using a hamburger model:

  • Learning to use descriptive words and correctly spelling familiar words.

i) Describe an object using adjectives (e.g., “The soft, yellow ball”) and practice spelling familiar words.

ii) Encourage them to write a short sentence, adding descriptive words like “big,” “happy,” or “blue.”

iii) Here’s a fun worksheet in which kids will practice descriptive writing using feeling words:

  • Write narratives about real or imagined events, describing a sequence of those events.

i) Write a story about a recent trip, describing the events in order (e.g., “First, we went to the park. Then we played on the swings”). 

ii) Imagine a superhero adventure and describe what happens step by step in the story.

iii) This fun worksheet challenges kids to examine a picture and create their own story about what might have happened. It’s a great way to boost critical thinking and storytelling skills.

  • Understand the point of view in a text. 

i) Have your child identify who is telling the story (a character or an outside narrator). Discuss how the narrator’s point of view influences how the events and characters are described. Ask, “How would the story be different if another character was telling it?”

ii) Get started with these engaging worksheets where kids will learn to build their own stories from different perspectives, write about characters’ routines using visual cues, and complete conversations by expressing their points of view:

  • Creating a response to a text or personal experience through a poem, artwork, play, or other creative form.

i) Draw a picture in response to a book they’ve read and explain the connection to the story.

ii) Have them write a short poem about a personal experience, like a fun day with friends, using simple rhymes or descriptive language. 

iii) Here are well-aligned worksheets to practice with your child—design birthday cards, label birthday invitations, 

Related Reading: Fun Writing Prompts for 1st Grade: Journal Prompts

3. Grammar in 1st Grade

Grammar is the building block of clear and effective communication. In first grade, children learn the basic rules of grammar, such as sentence structure, punctuation, and parts of speech, which helps them express their ideas and understand the written and spoken word.

Here are essential grammar skills kids learn in 1st grade and fun learning activities parents can use to give kids an early edge:

  • Understanding when to use lower and upper cases while writing.

i) Ask them to capitalize the first word in a sentence, dates, and names of people, and the pronoun “I.”

ii) Write a sentence with all lowercase letters, and ask them to correct it by capitalizing the first letter and proper nouns.

iii) Give them a list of words (e.g., names, places, and common nouns) and ask them to sort them into categories: words that need uppercase letters and words that don’t.

  • Understanding the correct usage of ending punctuation like full stop and question marks; learning to edit their writing.

i) Write simple sentences and ask them to choose whether to end it with a full stop (.) or question mark (?). 

ii) Read sentences aloud and have them signal when to use a full stop or a question mark based on the sentence’s tone.

iii) Give them a short paragraph with missing punctuation or incorrect capitalization and ask them to correct it.

iv) Practice punctuation skills with engaging activities like filling in missing commas and adding the right punctuation marks:

  • Identify and use frequently occurring parts of speech: Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, determiners, conjunctions, etc.
  1. Use nouns (singular and plural nouns, common, proper, and possessive nouns)

i) Plural Noun Sorting: Give your child a list of singular nouns and ask them to sort them into groups: those that take “/s/” and “/es/” when made plural (e.g., “cat” → “cats” vs. “box” → “boxes”). Boost this practice using these targeted worksheets where kids will enjoy word-search puzzles to spot plural and singular nouns:

ii) Make sentences using possessive nouns (e.g., “This is Tom’s book”). Ask your child to find examples of common, proper, and possessive nouns around the house or in a favorite book, writing them down in separate lists. 

iii) Consider these worksheets for reinforcement. In these engaging activities, kids circle, underline, and categorize nouns. They will also learn to identify different types of nouns and use them in sentences.

  1. Form frequently occurring verbs. Convey a sense of time.

i) Verb Charades: Act out different frequently occurring verbs (e.g., “run,” “jump,” “sing”) and ask your child to guess the verb and use it in a sentence. 

ii) Verb Tense Timeline: Write a verb on a timeline (e.g., “play”) and ask your child to form the past, present, and future tense of the verb (“played,” “play,” “will play”). 

Try these targeted worksheets to help kids identify the verb tenses:

  1. Use frequently occurring adjectives.

i) Give them an object (like an apple) and ask them to describe it with adjectives (red, round, shiny).

ii) Read a story with your child and have them identify frequently used adjectives (e.g., “big,” “happy,” “fast”). Then, ask them to describe their favorite toy using adjectives.

iii) Use worksheets that teach with fun activities, like drawing and describing characters, writing adjectives for favorite things, and spotting adjectives in sentences.

  1. Use frequently occurring conjunctions.

i) Provide your child with two simple sentences and ask them to join them using conjunctions like “and,” “but,” or “because” (e.g., “I like apples. I like bananas.” → “I like apples and bananas.”).

ii) Write sentences with missing conjunctions (e.g., “I was hungry, ___ I ate lunch.”) and ask your child to fill in the blanks using the correct conjunction.

iii) Here’s a fun worksheet where kids read a passage and circle conjunctions:

  1. Produce and expand simple, compound, declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. Understand and use question words.

i) Sentence Sorting: Write different types of sentences (e.g., “The dog runs fast!” or “Can you help me?”) and ask your child to sort them into categories: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory.

ii) Help kids explore, identify, complete, and learn different sentence types using these engaging activities:

  1. Identify and use frequently occurring prepositions.

i) Place a toy in different locations (on the table, under the chair) and ask them to describe the position using prepositions.

ii) In these worksheets, kids will enjoy activities like matching prepositions with the correct picture, filling in the blanks with the correct preposition to complete a sentence, and finishing a preposition scavenger hunt. 

  1. Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns

i) Play a game where they replace nouns with pronouns in sentences (e.g., “Tom is running” becomes “He is running”).

ii) Place several items on a table and ask your child to describe who owns each item using possessive pronouns (e.g., “This is my book,” “That is his toy”).

iii) Read a short text with your child and ask them to find and highlight indefinite pronouns (e.g., “everyone,” “someone,” “nothing”). Then, discuss how these pronouns are used to refer to non-specific people or things.

iv) Help kids practice pronouns using printable worksheets. In these worksheets, kids will choose the correct pronoun and rewrite sentences:

v) Play a role-playing game where your child describes their actions using personal pronouns (e.g., “I am cooking,” “He is running”).

  1. Identify and use determiners.

i) Ask them to identify the determiner in sentences (e.g., “The car is fast”).

ii) Provide nouns and ask your child to add appropriate determiners (e.g., “a cat,” “the dog,” “some apples”).

iii) Help kids master determiners with these fun worksheets! Kids will practice using words like “this,” “that,” “an,” and “those” by completing sentences. Plus, there’s an activity-based worksheet that asks kids to listen to everyday conversations and identify sentences with specific determiners.

Related Reading: Best Strategies for Teaching English Grammar to Kids

​​4. Math in the 1st Grade

A girl doing addition

An NIH study highlights that a strong foundation in basic math skills (like number system knowledge) in first grade is essential for future math success and adult numeracy. First-grade math builds on the foundation laid in kindergarten, making it a prime time for parents and teachers to identify and address any early learning gaps. For more insights into teaching first-grade math, explore this comprehensive guide: How to Teach First-Grade Math.

Let’s dive into essential first-grade math skills and simple activities parents can use for reinforcement, covering number sense, addition and subtraction, geometry, measurement, data handling, and money.

  • Number Sense: Let’s dive into important number sense skills kids learn in the first grade.

1) Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. 

i) Use a number chart and ask them to start counting from a number like 83, continuing to 120.

ii) Here are interactive counting games to reinforce this skill: Kids will practice counting on a number line to find a missing number, connecting blocks to fix the counting sequence, and counting forward from any given number.

2) Read and write numbers. 

i) Practice writing numbers on paper, starting with numbers 1-100, then 101-120.

ii) Use flashcards with written numbers and have them read the numbers aloud.

3) Understand that two-digit numbers represent amounts of tens and ones. 

i) Use blocks or counters to group numbers into sets of tens and ones (e.g., 34 is 3 groups of 10 and 4 ones).

ii) Write two-digit numbers and ask them to identify the number of tens and ones (e.g., 58 is 5 tens and 8 ones).

iii) Try these engaging games that use base ten blocks to teach kids about ones and tens: