Reading is a skill that children continue to learn and improve upon throughout elementary school. Kids can encounter reading difficulties at any stage in their journey to becoming strong readers. But many children encounter these obstacles during 2nd grade, which is when they are introduced to more challenging reading material for the first time in their academic career.

If your 2nd grader is struggling with reading, they may need additional help outside of the classroom in order to keep up with their peers. Thanks to technology, this help is available at their fingertips on reading apps for 2nd grade students.

What Should My 2nd Grader Be Reading?

As a parent, you cannot determine if your child is struggling with reading unless you know what your child should be able to read in the 2nd grade. Every child learns at their own pace. But in general, children in the 2nd grade should be able to:

• Comprehend the main ideas of a story.
• Summarize the main events of a story.
• Tap into their background knowledge to gain a deeper understanding of the text.
• Read on their own.
• Decode words with more than one syllable.
• Distinguish between short and long vowel sounds.
• Read different genres, including non-fiction, fiction, and poetry.
• Identify the similarities and differences between characters, events, and stories.
• Fluently read between 50 to 60 words per minute at the time they enter 2nd grade.
• Fluently read up to 90 words per minute by the end of 2nd grade.
• Decode words ending in common suffixes, such as -ing, -er, and -ed.
• Provide insight as to why something happened in the story, what could happen next, and how characters could respond to these events.

If you believe your 2nd grader has not mastered these skills, it may be appropriate to allow them to use reading apps to ensure they get the help they need to succeed.

What Are Some Reading Apps for 2nd Graders?

There are countless apps that are designed to help 2nd graders improve their reading skills. Some of the best reading apps for 2nd graders include:

• Readability Tutor: This app will listen as your child reads aloud, immediately correct pronunciation errors, and ask them questions to check their comprehension. For children, using the Readability app is just like working with a digital reading tutor.
• Endless Reader: This interactive, fun app is designed to help your child expand their sight word vocabulary. The broader their sight word vocabulary, the easier it will be for your child to recognize words and fluently read various texts.
• Rewordify: This app is ideal for 2nd graders who are struggling with reading comprehension. It teaches kids how to break down complex sentences into smaller, simpler sentences that they can easily understand.
• Rainbow Sentences: This app focuses on helping kids understand how sentences are structured. Learning the basic structure of a sentence can help kids who are struggling with reading comprehension.

What Are the Benefits of Using Reading Apps for 2nd Graders?

There are a number of reasons why parents choose to use reading apps instead of working one-on-one with their child or hiring a reading tutor.

Kids must use a smartphone or tablet to access a reading app. Since kids are naturally drawn to these devices, it may be easier for parents to get them to practice reading. In other words, it will give your child an excuse to use a smartphone or tablet, so they may be more likely to continue using the app day after day.

Most reading apps are also designed for independent reading. This means your child can work on their reading skills on their own. You won’t have to sit next to them or guide them through each lesson—the app will take care of this for you. For this reason, reading apps are ideal for parents who may not have the time to work closely with their children on their reading skills.

Some apps allow parents to track their child’s progress so parents can ensure their kids are on the right path. For example, on the Readability app, parents can access a dashboard that shows them how much time their child spends reading, their reading level progress, their performance on comprehension checks, and more.

These are benefits that private tutoring and one-on-one instruction simply don’t offer, which is why so many parents choose reading apps.

What is the Best App to Teach A Child to Read?

Readability is the only smart reading and comprehension learning app that your child can access anytime, anywhere. This app is designed to help 2nd graders improve their decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension, which are crucial reading skills. By using Readability, children can drastically improve their reading skills and become the strong, confident readers they were born to be.

Don’t wait any longer to get your 2nd grader the help they need to blossom into a better reader. Download the Readability app on your smartphone or tablet to start your free 7-day trial today.