Jan Brett Books: Teaching Prediction and Visual Literacy
Open a Jan Brett book, and you enter a world where the story unfolds in multiple places all at once. While the main text tells you what’s happening now, the decorative borders whisper secrets about what’s coming next. A child who learns to read these visual clues develops prediction skills that transform their reading comprehension…
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Working Memory and Reading: Why Some Kids Can’t Hold Sentences in Their Heads
Your child sounds out each word carefully. They decode beautifully. But when they reach the end of the sentence, they can’t tell you what it said. They go back and read it again. Then again. The frustration builds. This isn’t about intelligence or effort. Your child is working incredibly hard. What you’re seeing is working…
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Processing Speed and Reading: Understanding the Connection
Your child stares at the word “jumping” for what feels like forever. They sound out each letter correctly—/j/ /u/ /m/ /p/ /i/ /ng/—but by the time they blend it together, they’ve forgotten the beginning of the sentence. Reading homework that should take 15 minutes stretches into an hour. They’re trying hard, but everything just takes……
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Playing With Riddles: 15 Fun Brain Teasers That Boost Reading Skills
“What has hands but can’t clap?” your six-year-old asks with a mischievous grin. You pause, think, then admit defeat. “A clock!” she shouts triumphantly, delighted that she stumped you with her riddle. That moment of playful thinking? It’s doing more for her reading development than you might realize. Riddles are sneaky learning tools disguised as…
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Decodable Books vs. Leveled Readers: Why the Difference Matters for Your Beginning Reader
You walk into the library, excited to find books for your kindergartener who’s just starting to read. The children’s section offers hundreds of brightly colored early readers. They all look educational. They’re all labeled for beginning readers. So you grab a stack, head home, and settle in for reading time. But ten minutes later, your…
Dialogic Reading: The Simple Conversation Method
You’re snuggled up with your little one, reading their favorite picture book for the hundredth time. Instead of just reading the words on the page, you pause and ask, “What do you think will happen next?” or “Can you find something blue on this page?” Suddenly, your child leans in, points excitedly, and chatters about…
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