Your neighbor’s four-year-old is reading chapter books while your child is still working on letter sounds. Your friend’s six-year-old devours novels while your little one prefers picture books. Sound familiar? Take a deep breath—every child’s reading path looks different, and that’s perfectly normal. The Truth About Reading Timelines Here’s what every parent needs to know: […]
Your five-year-old can perfectly sound out “s-a-d” in their early reader book, but looks puzzled when the next page uses “gloomy” instead. They breeze through phonics worksheets but stumble when books use words like “furious” instead of “mad” or “enormous” instead of “big.” Welcome to the vocabulary gap—the hidden reading roadblock that trips up countless […]
Your child has mastered picture books and simple readers, and now they’re eyeing the chapter book section with excitement and determination. Choosing the right first chapter books can make the difference between a confident reader and a frustrated one who gives up too easily. What Makes a Good First Chapter Book First chapter books bridge […]
When your child struggles with reading, you wonder: Is this temporary or something more? Understanding the difference between reading delays and disabilities helps you get the right support for your child. Understanding Reading Delays Reading delays happen when children learn literacy skills more slowly than their peers but still follow normal patterns. These kids catch […]
Nothing panics a parent quite like watching their child struggle with skills they seemed to master just weeks before. One day, your preschooler confidently identifies the letter ‘B,’ and the next day, they stare at it blankly. This frustrating phenomenon, known as reading regression, is more common than you might think and is usually not […]
If your child sounds like they’re reading a grocery list instead of a story, they’re probably stuck in word-by-word reading mode. This is completely normal for beginning readers, but as children grow, they need to learn how to group words together into chunks that make sense. Think about how you speak naturally. You don’t say […]
You’ve been working with your 4-year-old on letter sounds for weeks. Yesterday, they confidently told you that “B” makes the /b/ sound like in “ball.” Today? They stare at the same letter like they’ve never seen it before. If this sounds familiar, take a deep breath—you’re not alone, and more importantly, you’re not failing as […]
Specific Language Impairment (SLI) affects oral language development in ways that become apparent during the preschool years, before children even enter formal schooling. This condition impacts between 5-10% of preschoolers, making it surprisingly common, yet many parents have never heard of it. Unlike typical variations in language development, where some children are naturally chattier or […]
Second grade marks a crucial transition point in reading development. Children at this level read and comprehend both fiction and nonfiction texts that are appropriately designed for their grade level, while accurately decoding multisyllable words and using knowledge of print-sound mappings to sound out unknown words. This represents a significant shift from first grade, where […]
For many children, learning to read flows naturally from exposure to books, letters, and sounds. But for others, the path to literacy is filled with unexpected challenges and frustrations. If you’re a parent watching your child struggle despite their intelligence and effort, you know how heartbreaking this journey can be. The good news? Learning disabilities […]
