Your child comes home with reading test scores, and you stare at confusing numbers and letters, wondering what they actually mean. Is your child succeeding or struggling? These benchmark tests provide valuable information, but only when you understand how to interpret them correctly. What Are Reading Benchmark Tests Reading benchmark tests measure your child’s literacy […]
Your four-year-old writes their name but flips the ‘R’ backward. Your kindergartner confuses ‘b’ and ‘d’ when reading. These letter reversals worry many parents, but they’re actually a normal part of early literacy development for most children. Understanding why reversals happen and when they’re typical versus concerning gives you the tools to support your child’s […]
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 […]
When your child sits beside you, carefully following each word across the page with their finger, they’re doing much more than just pointing. Finger tracking is one of the most powerful yet underused tools in early reading instruction. While it might look simple, this technique actually builds the neural pathways that transform struggling readers into […]
You’ve probably seen them in your child’s homework folder—those simple boxes drawn under words that look almost too basic to be helpful. But don’t let their simplicity fool you! Elkonin boxes are one of the most powerful tools for helping children understand how sounds work in words. Named after Russian psychologist D.B. Elkonin, these little […]
Watch your child carefully sound out each letter: “C… A… T.” They know all the sounds perfectly, but when you ask them what word they just read, they look at you with confusion. Sound familiar? This is where blending skills come in—the magical ability to smoosh individual sounds together into recognizable words. It’s the moment […]
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 […]
The moment your child sounds out their first three-letter word—”c-a-t”—and suddenly exclaims “cat!” with pure delight is magical. That breakthrough moment represents mastery of CVC words, the fundamental building blocks that transform children from letter-knowers into actual readers. Understanding CVC words isn’t just about teaching your child to read simple words; it’s about laying the […]
Your child has mastered basic letter sounds and can read simple words like “cat” and “dog.” Then they encounter “car” and suddenly freeze. Welcome to the world of r-controlled vowels—one of the trickiest concepts in early reading that leaves many parents scratching their heads. But here’s the good news: with the right approach, you can […]
Magical moments happen every day in homes and classrooms where Jabari Asim’s books live on shelves and in hearts. His collection of children’s literature doesn’t just tell stories—it builds bridges between young readers and the joy of seeing themselves reflected in the pages they turn. Why Diverse Representation Matters for Emerging Readers When we talk […]
