Your child sounds out a word: “b-oy… boy!” Then they encounter “boil” and pause. “Is that b-oy-l?” They’re puzzled because these letter combinations look similar but behave differently. You want to help, but diphthongs can feel confusing even to adults. Here’s the good news: Diphthongs follow predictable patterns. Once your child understands how they work, […]
The teacher’s email arrives: “We’d like to discuss moving your child to Tier 2 interventions.” Your heart races. What does that mean? Is your child failing? Are they being held back? Should you worry? Take a deep breath. Response to Intervention isn’t a label or a punishment. It’s actually a framework designed to help your […]
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 […]
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… […]
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 […]
Your Pre-K child curled up beside you, eyes wide with wonder as you turn the pages of a beautifully illustrated book. The artwork captures their imagination while the carefully crafted text builds essential pre-reading skills. This magical combination is exactly what makes Caldecott Medal winners such powerful tools for developing early literacy. Understanding the Caldecott […]
Your child scrolls through their device, giggling at pictures of cats with funny captions and sharing memes faster than you can keep up. Before you dismiss this as mindless entertainment, consider this: those silly images with text might actually be sneaky reading practice in disguise. Welcome to the unexpected world where internet culture meets literacy […]
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 four-year-old asks big questions. “Why do we have different families?” “What does a mayor do?” “Where do firefighters sleep?” These aren’t just cute kid questions; they’re the foundation of social studies learning! PreK children (typically 4-5 year olds in the year before kindergarten) are natural social scientists, observing their world and trying to make […]
The appointment’s running late. Traffic’s not moving. The restaurant table isn’t ready yet. Sound familiar? Kids spend hours waiting every week—and most of that time gets wasted on meltdowns, boredom, and “Are we there yet?” Instead, smart parents turn those moments into reading goldmines. Here’s your game plan for making the most out of every […]
