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Keeping your child’s interest in reading is important but can be difficult if you have a child who is struggling to read. Step up — high interest low readability books. These books will keep a child’s interest while being easier to read for them. There are a variety of publishers that cater to this genre of books Hooking Your Child on Reading Is your child frustrated and uninterested in reading? If they are reading books that are too difficult to read or not of interest, they may not want to […]

With Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s time for a roundup of kids books for dads. Find some snuggle time and sit down to read together with these great finds. Why Should Dads Read With Their Children? More often than not, especially with younger children, we think of Moms reading with the kids. However, dads need to share this time with their kids as well. Studies have shown that dads interact differently than moms when reading books with their children. This can have an impact on language development as […]

Reading fluently is an important skill. It means that your child is reading quickly with accuracy and with intonation. As the amount of reading expected in the later grades increases, the importance of fluent reading increases as well. There are strategies to improve reading fluency that can easily be incorporated into daily homework routines. At Home The easiest way to build fluency is to do repeated readings of a text. Try to pick a short text or poem that they can easily read for this purpose. If the text is […]

“The Way Get Started Is To Quit Talking And Begin Doing.” – Walt Disney Sometimes it seems that it is an uphill battle with homework, especially if your child is struggling in certain areas. How to motivate my child to learn? These are some strategies that will make those homework times a bit easier. Setting up a Routine While this may not seem like a motivator, when kids know what to expect they can get right down to it. Start at the same time each day and keep an area […]

“If you hear a voice within you that says ‘You cannot paint’, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced ” – Vincent Van Gogh Struggling at a task that seems easy to others and that you are putting lots of effort in without seeing results can erode self-confidence. That’s why it is important to find ways of building self-confidence in kids who are struggling to read and write. What is self-confidence? The Lexico Oxford English Dictionary definition of self-confidence is a “trust in one’s abilities, qualities […]

Learning can be a fun and enjoyable activity if the right supports are in place. We can build good study habits for kids. Creating a Routine Building a study routine is very important. Your child will begin to know when their study or homework time is and how long they are expected to work. You can use a timer as needed so that your child can see visually how long they have to continue working. Your location should have a comfortable chair and table where your child can work. While […]

Writing in a journal can start early and can help build and keep kids interest in writing. Sometimes you need a little help to find kids journal topics that are age appropriate. Types of journals Your child might use a journal in different ways. Here are some examples of types of journals your child might use: gratitude journal travel journal daily journal creative writing journal art journal . What to write Staring at a blank page, you or your child might not be able to think about what to write. […]

Finding books that are interesting but at a level that is appropriate for your child can be challenging. Many books for young children are written for an adult to read. Others are too low level and not interesting if your child is older. The selection at your local bookstore or library may be limited. What are the best books for learning to read? Types of supported readers and text There are different types of texts which provide some support to children learning to read. Decodable texts are written to maximize […]

Both phonemic awareness and phonological awareness are important skills to master for learning to read well. Studies have shown that strong skills in these areas are predictors of strong readers in the early grades. It is important to note that these are learned skills and for most children that means they will need to be worked on directly in order to learn therm. Phonemic vs. Phonological awareness vs. phonics Phonological awareness is a term which refers to the ability to manipulate larger units of oral language ( e.g. words, onsets […]

Reading is a learned skill and some children will have more difficulties than others. It is important to know what to look for and recognize early on where there might be difficulties. There is a link between early speech and language skills and skills needed for learning to read. In the book Time to Talk, the authors lay out what the connection is between speech and language and learning to read and some early signs your child might be having difficulties. Components of Reading Decoding – mapping of the speech […]