Pleasure reading and assigned reading are not mutually-exclusive activities Have you ever taken pause to consider your personal literary history? I remember back to my senior year, an honors English class where I was asked to do this very exercise. It is remarkable how influential the very first pieces of text you consumed are. They …
Young kids love to read the same book over and over again. Their developing brains see new things in the pictures and better understand the story each time they read it. Plus, the consistency of seeing the same story unfold the same way each time helps children develop a strong sense of sequencing and process. …
It’s not enough to say that home libraries are important. We need to take it a step further and ask why home libraries are important and how we can help build your student\’s home library. Why a home library? Let’s start with this: “Children growing up in homes with many books get 3 years more …
In second and third grade, your child will be what teachers call “an emerging reader” — one who knows a bit about phonics, can sound out unfamiliar words, and has memorized a short list of sight words (the words that don\’t sound out easily such as DOUGHNUT which a reader who hadn’t memorized that word, …
If you’re a reader, you’re familiar with the pull of another world. You’ve slipped into other lives to become fairies and dragon slayers, adventurers, and heroes. Now you want your child to experience new adventures and far-off lands, while tucked safely in their beds at home. Opening the door for them shouldn’t be stressful. I …
As your fairly typical “boy mom”, I can tell you I’ve seen just about every kind of graphic novel for kids. Long before my son discovered Marvel and DC superheroes, he found Captain Underpants, The Adventures of Dogman, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, to name a few. Perhaps at first glance, graphic novels or …
Kelli Bush with Elizabethtown Independent Schools highlights 5 keys to a successful summer reading initiative, such as Kids Read Now. In her eSchoolNews, December 2020 article, she explains how her district\’s dedication and the Kids Read Now in-home summer reading program are changing her students\’ reading habits for the better. Read the full article here.
Many kids survive in a \”book desert\” without access to books. Let’s rain books onto every child to create a book oasis instead. “Something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast.” Oh, wait… that’s an oasis. During this current crisis, many of us have spent time creating our own oasis with multiple trips to Home …
Empowering kids to make their own choices Being a kid can be rough sometimes. Sure, as adults we look back at all the snack times recesses and naptimes that we took for granted, but kids oftentimes don’t have much of a voice when it comes to curricula, learning plans, and homework. Ask just about any …
How to encourage kids to learn to love reading now, for a lifetime\’s worth of benefits Learning to read is arguably one of the most fundamental lessons learned as a child. Helping your children to learn to love reading is one of the most valuable gifts they can receive. Reading doesn’t have to be chore …
