Sometimes parents have no idea if their child will be a struggling reader or not. It’s best to have some solid practices in teaching reading to avoid delays and confusion as much as possible.

Poor examples of letter sounds can be found in ABUNDANCE in children’s ABC books and on learning charts found in random stores like grocery stores or dollar stores near the beginning of the school year.

I remember this one board book my son used to have. It showed a SHARK for the letter S. However, I knew that children should really learn the individual sound the S makes before learning the digraph, SH. It can cause unnecessary confusion for young learners.

Let’s go through a few other examples of what NOT TO DO.

Kindergarten is one of the most popular topics on my Youtube channel. Parents seem to be more involved at that age.

There is a meme out there showing kindergarten parents peeking into a classroom on the first day of school, not wanting to leave followed by another photo of middle school parents speeding off (ready to leave). Have you seen this meme?

There are many unique activities that take place in a traditional kindergarten. Will your child miss out if you choose to homeschool?

I think that is a question on many parents’ minds as they consider homeschool. Leave a comment below if you have had a similar thought.

Did you ever sit and listen to your child read, but a longer word comes up with a vowel team or a bossy r and your child does NOT recognize it?

Here are a few examples:

crowned display person turning light bowling

Your child might sound out the word letter-by-letter like this:

“c-r-o-w-n-e-d”

So what do I mean by “smart kids?” I’m referring to children who:

—can speak with an adult and hold a conversation

—have a developed vocabulary

—are able to ponder “what if'“ and “why” questions about the world around them

—are good readers who retain what they’ve read

—skilled at math, both in the concepts and fact fluency

In the general population, these traits are some of the things that earn a child a reputation for being a “smart kid.”

Now that that’s defined, let’s dig in!

Are you concerned for your child entering kindergarten?

Many parents are nervous and excited when their child finally enters kindergarten, and they start to wonder, “Are they ready?”

Perhaps they’ve heard that kindergarten is different these days.

Learning to read is an exciting time for children. It truly opens up a whole new world. Parents soon learn that they can no longer even spell out words in front of their child when they need to discuss something without their child understanding.

Copy machines have only been around so long. That means worksheets and printables have only been around so long as well.

How on earth did people learn to read before the invention of the copy machine?!

It seems that no matter where you look, you see lots of worksheets and workbooks required in learning to read. I’m here to tell you that I taught all three of my children to read without worksheets.

If you find yourself nodding off through your child’s reading, then it could be the case your child needs more FLUENCY in their reading.

Fluency is “reading like you speak.” It’s not about a race to read as many words as quickly as possible.

In fact, many teachers send fluency passages as homework for a child to read and reread. Some of them time the children on their speed and accuracy of reading, but I have not always found that helpful for every student in my personal tutoring experience. (Many of my students were given anxiety over that). I find just more reading practice helps with fluency.

When your child was a toddler, you read board books.

When your child was a preschooler, you read picture books.

When your child was 5, he went to school. Then, his teacher read aloud to him. You might have even had him read homework called “fluency passages.”

Now, I know some of you out there are what I call “reader families.” Every person in the family has a book they are reading! It is the family fun thing to do.

THIS IS NOT MOST FAMILIES.

I talk often about having a busy lifestyle. I’m sure if you ask ANY parent, they would say that they are busy—and there is no way around that.

This post is to encourage you to evaluate HOW are you busy.

You may have an extenuating circumstance, like being a caregiver for a loved one with special needs.

You might be single parenting with not many family members living nearby.

What is it that makes you so busy?

Now, the answer to THAT question is PERSONAL to you. Only you can answer it.

But before you do, write some things out:

Many people may say, “Handwriting doesn’t need to be taught. It doesn’t matter because we are in a digital world.”

But many parents I speak with continue to ask and wonder, “How come they don’t teach handwriting anymore in school?”

Perhaps on this blog post I can get some currently employed teachers to chime in on the issue from their state and local school.

Are teachers teaching handwriting?

There’s a ton of advice I can give a child when middle school is the next step. I can give advice on friendships, being responsible, and building trust.

However, this post is all about the academic advice I gave to my tutoring student and his mom as they begin the adventure of middle school in a couple of weeks when school begins. My student attends a 5-8 grade middle school locally.

So what did I tell him and his mom?

Homeschooling has had quite the publicity in recent years, and there are PLENTY OF OPINIONS that are going around about it. Today I’m sharing my observations and opinions regarding homeschooling.

Let’s start with the answer you’re looking for. Everyone is looking for a different answer.

Perhaps you have reservations about homeschooling your children. Some common ones are:

—You’re not sure how to teach several children of different ages.

—You’re unsure of the material that’s needed to be taught.

—You’re overwhelmed by the curriculum and the laws regarding homeschooling.

—You’re concerned that your child will miss out on parties, friends, and other things.

—You’re scared to teach difficult subjects.

Children love to rhyme just like they love to match clothes. The cheesier a joke is—the better!

But, why should YOU make an effort to include rhymes in your child’s life?

Rhyming is a pre-reading skill. That means the better a child hears rhyme and produces rhyme, the easier the connection will be to reading.

If you think about how rhyming words switch out the beginning sounds, children can start to hear different sounds in words and where those sounds are placed in the words.

When children are toddlers and preschoolers, parents often like to teach them little tricks to show off how smart or talented they are. Sometimes it’s throwing a ball. Sometimes it’s making the sound of an animal or giving a high five. One of those things is singing the ABC song—but is it ENOUGH?

Let’s think about it for a minute. Just like when a child learns to count, there will be some content that is reversed or accidentally skipped over. For example, your child might sing, “A, B, C, D, E, F, G, K, L, M. . .” We know that MOST young children get a little confused on the “L, M, N, O, P” part too. The ABC song is such a part of our culture that many of us haven’t stopped to think, “Is there another way?”

Have you ever seen those videos for products that teach your baby to read?

Perhaps you’ve seen products that advertise your child can learn to read within two weeks.

Those always seem so gimmicky to me

“I’m new to homeschooling! I’m so overwhelmed by the curriculum options and have no idea where to begin!”

Have you heard anyone say this? Perhaps that someone is you or perhaps a friend.

You’ll be relieved to know you are not alone.

If you’ve just decided to homeschool, it is normal to be a little nervous. Once you start digging in to all the options, it’s normal to be overwhelmed. There are SO MANY OPTIONS!

School is just around the corner! Many of you have enjoyed a vacation or Independence Day. The next thing on your list is perhaps school shopping or Tax Free Day.

You might be reflecting on just how short the summer is. You might be regretting you “didn’t get around to” doing something you needed to do regarding your child’s learning.

I want you to know that YOU HAVE THE POWER to make a difference for your child. If not you, then who?

We all had our “marks” in school on a report card. I recently saw my dad’s second grade report card. I was shocked his grades weren’t “up to par.” He then told me that as a second grade boy he was more concerned about playing. Dad went on to become a teacher, a leader in his church, and a writer. Did his second grade scores accurately reflect what he was learning at the time or truly capable of? I was an honor roll child, feeling like I just knew everything there was to know but not motivated to learn more on my own without those marks and rewards.