Why Decodable Books Matter More Than You Think
Your child has been learning letter sounds for weeks. They can tell you that “s” says /s/ and “a” says /a/ and “t” says /t/. Then you hand them a…
Your family plays a big role in helping your child learn to read and write. With the right phonics activities at home, you can support your child’s literacy development and academic success. The more you understand how and why phonics instruction works, the better you can facilitate effective and meaningful learning experiences with your family.
To help your child practice phonics at home, read our insights for parents below! You can also browse our phonics program reviews for more.
Your kindergartener rushes to the tablet each morning, eager to earn more badges in...
Your fourth grader breezes through simple stories but stumbles over science textbooks. She can...
Your child confidently identifies the letter M on Monday. By Wednesday, they stare at...
January brings fresh energy and clean slates. You’ve organized closets, cleared out old toys,...
New Year’s resolutions aren’t just for adults. January offers the perfect opportunity to set...
The new year brings more than just resolutions and fresh calendars. For parents of...
Family literacy traditions work because they remove the daily negotiation. When reading becomes “what...
Many parents watch their children’s hard-won phonics skills fade during extended school holidays, but...
Your child watches snowflakes drift past the window, clutching a mug of warm apple...
The menorah glows on the kitchen counter. Your preschooler watches the first candle flicker...
Your child has been learning letter sounds for weeks. They can tell you that “s” says /s/ and “a” says /a/ and “t” says /t/. Then you hand them a…
Right now, you’re reading these words without thinking about how you’re doing it. Your brain is instantly converting letters into sounds and sounds into meaning, all in milliseconds. But there…
Most parents celebrate when their child can sound out words on a page. That’s a huge milestone. But here’s what often gets overlooked: decoding is not the finish line. A…
Before a child ever sees a letter on a page, their brain is already building the architecture for reading. It happens through thousands of hours of being spoken to, sung…
Your child passed the eye exam with flying colors, but they still mix up “b” and “d,” lose their place on the page, and get frustrated every time they sit…
Your family speaks Spanish at home, but your child is learning to read in English at school. Or perhaps your household runs on Mandarin, Arabic, or Somali, and your kindergartener…
Most people assume phonics and hearing loss don’t belong in the same sentence. After all, phonics is about sounds, and hearing loss means limited access to sound, right? It’s a…
Your toddler points at the dog, lights up with excitement, but stays silent. Meanwhile, the child next door is already stringing sentences together. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.…
There’s a moment that many first-grade parents describe with the same kind of wonder, the moment their child picks up a book and just… reads it. Not perfectly, not without…
There is a well-documented shift that occurs around third grade, which literacy researchers have studied for decades. In the early grades, children are learning to read. By third grade, they…