There are so many ways to motivate students to read over the holidays! Just as important as motivating them to read is understanding why it's crucial for students to continue reading during this time. While this time of year brings welcome rest and celebration, it also offers a wonderful opportunity to support literacy growth at home in simple, meaningful ways. Teachers, it's important to communicate this with parents and provide ways for them to motivate their children to re

There are many engaging speech therapy games that can easily be done at home! This post features speech therapy games for kids that support articulation development for young children.

Summer is rapidly approaching, and chances are you are just as ready for a break from the school year as your children! Summer is a wonderful time to rest, travel, and recharge. However, it does not have to be a time in which your child loses ground in their academic skills. Prioritizing daily reading during the summer is essential to maintaining your child's reading success all year long. Just a few minutes of reading each day can go a long way! While this is not an exclusi

Parents, be aware ! Just because a book has its own "Pre-reader" label printed on the front, it may not really be an appropriate text for your young child! Personally, (and professionally) I have reached my limit of tolerance with these so-called "levels." Today, I am sharing my thoughts on this topic... Recently, my personal children and I went to Barnes and Noble. I told them they could both pick out a new book, and I spent the first few minutes with my 8-year-old, discuss

Today I want to share a tip that can have a huge impact on the process of teaching Red Words using the arm-tap method. I am always thrilled to see teachers using this method with their students because it is tremendously successful for many students-particularly our dyslexic learners. However, there is one little detail that is often overlooked in the routine. The arm-tap method is a cornerstone Orton Gillingham technique for instruction with red words (or you may refer to th

I absolutely love teaching in the spring. I love studying changes in the weather (because we are all excited to see some sunshine), and the life cycles of plants and animals. It's a wonderful time to incorporate very relevant science concepts into the daily learning for children of all ages. COVID-19 has brought about many changes this year, but thank goodness, it has not kept the flowers from blooming! Spring is still here, to be enjoyed. So I have helped my own children dev

I am sharing an easy craft that can be used with children of all ages. However, it is an effective preschool craft for several reasons. This easy, hands-on activity will allow your preschooler to do each of the following: (1) reinforce colors (2) practice fine motor skills (3) learn a basic scientific concept To make it even better, very little preparation is required! This activity was primarily intended for my 5-year-old, but you will see glimpses in which my 3-year-old

Yesterday, I shared some tips for Preschool Learning at Home. If you missed that post, you can access it here . In summary, when planning or choosing activities for your preschooler at home, you want to make sure your activities are as hands-on as possible and are specifically relevant to the world around them. Activities that meet these guidelines will likely have a greater impact on your child's learning. Today, I want to provide one very specific, easy activity for letter

So, you are stuck at home with your preschooler, and you have no idea what to do? Or if you REALLY need to do anything at all, because we're talking about preschool, right? Is it that important? Yes. Absolutely yes. However ... before you push the panic button, pin 1,324 ideas on Pinterest, make an Amazon shopping list that will break the bank, and then sit and cry real tears, overwhelmed by it all before you have even really began working with your child... Before all that