Here’s a tip that may help your child’s writing. Half of me (professionally) is a writer, and the other half is an editor. I edit books, articles and speeches; I’ve been doing it about 20 years or so, and over the years I’ve discovered some common traps people get into […]
Tag: tips
Reading Incentive: KidsCash
Try KidsCash to get your kid reading. If you’re looking for an incentive to get your kid to read, you may want to take a look at KidsCash. I saw this product on Breakfast Television, and I think it could be applied really well to help encourage kids to read. […]
Physical literacy games
It’s a good idea to link learning to physical activity. I was inspired this week by my son’s teacher, who was teaching them fractions by having them throw balls into various buckets marked 1/7, 1/3, 1/4, etc. They had to add them up and avoid making an improper fraction. I […]
Read the signs
Signs are great “flash cards.” The other day, I was speaking with a mom whose son is having some trouble with reading. It was recommended that he start learning “whole words.” (As opposed to phonetically sounding things out.) I’m all for the whole-word approach to learning to read. It’s a […]
Read to your child. Every day.
It’s the single most important thing you can do to get your kid reading. Statistics show that if you read to your child, every day, even for 10 minutes – it’s likely that your child will grow up to become a reader. The New York Times recently published a heartwarming […]
Read what your kid’s reading
My son’s copy of Percy Jackson has two bookmarks in it—his and mine. We’re both reading it. Not only is it a great series and a lot of fun to read, but I’m realizing there are huge benefits to reading what he’s reading. The best part is catching those really […]
Get your video-kid reading
Kids can be into video games and enjoy reading, too! Your child loves video games but isn’t a big reader? No problem. Here are some tips that will get your video-loving kid reading. 1) GO WITH THE FLOW. Studies show that kids are more apt to read things that interest […]
Getting active kids reading
Sitting and reading is not the only way. At age five, girls are able to sit still and listen about 2.5 times longer than boys, according to studies. But we don’t need research to tell us that most boys would rather get up and move around than sit and read. […]
Bubblegum writing
Another tip from Lori Jamison, speaking at the recent Reading for the Love of It conference. When she’s trying to get young children to sound out words, she calls it “bubblegum writing.” She tells them to pretend the word they want to write–let’s say, “camping”–is a piece of bubblegum. With […]
Early writers – adding detail
Yes, Lori Jamison’s workshop was packed. And for good reason. Here’s another excellent tip she shared. When her kindergarteners were starting to write sentences (towards the end of JK or in SK), they would write this way: “I like my cat.” And that would be it. I’m finished, teacher! How […]
