Blog Posts
Parent Perspective: Skye
I am an editor. Twenty years ago, I was a wildlife biologist. In my spare time, I sell art in a gallery. Before that, I had a side gig playing steel drums in a Caribbean restaurant. I sometimes wonder how I never just settled on one thing. Somehow, I couldn't leave...
The Star Festival Literacy Activity
here is a piece of my heart I haven’t shared with you yet, mostly because I couldn’t see a connection to child literacy . . . until now! So I am extremely excited to bridge my love of reading with a country on the other side of the world.I have...
Parent Perspective: Janna
I just wrapped up my fifth year of homeschooling our daughters. It feels like I’m in school as well because we are learning together, and it is much more fun than when I was in school at their age.
How to Magically Improve Your Child’s Literacy
hen our kids were in 2nd grade, kindergarten, and preschool, my husband’s job sent him to San Diego for six weeks. The kids and I decided to tag along. To give us plenty of freedom to explore during the day, we decided to homeschool. We used...
Parent Perspective: Ryan
With Father’s Day approaching, my wife Tawny asked me to write a Father’s perspective on reading with our children. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts. While I have enjoyed putting together the technical side of this website, I have also been...
Help Your Children Learn to Love Summer Reading
s schools are letting out for summer, your kids will probably want to take a short mental/emotional break from learning. So do your best to respect their needs. But please take advantage of any summer reading programs available to you. These have...
Parent Perspective: Stacy
One of my favorite books is Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. It uses Economics to explain behavior, and at the time, it was a new and incredibly interesting way to understand the world. Chapter five is titled, “What Makes a Perfect Parent?” The...
How to Read with a Busy Child
o you have a child who is relentlessly on the go? Who refuses to slow down long enough to sit and read with you? Who seems to think books are to be used as stepping stones? No problem! I know it’s been hard on you and you’ve tried so many things....
Teacher Perspective: Shane
hat if I told you that you could join a pirate crew, have all of the adventure, and never be in personal danger? What if I told you you could fall in love with a handsome prince and have anything you ever wanted? What if I told you you could ride a...
Connecting with Your Own Story
ome children just don’t connect with reading the way others do. They’re not interested in it for school, for fun, or for any other reason. They might claim it is too boring or too hard. If this describes your child, I’d like to offer a few ideas...
Parent Perspective: Marie
Many moms are drawn to taking pictures of their kids sleeping. I’m one of them. I also have countless pictures of my kids reading books. Seeing them lost in a good book gives me that same heart-could-burst feeling you get when watching their sweet faces during a...
How to Create a Reading Haven
Taking your child’s book nook to the next level
hile reading is an activity that can be done anywhere, there is something about having a reading nook that elevates the experience. Getting cozy with a book in a relaxing, intimate, designated place can help readers lose themselves more completely...
Parent Perspective: Denise
I am grateful for the opportunity to talk about the importance of reading and the benefits that it can provide in improving mental health. I am a licensed mental health counselor and have been working with children and families since 2010. First of all, I would like...
Switch it Up
Making Adjustments to Improve Reading Time
If you aren’t happy with how things are going, I encourage you to try a new approach. Please remember that doing things differently from other families does NOT mean you’re failing in any way. It means you are tailoring your reading to your children’s needs and being a great parent.
Parent Perspective: Karen
The hope is that these books will take them on adventures, make them laugh out loud, teach them something new, help them view the world through someone else’s eyes, and develop their love of reading.
Ex Libris
Inscribing Bookplates with Your Child's Name
The bestowal of books, of stories, of words is incredibly meaningful to me. It is the offering of communication and learning, the opportunity for cuddles and closeness, the promise of time spent together imagining, adventuring, feeling.
Parent Perspective: Nitza
From the time my first child was probably 9 months old, or at least old enough to enjoy looking at pictures in books, I have taken my kids often to the library. It was the source of our reading together.
Why Reading Matters to Our Family
Our older kids may not have our genes, but we all share a love of books, which has helped us to bond almost more than anything else.
Parent Perspective: Andrea
Do You Really Care If I Read?
I have five beautifully challenging children. Two are diagnosed as “on the spectrum” with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and Adult Defiance Disorder, two are diagnosed with ADHD, and the last is still yet to be seen. From early morning until late at night every...
Find an Audience for Your Reader
Varying your child’s reading audience is beneficial for both you and your child.