There are a lot of children who have trouble reading. If your child has trouble reading, there is a good chance they are not interested in sitting down to read a full-length book. It can be intimidating to read a wall of text, and many children do not have attention spans that are suitable for full-length novels. In this situation, it may be better to use graphic novels instead. There are several reasons why graphic novels can help children who are struggling with reading. Th

What can you do to help your child when they are having reading difficulties? As a parent, you may be at a loss of how to help, or perhaps you have tried to help and your efforts have fallen short. First, it’s important to understand what may be the root cause of their difficulties. Second, understanding exactly what the area is that they are experiencing difficulty with such as spelling or remembering facts. We want to share a resource with you to help you help your child wi

This is a charming article from Christena Ensign’s mother’s collection. Our mothers were born in the 40’s and taught in the 70’s-90’s and our dads were golf buddies. This article is just as applicable today as it was all of those years ago. Getting a Jump on Literacy Reading doesn’t just happen automatically for every youngster. And while the jury’s still out on how young is too young to get started, here are 10 things parents can do to get the ball rolling: Talk with your ki

Do you feel your child is reading more slowly than others their age? Reading is a process and certain skills are required. There are many reasons that a child may read slowly. For instance, perhaps they want to think about what they are reading rather than fly right through it. They may be having trouble staying focused among other things. Reading slowly doesn’t mean your child is deficient, but knowing why it may be happening can help you understand if they need help. Unders

The foundation for reading is laid at a very early stage in life. Yet, children’s reading skills develop at their own pace. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a guideline to know if your child is on track with their reading skills? During age 5, they may be able to retell a story using pictures or words while at ages 6-7 they begin to learn spelling rules and from ages 8-10 they can understand similes and metaphors. This is an invitation for you to grab this guideline of reading ski

Dyslexia can be a challenge for kids, not only with their reading, but also in their language. Furthermore, dyslexia may show up differently at different ages of child development. For example, in pre-school it may show up as switching letters in words, such as saying beddy tear instead of teddy bear. In kindergarten through 2nd grade it may show up as confusing letters that look similar or that have similar sounds. Understood.org has written a list of symptoms to help you id

Dear Parents, The study of the brain has evolved quite a bit and even though there is still so much of our brain’s function that is being discovered, what we are learning now is absolutely mind blowing. As an example, did you know that reading changes the brain? It’s interesting to note that our brains are not hardwired to read. It’s something we learn and apply in order for changes to be made. Yet for children with dyslexia the changes in the brain are different. Understood.

Image credit: Understood.org Dear Parents, Have you heard of Accelerated Reader? It’s a reading program that your child may currently be using it at school. It encourages independent reading at the child’s own level or pace. Whether you have heard of it or not you should be informed about what it is and how it works. Accelerated Reader may also be very helpful for those students who struggle with reading, learning and attention issues due to its personalized approach with the

Many of you have children who have seen or been evaluated by a neuropsychologist. All of them diagnose kids’ deficiencies in executive function skills. In a previous newsletter & blog post, I gave you a general overview of these skills. Today, I am going to focus on working memory. Working Memory, Defined Working memory is “the ability to hold information in memory while performing complex tasks. It incorporates the ability to draw on past learning or experience to apply to t

Learning to read can be fun for some kids, and difficult for others. For young kids, the start of school can be a time of anticipation, newness and nervousness. Reading school-themed books with your child can help ease the transition. Here are some great lists of books for your preschool and young reader: 8 Great Books for Kids Who Are Starting Preschool and KindergartenOur family favorite book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. What’s yours? #understoodorg #reading #preschool #read

Summer is a great time to read books as a family.  Pull out all of those fun picture books on your shelves, read a novel that everyone will love, or give each person a novel and have “summer reading time.”  Do it at dusk, in the backyard, with the sounds of summer around you.  Or read on an airplane, in a cabin, or in a hotel for a bit.  I love reading in the dark, on my phone, on my back porch swing! I have a ton of my kids’ favorite picture books on my shelves.  When my kid