The holiday season – which in my mind runs from mid-October to January 1 – can bring out the best or the worst in all of us. In a typical year, this season brings feelings of anticipation, stress, excitement, joy, hope, exhaustion, or even depression. Most of you may routinely ask yourself how to prepare…
You know your children need to read every day – their teachers have been telling you this for years. And you know that reading will help them to be successful in school, not to mention paving the way for a better future. You try to encourage reading at home. But the pushback! Whining. Complaining. Pouting….
Why do children need to learn to read? What are the real benefits of reading for children outside of managing to graduate from high school (which is, of course, important!). Is reading just a tool to be used for formal education? Or is it something more. Short answer: it’s something more. Longer answer: keep reading!…
Children master many major accomplishments in their early lives. Learning to sit, stand, walk, run, and jump. Learning to feed themselves, dress themselves, and brush their teeth. Most parents don’t worry too much about these extraordinary feats. But when it comes to children learning to read, most parents seem to worry. And I understand that….
Reading aloud is so critical for preschoolers. As a former elementary teacher with a doctorate in literacy, I know how important this foundation is. You can read more about the why and how, but now I’m sharing 20 of my favorite books to read aloud with preschoolers. I plan to eventually write posts about reading…