Decodable books
How to Choose a Decodable Book
Check one book page against the spellings your child has learned. Print In the Box for a shared reading, drawing and book-making turn.
ReadPals
Parent, reading-science obsessive, and part of the team behind ReadPals. I write the guide I wish I'd had when my own child got stuck.
Parents
Why English Keeps Silent Letters
Why do knight, write and lamb keep letters we do not say? Follow the history that left old sounds and borrowed spellings on the page.
Family activities
Make a Three-Scene Halloween Story
Print a three-frame story strip. Let your child draw a beginning, a change and an ending, then fold and open the pictures to tell their Halloween story.
Kindergarten reading
What Should a Kindergartener Be Able to Read?
A calm fall-to-spring guide to kindergarten reading skills, with simple examples and five-minute activities you can try together at home.
Phonics at home
How to teach blending (sounding out words): a parent's step-by-step guide
A clear, step-by-step guide to teaching your child to blend sounds into words: oral blending, continuous sounds, CVC words, what to try when it's stuck, and 5-minute daily practice.
struggling-readers
When Reading Ends in Tears: How to Turn the Nightly Fight into Calm Practice
If reading practice turns into a fight every night — the stalling, the tears, the guilt — you're not failing. Here's how to make it calm again.
struggling-readers
He Knows His Letter Sounds but Can't Blend Them — Here's What to Do Tonight
Your child can say c–a–t but the word never clicks into 'cat.' This is one of the most common — and most fixable — reading snags. Here's exactly what to do.
struggling-readers
Why Does My Child Guess at Words Instead of Reading Them?
Your child looks at the first letter — or the picture — and guesses. Here's why it happens, why sounding out pays off more, and how to gently make the switch.
struggling-readers
Is It Too Late for My Child to Catch Up on Reading? What the Research Really Says
Lying awake wondering if you waited too long? The honest answer, what the research really says, and the first step that changes everything.
dyslexia
Is It Dyslexia, or Is My Child Just Behind? A Plain-English Guide to the Signs
Wondering if it's dyslexia or just a delay? A calm, plain-English guide to the real signs, the b/d-reversal myth, and what to do either way.
struggling-readers
Is My Child Really Behind in Reading — or Just a Late Bloomer? (And When a Little Extra Help Makes a Big Difference)
Late bloomer or actually stuck? A warm, honest guide to rough guideposts at 6, 7, and 8 — and when a little extra help makes a big difference.