Blog
Expert advice on teaching your child to read - backed by science, written for parents.
Why Writing Spelling Words Ten Times Doesn't Work (and What Does)
Copying spelling words ten times each barely works. Research shows testing from memory, with the right correction, beats copying - here's the exact routine.
Your Child Might Not Actually Be Reading (Here's How to Tell)
Is your child really reading or just memorizing books? Learn the five quick tests that reveal the difference between decoding and expert guessing.
Stop Saying 'Buh': The Tiny Pronunciation Mistake That Breaks Blending
Saying 'buh' for B seems harmless, but that extra 'uh' is why your child can't blend b-a-t into bat. Learn to say pure letter sounds - and fix blending fast.
What Your Child's Spelling Mistakes Are Really Telling You
Your child's spelling mistakes are a diagnostic goldmine. Learn to decode 'dg' for dog and 'fip' for flip - and know exactly which reading skill to work on next.
Watch Your Chin: The Mirror Trick for Kids Who Leave Out Vowels
Child leaving out vowels when spelling, or mixing up F and TH? A dollar-store mirror and your own chin can fix it. Here's the mouth-based phonics trick.
What to Say When Your Child Misreads a Word (Not 'Sound It Out')
When your child misreads a word, what you say next matters. Learn the three-step correction that reading teachers use instead of 'sound it out' or telling the word.
Why Reading the Same Book Again Isn't Cheating
Feel like re-reading the same book is cheating? Research says repeated oral reading is the single best fluency builder. Here's how to do it right at home.
Silent Reading Time Isn't Teaching Your Struggling Reader
Told to have your struggling reader do 20 minutes of silent reading a night? Here's why silent reading doesn't help kids who can't decode yet - and what does.
Why Reading Tests Use Fake Words Like 'Zim' and 'Vop'
Why is your child being tested on nonsense words like zim and vop? Fake words are the only guess-proof reading test - here's what they measure and why they matter.
The Decoding Dragon and the Snowman Game: Making 'No Guessing' Fun
Telling a child 'stop guessing' doesn't work. These four teacher-tested games - the Decoding Dragon, the Snowman Game, the T-chart, and gems - actually do.
Say It Like 'Fry-End': The Weird Trick for Words That Break the Rules
How do kids remember to spell friend, Wednesday, and people? Say the word the way it's spelled - 'fry-end,' 'Wed-nes-day.' Here's why this silly trick works.
From Zero to Hippopotamus: What Your Child Will Read in 101 Lessons
The lesson-by-lesson journey from a single letter sound to decoding 'hippopotamus' - what a child actually reads at lessons 1, 10, 50, and 101.
What Most Reading Apps Get Wrong (and What to Look For Instead)
An 8-point checklist for choosing a phonics app: letter sounds vs names, cumulative sequence, decodable text, heart words, nonsense words, and pacing.
Why 15 Minutes Is the Perfect Reading Lesson Length (and Why Longer Is Worse)
Is 15 minutes of reading practice a day enough? The working-memory science says it beats longer sessions - and why 30-minute lessons can backfire.
Glued Sounds: Why -ing, -ank, and -unk Are Taught as One Chunk
What are glued sounds (welded sounds)? Why -ing, -ang, -ink, and -unk can't be sounded out letter by letter, and how to teach these chunks at home.
Multisensory Reading Instruction: What VAKT Means and Why It Works
Multisensory reading instruction engages visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile pathways at once. Here's the VAKT method and how to use it at home.
ER, IR, or UR? The Spelling Rule for the /er/ Sound
Er ir ur spelling made simple: three spellings, one sound. Learn the positional tendencies that help kids pick the right one in her, girl, and hurt.
R-Controlled Vowels: How Bossy R Changes Car, Corn, Girl, Hurt, and Fern
R-controlled vowels explained for parents: why Bossy R makes the vowel lose its sound in car, corn, and girl, why er/ir/ur all sound alike, and how to practice.
What Are Decodable Books? (And Why They Beat Leveled Readers)
Decodable books use only the sounds your child has been taught, so every word is readable. Here's how they work and what to look for when buying them.
Open and Closed Syllables: Why 'Hi' Is Long but 'Him' Is Short
Open and closed syllables explained for parents: why the vowel in 'hi' says its name but 'him' is short, and how this one concept unlocks big words like robot.
Heart Words: The Right Way to Teach Irregular Words Like Said and Was
What are heart words? Why said, was, and of need a heart over just the tricky part - and why they're the only words your child should memorize.
The Six Syllable Types: The CLOVER Trick That Makes Big Words Readable
The six syllable types (CLOVER) explained for parents: closed, consonant-le, open, vowel team, magic E, r-controlled - with examples and when kids learn each.
CK, TCH, and DGE Spelling Rules: The Short Vowel Bodyguards
The ck, tch, and dge spelling rules explained: why back, patch, and badge get extra letters after a short vowel, plus exceptions like much, rich, and which.
What Order to Teach Letter Sounds (Hint: Not Alphabetical)
Wondering what order to teach letter sounds? Not A-B-C. Here's the research-backed sequence that gets kids reading real words within days, not months.
No English Word Ends in V: The Rule Behind Have, Give, and Love
No English word ends in v - that's why have, give, and love need a silent e. Learn how this differs from magic e, plus the sister rule for i, u, and j.
Why Your Child Guesses Words Instead of Sounding Them Out
If your child guesses words instead of sounding them out, fatigue is usually the real culprit. Learn the warning signs and the five fixes that stop guessing.
The C or K Spelling Rule: Why It's 'Cat' but 'Kite'
The c or k spelling rule made simple: use C before a, o, u and K before e, i, y. Plus when words end in -ck, -k, or -c, and easy ways to practice at home.
The Magic E Rule: How a Silent E Makes Vowels Say Their Name
The magic e rule explained for parents: how a silent e turns cap into cape and kit into kite, plus simple flip games to practice at home.
The FLOSS Rule: Why Kids Spell It 'Buz' and How to Fix It
Learn the FLOSS rule: why words like cliff, bell, miss, and buzz double the final letter, the exceptions (bus, gas, yes), and how to practice at home.
What Is Orton-Gillingham? A Parent's Guide to the Gold Standard of Reading Instruction
What is Orton-Gillingham? A plain-English parent's guide to the OG approach: its origins, the 7 key components, and how to spot truly OG-aligned programs.
Sold a Story Podcast Explained: What Parents Need to Know
The Sold a Story podcast exposed how American schools taught reading wrong for decades. What parents should watch for, and what actually works.
How to Teach Your Child to Read at Home: A Complete Guide
Learn the proven, step-by-step method for teaching your child to read at home using systematic phonics. Covers ages 3-8, with practical activities you can start today.
Phonics vs Sight Words: What the Science Actually Says
The phonics vs sight words debate has a clear winner. Here's what 40+ years of reading research tells us about the most effective way to teach children to read.