Blog
Expert advice on teaching your child to read - backed by science, written for parents.
Every guide lists its sources. How we research.
Getting Started
Where to begin teaching reading at home, and what the research says about how.
The Simple View of Reading and Scarborough's Rope, Explained
The Simple View of Reading and Scarborough's Rope, explained for parents: why decoding and language comprehension both must develop for real reading.
Is Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons Worth It?
An honest review of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons: what the 1983 program gets right, its real drawbacks, and what a modern app keeps or changes.
Does Writing Help Reading? What the Research Shows
Writing and reading reinforce each other more than most parents realize. Here's what the research says about dictation and writing about what you read.
Why You Should Keep Reading Aloud Above Your Child's Level
Why reading aloud books above your child's own reading level still matters once they start decoding on their own, and how it builds vocabulary and knowledge.
Why Letter of the Week Is Too Slow for Most Young Kids
Letter of the week feels thorough, but research on alphabet instruction finds it's too slow for most children. Here's what to do instead, and why.
Teaching Handwriting at Home: Grip, Letters, and Order
A practical guide to teaching handwriting at home: pencil grip, which letters to teach first, and how to group similar letters so formation becomes automatic.
Letter Names or Sounds First? What the Research Says
Should you teach letter names or sounds first? Here's what the research actually recommends, and why the honest answer is neither one alone.
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.
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.
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.
What Is Orton-Gillingham? A Parent's Guide to the Approach
What is Orton-Gillingham? A plain-English parent's guide to the OG approach: its origins, the 7 key components, and what the research actually shows.
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.
Sounds & Blending
Pure letter sounds, blending, and the listening skills underneath reading.
Phonemic Awareness Games You Can Play With No Letters
Simple phonemic awareness games for the car, the bath, or the dinner table - no letters, no worksheets, just listening practice that builds real reading skills.
Why Kids Mix Up Lowercase b and d (and What Helps)
b/d reversals are one of the most common early reading mix-ups. Here's why they happen, what doesn't help, and the practice that actually fixes them.
Knows the Sounds, Can't Blend Them? Here's the Fix
Your child knows every letter sound but can't blend them into words. Here's why that happens and the step-by-step ladder that fixes blending.
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.
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.
Phonics Rules
The patterns that explain how English letters map to sounds.
English Spelling Is More Regular Than You've Been Told
Words like love, some and done look like exceptions, but a closer look at English spelling shows most 'irregular' words are following real, learnable rules.
Why Does the Letter A in Want, Wash and Watch Say 'O'?
Want and wash aren't random sight words: the a after w usually shifts to an o sound, a real spelling pattern most programs never explain to parents or kids.
Ai or Ay? The Simple Rule Behind English Vowel Teams
Why English spells the same long-a sound two different ways: the position rule behind ai and ay, and how the same logic explains oa versus ow.
The Five Jobs of Silent E (Not Just Magic E After All)
Silent e does more than make vowels long. Here are all five jobs it quietly performs in English spelling, from magic e to softening c and g.
Kind, Old, Wild: Why Some Closed Syllables Aren't Short
Kind, old, and wild look like closed syllables, so the vowel should be short - but it's long. Here's the honest reason these common words break the rule.
When Is Y a Vowel? The Four Sounds of Y, Explained
Y works as both a consonant and a vowel in English spelling. Learn the simple positional rule that predicts each of its four sounds, from yes to happy to gym.
Soft C and Soft G: The Rule Behind City and Gem, Explained
Why does c say two different sounds in cat and city? The soft c and soft g rule explained, including where soft g quietly breaks its own pattern.
When Two Vowels Go Walking: Is This Rule Even True?
The classic vowel-team rhyme is less reliable than it sounds. Here's what research actually found, and which vowel pairs the rule gets right.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Syllables & Big Words
Syllable types and how to break long words into readable parts.
What Is the Consonant-Le Syllable? Apple, Little, Candle
The consonant-le syllable in words like apple and candle breaks the usual vowel rule. Here's the simple trick that makes it one of the easiest to read.
What Is Schwa? The Flattened Vowel Sound in Banana
Schwa is the quick 'uh' sound behind words like banana and lemon. Here's what it actually is, why it trips up spelling, and how to use it while reading.
How to Split Big Words Into Syllables: A Parent's Guide
A step-by-step guide to syllable division for parents: compounds and affixes first, then the reliable two-consonant split, then when and how to flex.
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.
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.
Spelling & Word Endings
Spelling rules, adding endings, and how to practice spelling well.
How to Teach Contractions: A Simple Approach for Home
Contractions confuse kids because the apostrophe hides real letters. Here's how to teach can't, it's, and others by sound family, and which ones to add later.
The Prefixes and Suffixes Worth Teaching a Beginning Reader First
Which prefixes and suffixes to teach a beginning reader first, backed by research on which handful of word parts unlock the most words fastest.
Plural -s or -es? Why Cats Just Adds an S but Boxes Needs More
Plural spelling rules for parents: why cats and dogs just add -s, why boxes and glasses need -es instead, and a common misread this rule can cause.
Change Y to I: Why Baby Becomes Babies but Boy Just Becomes Boys
The change-y-to-i spelling rule explained for parents: why babies swaps the y for an i while boys just adds an s, and one exception worth knowing.
There, Their, or They're? Teaching Homophones at Home
There, their, and they're sound identical but mean different things. Here's a meaning-first approach to teaching homophones without one big memorization drill.
The Drop-E Rule: Why Bake Loses Its E but Noticeable Doesn't
The silent-e drop rule explained for parents: why bake becomes baking with no e, and when the e has to stay instead, as in noticeable, and why.
The Three Sounds of -ed: Jumped, Played, and Landed Explained
Why -ed sounds different in jumped, played, and landed even though it's spelled the same way, plus a trick that helps kids predict which sound to use.
The Doubling Rule: Why Hopping Has Two P's but Hoping Has One
The doubling rule explained for parents: why hop becomes hopping but hope becomes hoping, and the 1-1-1 test that predicts which word needs the extra letter.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sight Words
Heart words, high-frequency words, and how words become instant.
What Is Orthographic Mapping? How Words Become Instant
Orthographic mapping is how a reader turns a sounded-out word into an instantly recognized one, and it's not the same thing as memorizing a word's shape.
Which Dolch Sight Words Are Actually Decodable Right Now?
Most Dolch sight words can be sounded out with phonics your child already knows. Here's how to sort any list into words to decode versus words to memorize.
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.
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.
Fluency & Books
Decodable books, reading fluency, and building smooth reading.
When Can My Child Stop Reading Decodable Books at Home?
When to move a child from decodable books to regular chapter books: the reading skills to check for first, and how to make the transition gradual, not abrupt.
Reading Fluency by Grade: How Many Words per Minute?
Reading fluency by grade explained: typical words-correct-per-minute benchmarks from research norms, what they mean, and why accuracy matters more than speed.
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.
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.
Struggling Readers & Assessment
Guessing, mistakes, reading tests, and what to do when reading is hard.
My 7-Year-Old Still Can't Read: Is It Too Late to Help?
A 7-year-old who isn't reading yet is not a lost cause. What the research says about catching up, and the concrete first steps that actually move the needle.
Why Kids Confuse Look-Alike Words Like Was and Saw
Your child reads was as saw, or want as went. Here's why these look-alike word mix-ups happen and the practice that trains kids to look at every letter.
DIBELS and Reading Screener Scores, Explained for Parents
What a DIBELS or Acadience score actually measures, why the test uses nonsense words on purpose, and what a below-benchmark result does and doesn't mean.
What Your Child's Reading Level (Like 'Level G') Really Means
A letter reading level like 'Level G' tells you about a book, not exactly about your child. What the research says these levels can and can't predict.
Dyslexia or Just Behind? What a Screener Can and Can't Tell You
A low reading score can mean several different things. What screening tools can tell you, why they can't diagnose dyslexia, and how a real evaluation works.
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.
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 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.
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.