START HERE (Actually, just keep reading)
You don’t have to be (or become) a reading expert to make a difference.
Whether you’re trying to understand phonics, looking for practical activities, or simply wondering where to begin, you’ll find straightforward explanations, encouraging resources, and ideas that fit your life.
You’ve got a reading story. Even if you’ve never thought about it. We all do.
Just like we have stories about everything else.
Stories are what happened. (And sometimes what didn’t.) It’s a story even if it never gets told.
My story is that books were always there, as far back as I could remember. My parents read books, my older sister read books, and it was just natural for me to do the same. No one scolded me or pushed me. It was simply what we did in our house. We owned books, and we also went to the library and the Bookmobile frequently. We had books in abundance.
No one told me this was a gift. But now I know, it was. You know why? The story is really about what didn’t happen. And it’s this: I didn’t struggle. I entered school with some basic knowledge. Letters and words made sense. I had an easy “edge” as a student. And not just for first grade. Forever.
The gift of success. It’s why you and I are here right now. Because you want to give your kid a gift. A story, one about what didn’t happen. Their story can be that they didn’t struggle.
You know what those hard days look like.
- You’ve watched your child struggle with a word.
- You’ve wondered why reading seems different from when you were a child.
- You’ve heard teachers use words you don’t understand.
- You’ve felt unsure how to help.
When others don’t seem to be struggling, it can feel like everyone else got a handbook that somehow missed your mailbox.
Today, I’m putting that handbook in your hands.
Let’s start with what you need the most…
Have you got a sweet place for reading?
One of the best things you can do for your child is this:
Take small steps to create a love for reading. A love for story. A love for books, and laughter, and rhyming, and all that stuff.
Check out two articles to get started.
Then I’ll show you the rest.
What is it, about READING?
The overview of the Reading Awareness series,
Links to resources you can use,
More resources to print or purchase,
Advice for each of those early stages.
(Plus free bookmarks!)
The Big Picture
Help! I Hate Homework!
Take charge.
Intentions
Position yourself to help.
Lead your child to self discipline and self motivation.
Start early.
Homework Hate
“Children do not need to be made to learn about the world or shown how.
They want to,
and they know how.”
— John Holt
Remember — I’m not a teacher. But I love them, those teachers. 💖
They spend every day knowing what they know, and trying to give it to the rest of us. That can’t be easy.
The topics I’m sharing on this page, all that I gathered up for you — it was free to me, and it’s free to you. It’s what those teachers are sharing.
If you want to read the story of how I came to share all this, read Post #4 in the series. It’s all there.
The whole thing — The Reading Awareness Series.
The Reading Awareness Series was a big project around here. And it was a labor of love.
Translating hours of learning, pages of print, and all that history into something that made sense to people like us. People who don’t say “phonemes” and “diphthongs” and “digraphs” when we’re talking. (😄What??)
Read all six posts, or check out the descriptions and pick the one that speaks to your needs. They’re written for you, and they’ll be waiting when you come back.
Every topic here was created to pull back the curtain on reading education and give you practical ways to guide your child.
K-2 Reading Matters: What Every Parent
Needs to Know
About The Early Years
When school begins, everything is new. Here, you’re reminded of the importance of those letter sounds, sight words, and daily work.
Post 1 (K-2)
Early Reading Foundations: Understanding How
Children Learn To Read
Once you see these “building blocks” of reading, you can’t unsee them. Everything you learn about early reading will finally make sense. IYKYK😉 .
Post 2 (Foundations)
Why Reading by Third Grade
Is Critical For Your Child’s Future Success
The turning point was always there, it just seemed to go unnoticed. The big change is transitioning from “learning to read” into “reading to learn.”
Post 3 (Grade 3)
How Schools Are Changing Early Literacy Education, The “Science of Reading”
Science of Reading explained, plus…
3 events that made this “real” for me
5 building blocks of learning to read
7 easy things you can do at home.
Post 4 (The Science)
Simple Ways Parents Can Support Reading At Home (Without Stress)
A quick recap of what’s been covered in Posts 1-4.
The printable explanation of the 5 building blocks.
Team up with your child + teacher.
Post 5 (Your Role)
Learning to Learn;
Making Reading Fun
For Your Young Reader
Learning isn’t just lessons — it’s life.
Read this and realize how much learning happens just when you’re having fun. Playing is the perfect way to make it all come together.
Post 6 (Play)
Have you noticed? These topics, these conversations; they’re for moms. For you.
Not because you need another thing on your to-do list, but because you already have one of the most important jobs in your child’s reading story. My hope is simply to make that job feel a little easier.
Because, you know what?
Your child doesn’t need a perfect mom.
Your child needs a mom who’s willing to keep showing up—reading another story, answering another question, sounding out another word together.
I love helping moms understand what’s happening as children learn to read. Not so you’ll feel pressured, but so you’ll feel confident.
Books That Actually Help You
The workbooks I’ve created to support your efforts are unique in this way:
They aren’t workbooks to hand to your child and send them off to finish.
They’re meant to be discovered and enjoyed by you both.
It’s a chance for you to show interest and pleasure at the facts, the processes, and the knowledge.
And what does that do? It shows your child that their work is worthy, that you’re interested, and that it’s respectable to learn.
Faith-Based Keepsake Books
“Write-With-Me” books are beautiful keepsake books, designed to involve you and your child in some memory making. Not quite journals, and certainly not workbooks, these are interactive writing books that capture your child’s heart at this exact time. Beautiful watercolor illustrations, short Scriptures, suggested prayers, and pages that will truly be keepsakes.
So there you have it.
Tons of resources.
A full series to catch you up on what’s happening in the world of early reading education.
Workbooks to suit your needs.
All so you can wrap up that gift of future success for your little one.
Before you move on,
I hope you’ll remember this:
My promise is simple. I’ll never write to make you feel smaller than you are. I’ll write to remind you not to measure the worth of today’s work by today’s results. Reading together, listening well, praying faithfully, loving consistently—these are the quiet investments that shape a family over time.
If today’s ideas were helpful, There’s plenty more to explore.