Ideas for Handling Tears and Frustration
Do math lessons make your child want to throw her pencil across the room? Do tears seem to go hand-in-hand with learning to read? Are you walking on eggshells, wondering how the “dreaded spelling”...
View ArticleTips for Emphasizing the Positive
After barn chores this morning, I took Oskar out for a short walk on a lead rope. As we walked, Oskar made that wonderful blowing noise that horses make through their nose. It’s a sign of relaxation,...
View ArticleBreak the “Word Guessing” Habit
Does your child guess at unknown words instead of sounding them out? The “word guessing” habit can stand in the way of learning to read. Learn why kids guess and how you can solve the problem. Why do...
View ArticleSpelling Can Be Easy
“Help! I need someone to make spelling EASY!” Does this sound familiar? If so, this series of blog posts is for you! I know all too well that spelling is not always easy. My son struggled terribly...
View ArticleSpelling Can Be Easy When It’s Multisensory
Children learn best when they can interact with the world around them. When a child is able to employ his senses—sight, sound, and touch—learning takes on a whole new level of potential. But every...
View ArticleSpelling Can Be Easy When It’s Orton-Gillingham Approach
When I developed All About Spelling, I combined the key features of the Orton-Gillingham approach with the latest research and proven spelling rules. But why? What’s so special about Orton-Gillingham?...
View ArticleSpelling Can Be Easy When It’s Individualized
What drew you to homeschooling? For me, one of the major benefits of homeschooling was that I could provide lessons that were uniquely tailored to my children’s individual needs. One subject that I...
View ArticleKinesthetic Learning: Learning With Your Whole Body
What’s the big deal about kinesthetic learning? “What if my child is a visual or auditory learner? Can’t I just skip the ‘hands-on’ part of our lessons?” Many people believe that adding kinesthetic...
View ArticleAll About Spelling – The Right Time to Start
Children have such a variety of needs—especially when it comes to spelling. You want to get it right, so naturally you have questions about the right time to start spelling instruction. Since...
View ArticleOur Top 5 Tips for Using Practice Sheets
Fluency—the ability to read accurately and quickly—is a very important skill for beginning readers to develop. If a student does not achieve fluency in reading, comprehension may also lag behind. The...
View ArticleAuditory Processing Disorder: How can I help my child?
If you have a child who is struggling with an auditory processing disorder (APD) you probably have many questions. And the biggest question of all is “what can I do to help?” I have heard it again and...
View ArticleDysgraphia: How can I help my child?
Does this sound familiar? “My child is a reluctant writer…it’s like there’s a block between his pen and the paper! Why is writing so hard for him?” And more than anything, you may be wondering… “How...
View ArticleThe Funnel Concept
There is a common misconception about memory and how it affects learning. You may believe that a “good memory” is something that your child either has or does not have. If that were the case, it would...
View ArticleMaking Connections
In The Memory Series, I am sharing a number of ideas that will help you address the issue of memory—how memory affects learning and how to strengthen your child’s memory and help him achieve learning...
View ArticleThe SMI Method
This is the third post in The Memory Series, where I’m sharing practical ideas to help you in your teaching. Before we dig in, let’s take a quick look back at the first two posts. In The Funnel...
View ArticleMaking It Stick
Have you ever taught something to your child one day, only to have him completely forget it the next? That is one of the most frustrating things as a teacher, isn’t it? One of your main goals is to...
View ArticleImproving Working Memory
In the last post in our Memory Series, I highlighted the differences between short-term and long-term memory and how important it is to work toward permanently ingrained learning…or learning that...
View ArticleHelp! My Child Skips Small Words When Reading
Does your child skip small words when he’s reading? Skipping small words is actually a very common problem. We usually notice it when our children are reading aloud, but many adults skip words as well....
View ArticleHow to Solve Letter Reversal Problems
Most of the letters of the alphabet have unique shapes, so no matter which way you turn them, they can’t be confused with any others. For example, the letter m looks quite different from the letter x,...
View ArticleIs the Matthew Effect Affecting Your Child’s Desire to Read?
Do you have a child who dislikes reading? Would your child rather do chores than read a book? Does your child avoid reading whenever possible? When it’s time for reading lessons, are there tears or...
View ArticleBuddy Reading
A great way to help your child gain fluency is to do buddy reading. In buddy reading, you and your child take turns reading by sentence, paragraph, or page. Also called paired reading or partner...
View ArticleSpelling: how much time should I spend?
If you’re wondering how much time you should spend on spelling lessons, you aren’t alone! This is one of our most frequently asked questions about the All About Spelling program. Fortunately, there is...
View ArticleMotivating Kids to Read
I hate reading! Have you ever heard this impassioned declaration from one of your children? If so, please keep reading. Some kids love to read—in fact, it can be hard to tear a book out of their hands....
View ArticleThe “No Gaps” Approach to Reading and Spelling
Does your child have gaps in reading and spelling? Hundreds of thousands of children struggle to learn to read and spell. They spend hour after tiring hour being fed information, only to eventually be...
View ArticleReading: how much time should I spend?
How much time should I spend teaching reading to my children? I don’t think I could possibly count the number of times that I’ve been asked that question. In fact, I recently answered a similar...
View ArticleHow to Get a Membership with Learning Ally
Have you heard of Learning Ally? I first became aware of this wonderful organization back in 2000 when my son’s struggle with Tourette’s syndrome and dyslexia made it difficult for him to focus on...
View Article10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner
When your child struggles to learn, it can be scary. My son struggled with reading and spelling, so I know firsthand what that fear feels like. You feel responsible for making sure your child grows up...
View ArticleEncouraging Words
Teaching a child is more than just filling a mind with knowledge. As a homeschool parent, you will spend many one-on-one hours with your children. Teaching is the perfect platform to show your children...
View ArticleReal Moms, Real Kids: All About Reading and Down Syndrome
Homeschooling isn’t always easy, even under the best of circumstances. But what if you have a child with a significant learning disability like Down syndrome? Does that have to mean that homeschooling...
View ArticleSpelling Can Be Easy When It’s Mastery-Based
Age is just a number.If you want to know if a child can spell pigeon, would you ask her to spell pigeon, or would you ask her for her age? Of course, you would ask her to spell the word!Common sense...
View ArticleSpelling Can Be Easy When It’s Logical
“Sometimes the English language just doesn’t make sense!”I’m sure you’ve heard it before. And maybe it’s even been your experience, especially with spelling. But the English language doesn’t have to be...
View ArticleTeaching Reading and Spelling to Autistic Children
Autism can present a broad range of challenges, especially when it comes to learning. Though autism doesn’t always affect a child’s ability to learn, it often affects how a child learns. And that can...
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