Family read-alouds, children’s reading habits, literacy research, and recommendations for parents
Reading is the number one way to help your kids retain what they learned over the school year. But, how do you get your kid to want to read? We have raised a house full of readers, and it was not an accident. We applied these purposeful strategies and created an environment that helped us…
Children learn far more from the stories they love than we often realize. While academics are important, most parents hope their children grow into adults who are kind, courageous, compassionate, and willing to stand up for what is right. One of the most powerful ways to nurture those qualities is through great books. These 25…
Stories That Help Teens Navigate Real-Life Challenges. High school is a season when life begins to feel more real, and the stories teens read during these years matter more than we often realize. The right books that teach resilience can help shape how young people respond to challenges, setbacks, and uncertainty. When we intentionally place…
In a world filled with distractions and busy schedules, one of the most powerful ways to build connection, character, and a lifelong love of literacy is surprisingly simple: reading together. The best read-aloud books for families do far more than entertain children—they create shared memories, meaningful conversations, and opportunities to help kids grow in courage,…
Failure is one of the hardest things for children to face. We all fail, but younger children can have a hard time internalizing these BIG feelings. As parents, it is our job to help kids navigate the pain and embarrassment that comes from making mistakes. One of the best ways we can create open conversations…
If you’re searching for middle school books about resilience, you’re in exactly the right place. These years are tough to navigate, and as parents, we need all the conversation starters we can get. Reading these books together can open up conversations that can otherwise feel forced. Resilience comes from first learning other people’s models. The…
If you’re looking for books that teach perseverance to kids, picture books are one of the most powerful tools you can use. When children are young, their world is small—but their emotions are big. They feel frustration deeply. They feel failure quickly. And often, they don’t yet have the words to process those feelings. That’s…
Your children need stories about struggle and courage. Learn how to use books that teach kids resilience—and download a FREE book list for parents. As parents, our natural instinct is to protect our children from struggle. When they feel discouraged, frustrated, or overwhelmed, we want to step in and make things easier. That instinct comes…
It is common for students to lose as much as 10% of their newly acquired skills over the summer break. Reading books helps kids retain what they learned. Getting your child to read this summer could help them enter the next school year with up to a 30% gain over those who DID not read….
Are you homeschooling a struggling reader? I’ve written several blog posts about declining literacy rates as well as the effects of reading in early childhood on overall educational success. I have also reviewed several different reading program for struggling readers. Are you looking for reading strategies for struggling readers? Reading Kingdom is a tool you…
Weigl Publishers has got living books down to a science, if fact we reviewed Glaciers, their interactive book for our homeschool science and my kids loved it. What do I mean by a living book? Weigl calls them Media Enhanced Books or A2, for Added Value and Audio Visual. We reviewed the digital format…
Who failed to teach her kids the months of the year and how to count by fives, this lady! Not to worry, Starfall Education Foundation has me covered with The Starfall Home Membership. Being an unconventional homeschooler is great, but there are always gaps. Like my experience with the months of the year. Sometimes, you don’t…
Who else hates Leveled Reader books? I am loving The Magic Stories (Allsaid & Dunn, LLC, publishers of The Reading Game and authors of the Wordly Wise series) for two reasons: first, the list of The Naughty 40 (words) to prep before the story and secondly, the squeal of delight when I gave my daughter…
Reading as a family has helped us connect to Who Jesus is, where He grew up and respond in kind to the world around us with these 3 treasured books.