As I’ve been through Reading 1000 Books before Kindergarten with my two oldest kids, I’ve realized that there are various “stages” of reading with children, especially reading with my babies. I started reading with my babies from their infancy, and my third child is nearly two. My thoughts on baby-reading stages are based on my […]
Why Read 1000 Books Before Kindergarten?
When you consider the number 1000, it sounds like a lot. To read that many books with your zero to five year old child seems outrageous. Why a challenge to read 1000 books before kindergarten? Reading 1000 books before kindergarten helps kids get an important foundation in literacy that will impact them for their whole […]
Easy Lessons in Literacy Around the Home
Homeschool moms have their hands full! The good news is it is easy to introduce your littlest ones, your toddlers and preschoolers to literacy concepts in just minutes and moments a day by conversing and observing with them.
Easy Early Lessons for Learning Literacy in the Car
The car is a blessing and a curse. Because we are blessed with a vehicle, we can get to all sorts of opportunities. We can access resources otherwise closed to us. But driving takes so much time out of our days, to and fro. The good news is it is super easy to nurture literacy […]
Ultimate Guide to Early Reading Resources and Activities
Now that my daughter is showing interest and ability in sounding out words and recognizing the print around her, it’s time I read up on it too and find the early reading activities that will be a perfect match for her personality. If you are starting out or teaching a child to read, this ultimate […]
Early Reading CVC Centers
Even before my daughter could put the sounds of words together, she loved playing with words! As the months have passed, she’s become more confident in reading CVC words and these CVC activities are favorites we return to time and again.
Writing in the Snow Picture Book Lesson
In the book In the Snow by Huy Voun Lee, Xiao Ming and his mother walk in newly fallen snow and his mother shows him Chinese characters by writing them in the snow. They discuss how the characters look like the items they are describing. Despite our lack of snow in Chicagoland this season,we made our […]
Must-Read Books to Help in Teaching Language Arts to Young Children
To my surprise, a number of homeschooling friends have expressed anxiety about teaching language arts: writing, spelling, reading. Because I love language arts and I love reading books about these things, I’ve set up this list of must-read books for those preparing to teach language arts to little learners. I love teaching my kids language […]
Vegetables Learning Activities
My daughter has fallen in love with VeggieTales, which is now on Netflix! She loves that each episode ends with a reminder of God’s love for each of us, and I must admit that I like that too. We also happened to read a number of fun books about vegetables (named below), so this week […]
Encouraging Independent Quiet Time for a Preschooler
If there is one thing my preschooler does not like, it is being alone: playing alone, resting alone, eating alone. You name it, she always wants someone right by her side to talk with her, to listen to her, and to be with her. She is an exuberant personality that loves company. Always. I am, […]