Trisha's #TuesdayTip

 It's time for a #TuesdayTip!

Today's tip for helping your child with reading at home is to create a distraction-free learning space.

WHERE your child practices reading matters more than you might think. Set up a dedicated, quiet spot in your home for reading time. This doesn’t need to be a fancy setup. A small table, desk, or comfy chair in a calm corner with good lighting, minimal clutter, and no screens is enough.

Remove potential distractions during these reading sessions. Turn off the television, put away tablets, and make sure to let siblings know this is a "protected time" when it comes to you reading with your child. 

When the environment is calm and predictable, your child can focus their energy on learning instead of filtering out distractions. A consistent space also creates a mental cue: “When I sit here, it’s reading time.” This routine helps your child transition into a learning mindset more quickly.

Ready to help your child climb the "ladder to success" when it comes to reading? Send Ms. Trisha a message at laddertosuccesstutoring@gmail.com!

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Trisha's #TuesdayTip

 It's time for a #TuesdayTip!

Phonemic awareness (the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words) is the foundation of reading. Many children with dyslexia have weaknesses in this area, which is why it’s such an important skill to practice at home. 

The good news is that phonemic awareness activities don’t require any books or materials. They are entirely auditory, and you can do them anywhere!

Try these activities during car rides, or while on a walk with your child:

 - Sound segmenting: Say a word like “ship” and ask your child to break it into individual sounds: /sh/ /i/ /p/.

- Sound blending: Say individual sounds like /m/ /a/ /p/ and ask your child to blend them into a word: “map.”

- Sound substitution: Ask, “What word do you get if you change the /k/ in ‘cat’ to /b/?” (bat)

- Rhyming games: Take turns saying words that rhyme with a target word.

These short, playful exercises strengthen the auditory processing skills that underpin all reading development.

Ready to help your child climb the "ladder to success" when it comes to reading? Send Ms. Trisha a message at laddertosuccesstutoring@gmail.com!

Trisha's #TuesdayTip

It's time for a #TuesdayTip!

And today, it's an easy one: Make time to read with your child!

Keep it simple! It doesn’t have to be a picture-perfect routine, and it doesn't have to feel like a "study session." 

Reading at the same time every day (like Ms. Trisha does with her four girls as part of their bedtime routine) can be comforting and make it easier to build the habit of reading, but ANYTIME your child is hearing language and connecting with you makes a difference.

Ready to help your child climb the "ladder to success" when it comes to reading? Send us a message at laddertosuccesstutoring@gmail.com!

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For more information, and to schedule a free trial lesson, email us at laddertosuccesstutoring@gmail.com!

Trisha's #TuesdayTip

It's time for a #TuesdayTip!

One of the *fastest* ways to build your child’s reading confidence is through decodable books.

Unlike typical children’s books that contain a mix of simple and advanced words, decodable books only use letter-sound patterns that your child has already learned.

This means they can actually read every word on the page, which is an incredibly empowering experience for a struggling reader.  When your child successfully reads a book from cover to cover, it sends a clear message: “I can do this.”  

(Click here for a list of hundreds of free decodable books: https://literacylearn.com/free-decodable-readers/)

Ready to help your child climb the "ladder to success" when it comes to reading? Send us a message at laddertosuccesstutoring@gmail.com!

Trisha's #TuesdayTip

It's time for a #TuesdayTip!

Research consistently shows that children with dyslexia learn best when multiple senses are engaged at once.  Instead of just looking at letters on a page, your child sees, hears, says, and touches them simultaneously.

Here are a couple examples of "multi-sensory activities" you can do at home:

• Sand or salt tray writing: Spread a thin layer of sand or salt in a baking tray. Have your child trace letters with their finger while saying the letter sounds out loud.

• Modeling clay letters: Shape letters out of clay or playdough while practicing their sounds.

These activities don’t require expensive tools. They simply require engaging your child’s whole body in the learning process. 

Interested in learning more about how "Ladder to Success Tutoring" can help your child?  Send me a message at laddertosuccesstutoring@gmail.com!