You’ve probably noticed that kids’ brains like to discover patterns. The neat thing is that you can use this natural inclination toward patterns to your child’s advantage by using word families as you teach reading and spelling.

If your child has trouble counting syllables, or if you are teaching this concept for the first time, this post is for you! Read on to discover four fun ways to count syllables—and while you’re at it, be sure to check out all the extra practice activities and download a free printable “Count the Syllables” game.

Time to grab a picnic basket and your swimsuit and head to the beach–it’s summer! And that means gardening, catching fireflies, building sandcastles, and more. But the best way to get the fun started is with these summery picture books.

Dad’s special day is almost here, and in honor of dynamic dads everywhere, we’ve got an extra special snack to share with you!

All our ABC Snacks recipes are fun to create and tasty to eat, but this one takes the cake! The fun part is that this isn’t just a snack to make for dad…we want you to make it look like dad!

When you teach reading and spelling, it’s a good idea to have a general overview of long vowel sounds. Let’s dive in!

A long vowel is a vowel that is pronounced the same as its name. For example, the word emu starts with the long E sound.

The English language is rich in unusual colloquial sayings and expressions.

For example, if someone tells you not to bite off more than you can chew, they are not cautioning you about the size of the morsel of food on your fork. And if something costs you an arm and a leg, it doesn’t mean you have to pay with an actual arm and a leg … thank goodness!

Spelling lists are the foundation of many spelling programs. But when you take a closer look, you’ll see that most spelling lists don’t make sense to the student. In fact, most lists have major flaws that actually keep kids from learning to spell.

Just in time for Memorial Day, this adorable ABC Snacks recipe is the perfect way to teach your preschooler about the letter S.

But that’s not all he’ll learn while you work on this tasty snack together. As you assemble this fun soldier snack, you can also help him understand why we remember and salute the men and women who have served our country as soldiers.

You probably already know that you should be reading aloud to your child on a regular basis. But sometimes that can be hard. Am I right? Between math class, science experiments, errands, and getting dinner on the table, you have to make choices about how to spend your time.

In this post, I want to lay out six really great reasons why you should make the time to read aloud.

Would you like to explore a selection of picture books about kindness? Some of the stories will make you laugh and some of them will make you cry. They’ll make you think and, best of all, they’ll make you talk.

And talking about the characters in these stories will help your children become more aware of kindness and the ways they might show it every day—to their friends, to their siblings, and sometimes even to perfect strangers.

Does your child skip small words when he’s reading?

Skipping small words is actually a very common problem that we usually notice when our children are reading aloud, but the truth is that many adults skip words as well.

There are many things that standardized tests can’t measure.

Tests can’t predict who will “succeed” in life, regardless of your definition of success. Tests can’t tell a child how or even what he needs to improve. Tests penalize our most creative thinkers. And our world needs all the creative problem solvers it can get.