Cultivating a growth mindset in my kids has had an amazing impact on our day-to-day interactions. Where I used to hear a lot of negative self-talk, I now hear my kids actually coaching themselves to use another strategy or telling me to wait while they ‘find the answer in their heads’. They are using their […]
Teaching Tips
Be More Productive With a Minimum Viable Homeschool Day
There’s not a mom out there that doesn’t desire a more productive homeschool day. Juggling the many needs of running a home, caring for family needs, and nurturing a marriage can often leave us out of time or out of energy when it comes to teaching our kids at home. I wrote my yearly homeschool […]
A Day in the Life of Our Homeschool With Dyslexia
One thing I’ve always loved to read is homeschool day-in-the-life posts. There’s just something fascinating about seeing how other families teach their kids at home. I’ve been writing my own day-in-the-life posts since 2012. I just went back and read some of them and am so glad I documented those busy days. Although my life […]
When Orton-Gillingham Isn’t Enough
Several years ago, one of our kids was majorly struggling with learning to read, despite 3 years of intense professional Orton-Gillingham (OG) reading instruction. In fact, at 11-years-old, he was still struggling to do much more than sound out three letter words! It certainly appeared that this well regarded method of teaching reading to kids […]
Visual Processing and How it Affects Learning
Does your child think that a square and a circle look the same? Does he bump into things, spill things, or seem unaware of where objects are in relation to his body? Does he skip words or entire lines when reading, or read the same sentence over? All of these issues can be signs of a […]
Auditory Processing and Learning Struggles
Do you have a child that has trouble following directions, keeping up with conversations or understanding jokes, or has trouble with reading, spelling, speaking, or rhyming? These could be a sign of auditory processing weakness or auditory processing disorder which are associated with many kinds of learning struggles. If you prefer to listen to this […]
What is Executive Function Weakness?
What is Executive Function? Executive Function refers to the set of mental skills that help people plan, organize, remember things, prioritize, pay attention and get started on tasks. They also help people use information and experiences from the past to solve current problems. If you would prefer to listen to this post, click the player […]
Working Memory and Learning Struggles
Do you have a child who fails to follow directions despite repeated instruction, has difficulty staying on task, has a poor attention to detail, or often looses track of their belongings? Weak working memory may be at the root of their struggles. If you would prefer to listen to this post, click the player below. […]
How Teaching Advanced Phonemic Awareness Boosts Reading Fluency
One of my goals for this year is to read more. Not with my kids – but for my own learning! Coincidentally, I have stacks of books around our house that have been recommended to me as a dyslexia tutor/advocate. I’m plowing through some of these now by reading a little everyday. I read for 20 […]
Are You Struggling Teaching Writing This Year?
Parents can struggle teaching writing to kids with dyslexia because although our kids usually have lots of creative ideas and could talk all day about them, the ability to write and spell those amazing words is often limited. Personally, I have often struggled teaching writing to my kids. This is ironic because I loved my […]
Letter Tile Activities for Teaching Reading
Most kids who struggle to read need a lot more practice applying the rules of reading before they become fluent with applying the rules in their reading and spelling. One way to make these rules stick as well as preventing boredom from the extensive review is to make games out of the practice. Letter tile […]
Homeschool Reading Prep: How to Plan for a Great Year of Reading
You’ve done the research. You’ve chosen your homeschool reading curriculum. How can you best prepare to use the information and tools you’ve acquired to have a great year of reading? Teaching reading to kids with dyslexia isn’t exactly easy, but spending an hour now on homeschool reading prep will help you achieve a better, more […]
What to do When Reading Lessons Take ALL Day!
We’ve all been there. We’ve done the research, purchased the curriculum, and prepped for the day’s reading lessons. We’re rocking the explicit, multi-sensory, and individualized reading instruction. Our kids are learning and we are thrilled. Then we glance at the clock on the kitchen microwave as we reheat our 3rd cup of coffee only to […]
Orton-Gillingham Reading Lesson & Free Printable Planner
If you prefer to listen to this post, click the player below: Of all reading programs, Orton-Gillingham has the most research to support its effectiveness with dyslexic learners. Over the course of our 20-year journey teaching kids with dyslexia to read, learning about and teaching with the Orton-Gillingham method has made the biggest impact on our […]
How to Avoid the Summer Slide in Reading
I’m writing this post on the airplane as I return from a whirlwind weekend of speaking at the Teach Them Diligently conference in Atlanta. Encouraging families on their homeschool journies is something that gives me great joy. Interestingly, these weekends away, teaching and encouraging others, is a HUGE encouragement to me! I can hardly believe it […]
