What Should I Be Doing at Home?!

What Should I Be Doing at Home?!

This is the question I get asked MOST from parents.

And of course it makes sense that a parent’s go-to is trying to get their child to read a book.

Duh! Isn’t reading what we’re working on here?

That’s why it so often leads to frustration, meltdowns, and refusal. And understandably, it leads parents like you to eventually give up and simply read to your child instead.

Now, don’t get me wrong: reading TO your child is a wonderful, fantastic, incredibly valuable practice for SO MANY reasons.

But, it doesn’t necessarily help your child learn the skills they need to read independently.

That’s why my answer to this age-old question will always be the same: PLAY GAMES!

Say it with me: play games, play games, play games!

Play is the way!

It looks something like this:

🌟 Is your child struggling to know what sounds letters make? PLAY GAMES with letters and sounds!

🌟 Does your child guess instead of sounding out? PLAY GAMES that require them to sound out unfamiliar/nonsense words!

🌟 Is your child struggling to recognize high frequency words (the, from, with, when) in context? PLAY GAMES with sight words!

🌟 Is your child struggling to sound out multisyllabic (2-3 syllable) words? PLAY GAMES with prefixes and suffixes!

Need ideas? Check out my all time favorite reading games – all of which can be played with letters, sounds, nonsense words, sight words, OR prefixes and suffixes! PHEW!

These are games to last a reading lifetime.

And before we chock play up to simply having fun, let me help you understand WHY play is so effective.

Play is the gold standard for learning because:

So next time you’re stuck on what to do at home, remember my mantra: MAKE IT A GAME!

Keep it simple and keep it fun! And most importantly, let it be EASY! Let it feel good.

And if reading is feeling anything but joyful at the moment, you need to learn how to take the struggle out of reading at home. In just 30 minutes, I’ll show you how to move from meltdowns and power struggles to connection, ease, and fun. Learn more and start shifting the needle with your child now!

Remember, reading is meant to feel good.

You’ve got this and I’ve got you!

Now, have fun playing!

xo,

Cara Nemchek - cara signature post signoff2

Hi! I’m Cara

I’m a reading specialist and parent coach. I show you how to take the struggle out of reading at home.

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