ELA & Social Studies Articles - Page 8

If you’ve ever sat down with your child to practice writing, you probably already know what a daunting task it is to teach any kid how to write! Factor out the tears and frustration by using multisensory writing activities to introduce your little writer to proper letter formation. This article discusses multisensory learning and will give you 10 new ways to practice effective handwriting skills with your preschooler!

Once there was a sweet little girl. She was very pretty, and everyone loved her. She lived with her mother. Her mother gave her a lot of presents all the time. Once she made a little red riding hood from a piece of velvet. It was a very pretty hood and the little girl looked very pretty when she wore it. She loved the hood so much that she wore it all the time and did not wear anything else. As she always wore the red riding hood she was given the name of Little Red Riding Hood.

Like any other developmental milestone, kids have to be ready to begin learning to read. Just like you wouldn’t want to wean your child before he or she is ready to start solid foods, you wouldn’t want to introduce reading if your child is unable to recognize the letters of the alphabet. Though it might be tricky to recognize the signs of reading readiness, we should look for definite cues that kids are ready to begin reading. 

If you think about the people in your life you probably know someone who calls themselves a “bad speller”. While everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, some people grow up accepting the notion that they just can’t spell or write well. Even so, you probably also know that spelling and writing properly are ingredients for a successful career and professional life. Luckily, your child doesn’t have to grow up believing they are bad at spelling.

Even though it seems like it should be easy, learning to read can become a source of frustration for both kids and parents alike. Sometimes we expect kids to go from sight words to reading fluency without much trouble in between, when in fact there are multiple mistakes and errors kids commonly make.

Think about the last article, blog post, or book you read. Did you ask yourself questions while you read? Like most skilled readers and critical thinkers, you probably were continuously asking questions, even if you didn’t realize it. Asking questions helps us to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate a piece of text, and challenges us to expand our thinking.

When it comes to teaching our kids to read, it may seem like a daunting and impossible task for someone who isn’t already an early education teacher. While sight word flashcards and worksheets are no doubt important, the first step to teaching kids how to read is simply to pick up a book and start reading. This article explores ways to read with your child to maximize early literacy and language learning.

It’s only natural for kids to make mistakes when they’re learning to speak and write. Unfortunately, when left uncorrected, kids will take their grammar mistakes with them to high school and beyond! Nip those early grammar problems in the bud with quick and simple lessons! 

Sometimes, regardless of the effort we put in as parents to teach our kids to read, they still struggle to learn the basics. This causes stress and frustration for the whole family, and a familiar task like reading becomes a chore. Luckily, if one strategy doesn’t work, another one might do the trick.

As parents, we probably place the most emphasis on reading, writing, and math. While these subjects are no doubt important, sometimes we forget that learning about the world is just as important to our kids’ educational success, as well as raising informed citizens. But how do we add even more learning into our already packed schedules?