☀️ Let’s talk about the “summer slide.” Most parents have heard that kids lose skills over the summer, but here’s the part that matters most: It’s not usually because kids “forgot everything.” It’s often because they stop practicing the skills that were already shaky. For strong readers, summer can feel like a break. For struggling readers, summer can widen the gap, especially if they avoid reading because it feels hard, frustrating, or embarrassing. The good news? Preventing summer slide does not require hours of worksheets or turning your summer into school. A few simple things can make a huge difference: 📚 Reading aloud together 🎧 Listening to audiobooks while following along 🧠 Reviewing sounds, word attack strategies, and tricky words 💬 Talking about books, movies, signs, recipes, menus, or anything with words The goal is not perfection. The goal is keeping the reading brain active so your child doesn’t lose momentum. I’m curious — what feels hardest for your family during the summer? 1️⃣ Getting your child to read 2️⃣ Finding books they actually like 3️⃣ Staying consistent 4️⃣ Knowing what skills to practice 5️⃣ Avoiding battles over reading Drop the number that fits your family best 👇

Inconsistent word reading can show that the child has not fully mapped the sounds and spellings yet. Does your child read a word correctly on one page and miss it on the next?

Guessing often means the child is relying on pictures, memory, or context instead of the sound to symbol relationship in words. Children need a solid word attack strategy to rely on. For your chronic guesser: Cover the picture and ask, "What sounds do we say when we see these letters?" instead of "What word would make sense?" By asking your child which word will make sense, they may come up with a much better word than is in the text, defeating the purpose. It could lead to the child misunderstanding the purpose of words and how they are represented.

Hello Reading Skool Community! I'll be stepping away from the community until the week of May 18th. I'll be moderating but not posting anything new until then. It's not the end of the school year for my students but my daughter at college needs a hand moving out of her dorm at Rutgers and into her summer job dorm in Ohio. 🚙 Anyone else making crazy road trips for their college kids?

When a child has both dyslexia and ADHD, it helps to support both needs clearly and intentionally. Some strategies are especially helpful for attention and self-regulation, some are especially important for reading, and some support both. Helpful for ADHD - Break tasks into smaller parts - Give one-step directions - Use predictable routines to reduce decision making - Build in movement breaks - Keep work sessions short and focused - Use visual reminders and checklists - Reduce distractions in the work space - Give immediate feedback and encouragement Helpful for Dyslexia - Teach reading in a clear, direct, step-by-step way - Give explicit instruction in sounds, decoding, spelling patterns, fluency, and comprehension - Provide guided reading practice instead of expecting skills to develop through exposure alone - Use audiobooks along with printed text - Practice rereading to build fluency and confidence - Allow extra time for reading-heavy work Helpful for Both - Celebrate effort, persistence, and progress - Read with the child through shared reading or echo reading - Create opportunities for success every day - Stay patient and consistent while skills build over time Which of these has helped most in your home or classroom?