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First grade is the year⬇️ I don’t want to s First grade is the year⬇️

I don’t want to scare you, but 90% of the children who struggle to read at the end of 1st grade will continue to struggle in fourth*. 

But there is good news.

I’m going to tell you exactly what to work on so your child is in the 10% who does master reading.

👋 Hi, I’m Anne. A former teacher in private practice as a reading specialist. I made this career shift after I noticed my own daughter was struggling to learn to read and write in first grade and the school wasn’t giving her the intervention she needed.

I started this account to make sure no parent feels as powerless as I did.

You can work on these skills with your child:

1️⃣ Consonant blends

Your first grader can read and spell words like slug, mint, & stamp.

Consonant blends are letter combinations like 
-st
-cl
-mp
-nd

They can be tricky for some beginning and struggling readers because blend words have 4-5 sounds instead of just three.

2️⃣ Read and spell consonant digraphs.

Your first grader can read and spell words like fish, whack, math, chomp.

Digraphs can be tricky for first graders and struggling readers because two letters represent one sound for the first time.

Digraphs include:
✅sh
✅ th
✅ ch
✅ -ck
✅ -ng

3️⃣ Two syllable words

Your child has strategies or word attack skills to sound out two syllable words.

Your first grade child can read and spell words like muffin, sunfish,  standstill, plastic, and hundred.

4️⃣ Reading fluency

By the end of first grade, your child should be able to read about 40 words from a grade level story in one minute. This isn’t about reading fast.

This type of rate is correlated to reading comprehension. Children are able to sound out words quickly and easily enough so they can concentrate on meaning.

Want a free checklist for first grade? Make sure to follow first and then comment FIRST and I’ll DM you the link.

Make sure to check your hidden messages for the link.

(*source: Reading Rockets summarizes the research nicely in their blog post “Waiting Rarely Works”).

#learntoread #strugglingreaders #firstgrade #firstgradereading
Moms ask for this ⬇️ If your child’s soundi Moms ask for this ⬇️

If your child’s sounding out words but still needs extra practice, these Phonics Simple Sheets are a game-changer!

✅ Ready-to-use word lists
✅ Perfect for busy parents
✅ Use toys and supplies you already have

Here’s your plan:

✍️Monday: put your sheet in a dryer erase sleeve and mark off with a dry erase marker.

🦖Tuesday: use dinosaurs or other little action figures to cover each word

🧱Wednesday: cover with Legos or other little bricks and then let your child build something as a play break.

🎲 Thursday: give your child a dice, have them roll, and then they read that number of words.

🌀Friday is your review day. Grab a list from a prior week to play with using any ideas above.

For less than a pizza, you can tutor your own child at home. Comment SHEETS and I’ll send you the link! 💕 Make sure you’re following me and check your hidden messages.

#phonicsforkids #learntoread #readingtutor #teachyourchildtoread
8 simple steps in 8 week 💪 Sure, your first gr 8 simple steps in 8 week 💪

Sure, your first grader is learning to read at school but let’s face it - teachers have huge class sizes. 

⏰As a former teacher, I know they don’t have the 5-10 minutes a day for 1:1 the way a parent does.

If you already have the gut feeling your child is struggling, you can DIY at home.  It’s a step by step process:

Each week, build one skill at a time 👇

1️⃣ Blend It
Say the sounds /f/ /a/ /s/ /t/ — your child says “fast.” 🏃‍♂️💨

2️⃣ Break It
Say “bridge” — your child says /b/ /r/ /i/ /j/. 🌉

3️⃣ Blends Galore
Read words like slug, mint, stamp. 🐌

4️⃣ Digraph Power
Read words like fish, math, & chomp. 🐠🍽️

5️⃣ Magic E Time
Read cake, theme, pine, shore, cute. ✨🍰

6️⃣ Consonant Endings
Read floss, ledge, match, ring, thank. 🦷💍

7️⃣ Sentence Power!
Read sentences like “The thick slug rests by the pink crate.” 🐛📖

8️⃣ Two-Syllable Master
Read words like muffin, cupcake, reptile, monster. 🧁🦖

✨ Stick with it for 8 weeks, 8 steps—and even children with signs of reading struggles will be making hugs strides.

👋 Hi, I’m Anne. Mom of three including a dyslexic child. 

Her struggles and the fact that her first grade teacher said “we work on phonics only on Fridays” made me learn to DIY reading lessons at home.

Now I’m a private practice reading specialist. And I have a free 16 page step by step guide to helping your struggling reader at home (first grade or older). Comment GUIDE and I’ll DM you the link to grab it.

#learntoread #strugglingreaders #firstgrade #firstgradereading #readingspecialist
I know how you feel⤵️ I started noticing my d I know how you feel⤵️

I started noticing my daughter struggling with reading and writing in first grade, too.

Long story short, the school wouldn’t help us. I had to DIY reading lessons at home for my child. 

And then a friend asked me to help her son, too, and I made a career shift into being a private practice reading specialist.

Here are seven skills your child should master in first grade. You can practice these at home. Comment FIRST for a checklist you can print and put in your fridge.

1️⃣ Orally blend four and five sounds together to form a word.

Example: You say /f/ /a/ /s/ /t/ and your child can say “fast.”

2️⃣ Break apart a 4 and 5 sound word.

Example: You say “bridge” and your child says /b/ /r/ /i/ /j/.

3️⃣ Read and spell consonant blends.

Example: Your child can read and spell words like slug, mint, & stamp.

4️⃣ Read and spell consonant digraphs.

Example: Your child can read & spell words like fish, whack, math, chomp.

5️⃣ Reads and spells CVCE words (Magic E).

Example: your child can read and spell words like cake, theme, pine, shore and cute.

6️⃣Reads and spells words with consonant endings.

Example: Your child can read and spell words like floss, ledge, match, ring, and thank.

7️⃣ Read and write 8-10 word sentences with CVC, blends, digraphs, CVCE, and consonant endings.

Example: your child can read and write
“The thick slug rests by the pink crate.”

✨if you can spend five minutes most nights playing a phonics game with these words and then five minutes other nights asking your child to write those same words in a dry erase board, you will be pleasantly shocked my the end of first grade.✨

Comment FIRST for a printable list. And please DM questions. I tend to not see them in comments. 

🩷if you want to do this work, I got you. xo, Anne

#learntoread #firstgrademom #firstgradereading #readingspecialist
This is controversial⬇️ Despite what I see on This is controversial⬇️

Despite what I see on Instagram, there is something ✨just as important✨ for kindergarten as opening up their lunch box.

As a reading specialist who worked in kindergarten the past three years and mom of a current five year old- let me cut to the chase.🏃🏻‍♀️

Knowing the alphabet at the beginning of kindergarten is a strong predictor for reading success.

The National Early Literacy Panel (and countless other studies) found a strong relationship between knowing letter names and future reading ability.

But let me say it more practically.

🗓️We teach the 26 letters over 26 days at the beginning of kindergarten.

📚Then we’re moving on to blending 2-3 sound words like “up” and “can.” 

The majority of children transition to blending just fine.

As an intervention teacher, I spent extra time helping a few students master their letters every year.

And while they eventually get it, their classmates have moved on. 

This is the beginning of the achievement gap. For many children in the US, it never closes.

😭But here’s the sadder part.

I have so many screenshots from parents who tell me struggling with learning letters and sounds was the first sign of dyslexia or reading difficulties.

And they ignored it for years because an influencer with millions of followers said “NBD, they’ll get it eventually.”

And spoiler… their child didn’t just get it.

If I can help just one parent avoid picking up the shattered pieces of a fifth grader’s self-esteem, then this is worth it.

Comment ALPHABET for the link to my free blog post.

#learningletters #alphabet #kindergartenreading #learntoread #scienceofreading #dyslexiaawareness
Very first step ⤵️ ❌don’t panic. I got y Very first step ⤵️

❌don’t panic.

I got you. I was a kindergarten reading intervention teacher and I literally did this for a living. 

It’s a step-by-step process. Comment KINDER for my free checklist. Make sure you’re following to get the link.

Second thing - this is a no guilt zone. 🤗

We just focus on moving forward because I know that no one taught you this and your friends’ kids just magically seemed to learn it.

These are the five skills to practice at home.

✅ Check letter names 🔤

Make sure they can recognize both capital and lowercase letters. It’s the foundation of reading.

Just write the alphabet in a mixed up order on a piece of paper and see which letters they still need to practice.

📖 Read aloud nightly 🌙

Read your child books they cannot read themselves. 

Hearing language builds vocabulary and comprehension which is necessary to sound out words on a page later on.

✍️ Practice handwriting ✏️

The research is becoming super clear that handwriting is connected to reading. 

So spend 1-2 minutes a day working on proper letter formation. 

You can email the teacher how they are teaching handwriting at school. I’ve never met a kindergarten teacher who wouldn’t be thrilled to send home some worksheets.

🚗 Play reading games in the car 🎯

Reading starts with our ears! 

Noticing the sounds in spoken language heps children match to sounds represented on a page.

Say, “I spy something that starts with /t/“ and see if your child says “tree!”

🖍️ Do simple alphabet worksheets 🧩

But buyer beware.  I don’t recommend the workbooks at Dollar Stores. 

They can teach the alphabet wrong like X as X-ray fish and G as giraffe.  The spaces for kindergartens are usually 2nd grade writing size too.

Comment KINDER for my free printable list and I’ll also see if you want the alphabet worksheet flash sale, too!

 #ReadingSpecialist #ParentLife #KindergartenStruggles #EarlyLiteracy #ReadingTips #LiteracyMatters
This works so well✨ When your child makes a mis This works so well✨

When your child makes a mistake with a word, grab a dry erase board.

Write down:
✅the correct word 
✅ what they said 

In this video, my student instantly saw his error and read both words accurately.

But it gave us the pause to talk about how the vowel letters have both a closed sound and an open sound (short and long sounds).

One of the biggest mistakes I see parents making with reading is skipping straight to books.

Children who are struggling with reading need a lot of practice just reading words. 

Want five free phonics games to try with your child at home? Comment SAMPLE, and my Printable Bot will DM you the link.

#learntoread #sounditout #phonicsforkids #dyslexiasupport #readingspecialist

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