At-Home Practices

Does your child rush through reading and skip words? This post breaks down simple, research-based strategies to help children slow down, read accurately, and build stronger comprehension—without damaging confidence. Learn how to use a “no guessing” agreement, easy fix-up steps, eye-tracking supports, and confidence-building language to help your child become a more careful, self-monitoring reader.

Build Reading Confidence with Blending Lines Struggling readers often need short, focused practice to master new phonics skills—and that’s where blending lines come in! These short lines of words or phrases help children practice blending sounds, whether it’s CVC words, CVCE patterns, or digraphs. By practicing in small, manageable chunks, children gain fluency, reinforce phonics rules, and build confidence in reading complete sentences.

✨ Elkonin Boxes Made Simple Elkonin boxes are a powerful early literacy tool that help children break words into individual sounds. Each sound gets its own box, giving kids a clear visual for segmenting and blending. Just draw a few boxes, say a word slowly, and let your child push a token into each box as they say the sounds. It’s an easy, hands-on way to build phonemic awareness—right at home!