Learn more about helping your child become a better reader.
2 Things to Look For in Multisyllable Words That Make Them Easier to Read
A lot of focus in school is on teaching children how to read single syllable words. So, they learn consonant sounds, vowel sounds, and they start reading. After that, a lot of the time the instruction stops, and it is assumed they will figure out the rest. But when...
3 Simple Rules for Helping Your Child Read Multisyllable Words
"Breaking rules" are valuable tools that your child can learn to help them read multi-syllable words, which are usually the words that are going to trip them up once they start reading. There are 3 simple things your child can do to break a complex word down into...
How to Help Your Child Read More Smoothly
Is your child's reading choppy or robotic-sounding? If so, you will want to focus on the smoothness of their reading. In this case, an invaluable tool is their finger. Having your child read with their finger under the words as they read, touching the book and moving...
How to Help Your Child Understand Punctuation
Sometimes when children read, they do not pay attention to punctuation. They will read right over commas, right over periods, then they get to the end of a paragraph and just keep going to the next sentence. So some children need to be explicitly encouraged to pay...
2 Simple Tips for Helping Your Child Read in Bigger Phrases
Does your child struggle with being able to read in long phrases, rather than word by word or every other word? If so, the best way to help them develop their fluency is to have them read poems. Poems are written in a way where they are grouped in long phrases. They...
What to Do if Your Child Isn’t Reading Fluently
Have you noticed that your child is not reading very fluently? Their reading may be choppy. They may have had to stop to sound out words. Or, they might sound like a robot! If you notice these things, here is an easy thing you can do to help them develop their...
4 Things to Pay Attention to In Your Child’s Reading
Reading is not just about being able to read the words on the page, or being able to read accurately. It is also important that your child becomes a fluent reader. Fluency includes 4 components: Pace - some children think it is important to be a fast reader, but we...
How to Help Your Child Spot Spelling Errors
Does your child write wonderful stories that are riddled with spelling errors? You will want to work with your child on spelling more accurately while at the same time getting their ideas down on paper. Often when we read what we have written and we know what it is...
A Simple Tip for Easing Writing Frustration
Reading is a primary focus at school. We, as parents, are watching to make sure our children are developing their reading skills. At the same time, your child also needs to be developing their spelling skills. Your child will need to do a lot of the same thinking to...
3 Strategies for Mastering Tricky Sight Words
What if your child is working to learn a list of sight words, and there are certain ones that they are struggling to master? What do you do? The best thing to have your child do is to analyze the word. Look at the word. Talk about the letters. What is the vowel? What...
How to Help Your Child Learn Sight Words
While your child is learning to read, you may get a note from the teacher that says “I’d really like you to work on sight words.” Sight words are words that occur many times in a lot of texts. There are actually lists you can find with the most frequent sight words....
How to Help Your Child Blend Unknown Words
Have you ever noticed your child break apart a word into its sounds, but then struggle to blend it all together? Sometimes children who are learning to read encounter an unknown word and they know the individual sounds of the word. However, when they try to blend the...
What To Do if Your Child’s Reading Doesn’t Make Sense
Many times, when children are developing their reading skills and they encounter a word they’ve never seen before, it is very common for them to guess what the word is and keep reading. They’re guessing by either the picture on the page, or the context of the sentence...
How to Help Your Child Be More Attentive to Reading Accuracy
Have you noticed that your child is guessing at words rather than sounding them out? It is very common for children to guess what a word is and keep reading when they are developing their reading skills and they encounter a word they’ve never seen before. They’re...
How to Help Your Child Read More Accurately
Have you noticed your child make small word errors when reading, like “a” instead of “the” or “in” instead of “on?” Sometimes those errors don’t matter because they don’t really change the meaning, but if you leave the word “not” out of a sentence, it will certainly...
A Simple Hack That Will Help Your Child Sound Out Words Easier
Does your child have difficulty recognizing words, or sounding out words that they don’t recognize? One thing that is important for them to focus on is the vowel sound in the word. Generally, when you look at the sounds that make up words, the consonants are pretty...
How to Prepare Your Child For a Different School Year
Is your child feeling nervous about the new school year? Whether your child is going back to school in person, or they will be engaging in non-traditional instruction for the first part of the school year, school will likely feel very different. It is important that...
3 Things to Do Now to Prepare for Going Back to School
Are you ready for your kids to head back to school? It is almost that time! Back-to-school time can be stressful for everyone involved. It may seem like there's not much to do to prepare (beyond the usual school supply shopping) but there are definitely things you can...
The #1 Thing Parents Can Do to Prepare for Back-to-School
No one knows your child like you do. As their parent, you likely have plenty of insight as to what their strengths and weaknesses are. We recently talked about two things you can help your child do to ensure they start the year off on the right foot. But the best...
Why Your Child Can’t Skip Their Reading Tonight
We’re sure you’ve heard it before—your child should be reading every day. But why? How much? It’s simple. We must be able to read to learn independently. Reading is required for every class, whether online or in-person, so in order to succeed in school, we must be...
How to Ease the Back-to-School Transition With Routines
Back to school time can be tough. After months of a more relaxed routine (or lack of a routine at all) we’re all expected to get back into a more structured routine. Without preparation, jumping into a new routine can be stressful for all involved. But it doesn’t have...
Langsford Lecture Series: ADHD from a Pediatrician’s Perspective
It can be difficult to sort out the facts about ADHD, so we invited an expert in the field to speak to education professionals at Langsford. Steve Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., shared the latest evidence-based information about ADHD. It is not just being hyper or having a...
6 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Parent-Teacher Conference
Parent-teacher conferences are important and necessary for proper communication about your child’s school performance. Here are 6 tips for getting the most out of them. 1.) Be prepared to listen and take notes. You may need to ask for an explanation if you don’t...
5 Tips to Help Your Child Understand What They Read
Does your child struggle to understand what they read sometimes? There are several skills you can work on with your child at home to improve their reading comprehension. 1) Ask Questions Avoid questions that are direct recall and instead ask questions like “what do...
Staff Spotlight: Kara
For the next several weeks, we will be featuring one staff member a week, highlighting their hobbies and getting to know them a little better. This week, our featured staff member is Kara! We asked her a few questions. You can find all of her answers below. What is...
Staff Spotlight: Morgan
Every week, we are featuring a Langsford staff member. This week, we are featuring Morgan! We asked her a few questions, and here are her answers. What is your favorite book? All of them! haha-- but since I have to choose, I'll say To Kill a Mockingbird. Basically, I...
Staff Spotlight: Gemma
For the next several weeks here, we will be featuring one Langsford staff member a week, highlighting their hobbies and getting to know them a little better. This week, our featured staff member is Gemma! We asked her a few questions. You can find all of her answers...
Staff Spotlight: Rhonda
For the next several weeks, we will be featuring one staff member a week, highlighting their interests and getting to know them a little better. This week, our featured staff member is Rhonda! We asked her a few questions. You can find all of her answers below. What...
Staff Spotlight: Judy
For the next several weeks, we will be featuring one Langsford staff member a week, highlighting their interests and getting to know them a little better. This week, our featured staff member is Judy! We asked her a few questions. You can find all of her answers...
Staff Spotlight: Jenny
Every week, we are featuring a Langsford staff member. This week, we are featuring Jenny! We asked her a few questions, and here are her answers. What is your favorite book? Secret Life of Bees. What did you want to be when you were growing up? It changed a lot. Still...

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9 Simple Ways to Boost Your Child’s Reading Confidence
BONUS: How to tell if they’re struggling to read and what to do about it.
Imagine your child being a confident reader and enthusiastic learner.
Don’t wait another minute to get your child the help they need.