Reading Essentials

Help Your Child’s Developing Vocabulary

A rich vocabulary will serve your child well as she navigates through life. We often don’t realize the importance of a robust vocabulary. Although vocabulary acquisition may not always be in the forefront of our minds, we notice the effects in our kiddos when it is lagging or absent. If our children do not understand the words that they hear, speak, read and write, they will become ineffective communicators and struggle with many daily tasks. If you want to help your kid develop a rich vocabulary, check out these helpful tips from our team at Red Apple Reading!

By Jennifer Campbell, ago

Activities for Mastering Phonics Skills

In our last post we discussed phonemic awareness and it’s critical importance to learning how to read. This week we will discuss phonics, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as, “a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system.” So, phonics further builds upon the foundation of phonemic awareness. Once your little one begins to correlate letters with sounds, they will begin building an important foundation for reading! Today Red Apple Reading shares several activities that will help your kiddo become a phonics master!

By Jennifer Campbell, ago

10 Tips to Promote Literacy at Home

Did you know that September is National Literacy Month? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines literacy as, “the ability to read and write”. The definition may be simple, but the effects of being literate are huge! To a great extent, a person’s literacy determines how successful they will be as well as how easily they are able to navigate the details of everyday life. As parents we want our children to experience this type of success. How can we promote literacy in our homes? Red Apple Reading has some tips for how you can help nurture the growth of literacy in your little one!

By Jennifer Campbell, ago

How to Help Older Children Choose Reading Material

Would your child rather visit the dentist than pick up a book? It can be challenging for parents to find reading material that captures their children’s attention – especially older children! I have four kids and their reading interests are as varied as their personalities! My youngest is a question generator. He enjoys non-fiction books that get to the bottom of his inquiries. My 11 year old has trouble completing chapter books but loves comic book style reads such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate. My 14 year old loves fantasy and historical fiction while my 17 year old enjoys the dystopic genre of books. All kids are different and with a little effort you can help yours discover enjoyable reading material. Red Apple Reading has a few suggestions to get you started!

By Jennifer Campbell, ago
Get Caught Reading in May - Red Apple Reading

Get Caught Reading!!

Did you know that May is Get Caught Reading Month? First launched in 1999, Get Caught Reading is a national campaign that reminds everyone how much fun it is to read! However, in our fast paced and hectic society, it can be challenging for kids to even find time to get caught reading! Red Apple Reading would like to encourage parents to use this month to help their kiddos discover (or rediscover) their love for reading!

By Jennifer Campbell, ago

The Importance of Nursery Rhymes

Friday, May 1 is Mother Goose Day. Most of us probably remember reading from some version of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes while growing up. I often read nursery rhymes to my babies from a board book we had in our home library. I have very fond memories of chanting Hickory Dickory Dock, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Humpty Dumpty, and Jack and Jill to my little ones. When I was reading these rhymes to my kids, I mistakenly thought I was just reading a bed time story. Little did I know that I was actually laying a foundation for reading in their lives. Today Red Apple Reading would like to remind parents why the simple nursery rhyme is so important

By Jennifer Campbell, ago
5 Tips to Help Your Child Learn to Read - Red Apple Reading

5 Tips to Help Your Child Learn to Read

All parents want their children to experience success in life. Achieving literacy is crucial to our kids’ future well-being. As parents we play a crucial role in our children’s successful reading development. What can we do to help our beginning readers achieve success? Fortunately, you don’t have to be a reading specialist to help your little one become a champion reader. Red Apple Reading has 5 simple tips for parents who wish to nurture their little one’s literary development.

By Jennifer Campbell, ago

Phonemic Awareness: A Foundation for Reading

Red Apple Reading is committed to children’s literacy! Here we will explore the importance of phonemic awareness as a foundation for reading. You probably already understand the concept even if you don’t immediately recognize the name. Now for the definition: Phonemic awareness is the ability to understand how the spoken word is made up of individual units of sound, and how manipulating these sound units changes the meaning of words.

By Jennifer Campbell, ago
5 Ways Reading Helps Your Child Dream Big

Help Your Child Dream Big with Reading!

When Martin Luther King Jr. was attending Morehouse College, a professor introduced him to, Essay on Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau. This essay, along with many other works of literature, helped to shape one of our nation’s greatest civil rights leaders. We should never underestimate the importance of reading in the lives of our children. If we want to raise a generation of great leaders who dream big, then we need to encourage them to read. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Red Apple Reading is sharing 5 ways reading helps your child dream big!

By Jennifer Campbell, ago