Learn to Read

Kindergarten Readiness

It’s back to school season and many young learners are embarking on an entirely new adventure – kindergarten! According to the National Center for Education Statistics, students enter kindergarten at very different skills levels, which is natural given that children may be coming from a variety of early childhood experiences, ranging from highly-skilled-focused pre-K programs, play-based preschools, Head Start, or no preschool at all. An average kindergarten class may have children with a five-year skill range in terms of reading ability, from children who don’t recognize letters or letter sounds to those who can read short books.

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Go back to school with confidence and enthusiasm, and with a good strategy on how to use Homer in your classroom! Early childhood teachers know that starting the school year off with a routine is crucial for a successful school year. Homer is here to help. Our #1 Learn to Read Program offers several components that can easily be integrated into your daily routine.

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Sheena P. has been a part of our Homer Ambassador group for a few months now, and has recently celebrated success with her son being crowned the ‘Sight Word King’ this summer. It’s not easy to get a budding reader excited about sight words, and she’s willingly shared some of her personal tricks that led to her child’s recent success. We’re excited to share her tips and also laud her son’s great achievement!

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It might sound obvious, but a strong early start in reading and math is crucial for young children. Early math and literacy skills are highly predictive of later success in school and beyond. In fact, research shows that children who read for pleasure are more likely to do better in reading AND math than children who don’t.

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Reading with children

Guest post by Alicia Wieser with The Parenting Journal

We know reading with our children is critical, but did you know that there are specific ways to read with your child that improve your child’s future academic skills? A new study shows that a specific type of reading – explicitly “quality reading” – leads children to have better reading skills and literacy skills in kindergarten than those children who do not engage in this “quality reading.”

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