Expert tips and guides to help you teach your child to read
If your 6-year-old with dyslexia is guessing at words, cute reading games won’t fix it. Here’s how to choose a structured literacy app that builds decoding skill instead of wasting precious time.
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A dyslexic 5-year-old doesn't need guessing games or pretty animations. They need systematic phonics, daily drill, parent coaching, and a plan that refuses to wait.
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One is free and genuinely phonics-first. One is a paid subscription and does more, but lets your child guess. Here's the honest comparison for Prep, Foundation and Kindy parents — plus the daily routine that matters more than either app.
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If your 6-year-old is guessing at words, memorizing books, or melting down at the page, you don't have a motivation problem — you have an instruction problem. Here's the exact 90-day catch-up plan I'd run, starting tonight.
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You can't diagnose dyslexia at your kitchen table — but you can absolutely screen for it, and you can do it this week for free. Here are the 7 checks I run, the red flags by age, and the exact point where you stop screening and call a professional.
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Most "free" reading apps aren't free — they're a 7-day trial with a credit card form at the end. Here are 7 that are genuinely free, which ones actually teach phonics, and the one thing no app can do for your child.
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Most "learn to read" apps are digital babysitters with a phonics sticker slapped on the box. Here's my honest breakdown of the best app to help kids read at every age from 3 to 8 — plus the red flags that tell you an app is teaching your child to guess.
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Most kindergarten reading programs sold to homeschoolers still teach kids to guess at words. Here are the 7 structured-phonics curricula I'd actually put in front of a 5-year-old — with honest pros, cons, and prices — plus the ones I'd throw in the recycling.
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Your 9-year-old is guessing at words and hiding books in his backpack. Most reading apps are built for 5-year-olds and will waste his time. Here's what a real 4th grade reading intervention app has to do — and the exact daily plan I use.
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One is a paid subscription, the other is completely free — but neither one will teach your kid to read on its own. Here's my honest 2026 breakdown of ABCmouse vs Khan Academy Kids, what each app gets right, what they get dangerously wrong, and what actually works.
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Reading.com and HOMER are two of the most popular reading apps for young kids, but they take very different approaches. Here's a brutally honest comparison of what each app actually does — and what the reading science says about both.
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If your kid is guessing at three-letter words instead of sounding them out, these CVC words activities for struggling readers will change everything. Here are 12 drills that actually build blending skill — no fluff, no worksheets-for-the-sake-of-worksheets, just phonics that works.
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