Overcoming Reading Barriers

Every January, I set a goal for the number of books I will read over the course of the next 12 months. I try to compete with my friend from college, Nick. His stats increase each year and I typically find myself hopelessly behind within a matter of a few months. While I enjoy the competition and I do enjoy the relaxing gift of reading a book, this wasn’t always the case. I distinctly remember only wanting to read Garfield or Calvin and Hobbes cartoon books when I was a kid. My parents never waivered in their efforts to find some books I would enjoy. One summer in late elementary school, my mom brought home Drummer Boy at Bull Run by Gilbert Morris. Something about the historical context and the relatable teen drama and issues had me enthralled. I proceeded to read the entire series. From that point forward, I am always looking for the next book that will captivate me the same way I was captivated that summer.

The point is that the joy of reading doesn’t typically come from an innate joy of books or love with text. It usually comes from routines and procedures that are set by parents. These routines and expectations provide the opportunity for kids to learn to love reading, usually from finding that one book or series that helps them catch the bug. But this environment does not come about accidentally or without some barriers. Let’s look at some of the challenges parents face in building a love of reading in their children, along with some ideas to help address those challenges.

Barrier 1: Your child’s belief that they don’t like to read

The challenge here is that reading is perceived to be relatively boring compared to other forms of entertainment available in your child’s life: phones, iPads, TV, video games, and social media, just to name a few. To combat this challenge, you need to create a setting in which reading can be enjoyable as well. For younger children, creating a routine where you read together as a family brings a significant amount of joy and purpose to reading. For older children, you may need to find books about topics connected to their media-obsessed lives, including graphic novels, comics, and anime. These can serve as a bridge between modern media and books.

Barrier 2: It’s not a normal part of their lives

Kids who do not see their parents read and have not ever experienced reading as a family may not see the emphasis on literacy they need to believe that reading is actually important. Sure, parents tell their children they should be reading more because the teacher and society say they should. Without a model in their children’s lives or an expectation for them to read, it doesn’t really seem all that important. To address this issue, set time for family reading. Perhaps this could be the last 30 minutes before bed time, an enjoyable family activity after dinner, or a Saturday morning time to relax. Whatever you choose, setting an example for your children will make a big difference. They mimic what we do much more than they do what we say. Give them a positive reading example to imitate!

Barrier 3: Just Life

Parents and kids are all busy: work, chores, sports, music, plays, school activities, church, martial arts…the list goes on. Whatever it is you and your children are busy with, most things tend to take a front seat to reading. We prioritize all of our scheduled events, leaving little time for leisure and relaxation. If reading is not already part of your routine, it may seem like a chore to add it into the mix. There’s no simple solution here. Sometimes as parents we have to make a sacrifice and do things that will benefit our children, even if we don’t feel like it. Our goal here is to help kids learn to love reading and to help them see that reading can be a relaxing pastime.

Prioritize reading, even if you only start with 20-30 minutes a couple of times per week. Make sure kids know that reading is a priority for you and for them.

As with most things, there is no magic cure or instantaneous fix. We have to make intentional choices and steps that will build a literacy-focused environment at home. Taking these steps will help. Comment if you have more ideas for helping kids learn to love reading!

Homework Can Be a Game Changer!

After 40 years of teaching, parenting, and now grandparenting, I have helped hundreds of kids and supported countless parents with homework challenges. Some students love to get their homework done and demand instant help from parents regardless of the family’s schedule. Others race through their assignments and will write down any answer just to get rid of the assignment so they can pursue fun activities. And then there are the anxious students who are overwhelmed with many assignments and need lots of encouragement and help. The problem is most parents are not equipped to help their children adequately at home because of time, knowledge, or having to deal with difficult panic behaviors with their children. So, what can a parent do to make this task more enjoyable for all?

Structure Homework Time

Parents need to create a structured time when homework can be completed depending on each child’s needs. For example, most kids need a snack before tackling homework. Many kids need some down time to relax and decompress. Some kids attend aftercare or participate in demanding afterschool activities. They are exhausted by the time they arrive home at night. Many students prefer doing their homework before dinner, others prefer after dinner homework time, and some do best in the early morning. In response to these challenges, many teachers send home weekly or monthly homework packets to allow flexibility for families to focus on homework activities on specific days of the week.

Support Individualized Learning Needs

Parents can work with their child’s teacher to identify a win-win strategy for highly anxious students. The teacher can then send home an individualized homework packet that reinforces the student’s learning level of success and limits overwhelming failure. Some teachers create a more challenging packet for students who wish to grow faster in their learning or a classroom packet that meets the needs of most students.

Encourage Student Success

When a very frustrated student feels that they are failing at homework, then that attitude of failure is reinforced in the classroom. Parents must be honest with the teacher in what they can or cannot do to support their challenged child’s learning. If they lack the patience or knowledge in how to help their child learn, they should ask the teacher for resource help at the school. Most schools have pull out remedial learning centers for students who are challenged in math or reading. These students do not qualify for special education services but need added support to build their learning stamina.

Make Learning Fun

Some of our grandkids’ homework assignments include games. These are fun when we model how to solve a math problem or word puzzle. Then we work together to succeed in each assignment. It is time consuming. At the end of the activity, our goal is for each grandkid to express success and gratitude for what they have learned. The payoff is when they have the skill to teach another friend at school or online about their newly acquired learning skill in math or reading.

Create Homework Learning Sessions

When my kids were in elementary school, I worked with other parents to create homework sessions at each home. One friend’s mom was great with math. She would create a weekly afterschool playdate at her home to reinforce basic math concepts. My strength was reading, writing, and creating reports. I continue to teach these skills in classrooms and support teachers with fun activities for learning. In January we are writing reports on snow or snow crystals and creating snow crystal drawings or snowflake cutouts. Another friend’s strength is helping the students with advanced math concepts or science projects.

Make Learning Fun

When there is no homework, we reinforce learning by creating books, cards, art projects, playing games, and creating match activities using a deck of playing cards. Each night we read to our grandkids as we discuss new ideas and build vocabulary. We research everything whenever a grandkid or student wants to learn more about an activity. My cell phone is my dictionary and also an encyclopedia. Through an artificial intelligence (AI) feature on my cell phone, I can read a general answer to a question and then research the reference articles listed under the summary for a more detailed explanation.

May you treasure this time in your children’s lives, when you can help them develop connected passions and enthusiasm to learn. Our passionate curiosity for learning is contagious. Our children learn best when we model healthy strategies for problem solving and exploring new topics.

Winter Family Play Activities

Happy New Year 2025! Winter is here and our kids spend hours playing on their electronic devices and binge-watching television and movies. Parents are busy getting ready for a new year of juggling family schedules, working, maintaining household chores, and just enjoying life as time allows. Here are ten strategies that families can use to get moving and enjoy various winter activities:

Convene a family meeting and organize one special family activity for each month of the year. For example, in January the family can travel to a snow location or somewhere nearby with a change in weather for a nature adventure. The family can pack a tailgate picnic if it is too cold or wet to eat outside. Some of our favorite activities include hiking in the snow or snowshoeing. We enjoy making our annual snow person and completing the day with a snowball fight.
We love rain walks. The kids love to jump in puddles, make dams in gutters, walk through small steams, and try to create temporary dams in gutters and small streams. Umbrellas are another great toy to use when exploring during rain storms.
We hike in nearby parks to observe nature in the rain or a storm. We love to find insects and spider webs glistening in the rain. Did you know that some spiders make stronger webs during various seasons to sustain wind and storm damage?
We travel to the coast to watch the waves on a stormy day. Sealife and ocean observations are enhanced during rain storms. Tide pools are fun to observe right before and after a storm to compare changes in the environment.
We learned about spiders and their webs by reading nonfiction books about arachnids at the library. We love to visit the library on a rainy day and curl up in a chair to read any book we want to read. Then we check out our favorite books to read at bedtime for the next two weeks.
Window shopping is another fun activity while taking a rain walk or cold weather hike. There are some many interesting items to look at in shop windows and in various stores. Our grandkids lead their younger cousins through stores by clasping their hands behind their backs. It is a fun game. Another parent takes photos with her camera of items a child might like for a gift in the future.
Kids love visiting museums to learn about the past, their heritage, and about the history of a community. Children can take pictures and then create a little book about their visit. Older children can research online topics of interest and write reflective stories about their adventures.
A monthly family art project can reinforce a specific holiday or celebration for each month of the year. In January we make snowflakes with templates to show interesting ways to cut paper. We read about snow crystals and draw various snow crystal formations. In February, the children can create valentines and write love notes that they can mail to relatives in celebration of the holiday.
A monthly family service project might include dropping off cans of food to the local food bank, making valentines to distribute to seniors or service members, and making flower containers with flower seeds for seniors to celebrate spring.
Finally, each evening at dinner we review our family activities for the day and express gratitude for something we’ve enjoyed as a family. Then we each share some activity we are looking forward to doing in the next day. Finally, we each discuss a challenge that was hard for us that day. Our grandkids call this daily reflection a rose for gratitude, a bud for an anticipated gratitude, and a thorn for dealing with a challenge.

May your 2025 family calendar highlight many opportunities to embrace daily attitudes for expressing gratitudes!

Internet Safety for Kids

When I was in middle school, I recall watching Channel One, a news program for teens, during my homeroom period every day. The news and the commercials were designed specifically for kids and teens, and I remember one commercial that was played frequently in the early 90s during the daily broadcast of Channel One. I recall a young girl at the front of the screen, and behind her was a road from the perspective of a driver. It looked as though we were navigating very quickly through the curves of the road, as the girl narrated. She talked in a British accent about “The World Wide Web,” something I had never heard of before. Fast forward to high school when we were all on America Online (AOL) and AOL instant messenger.

We were the first generation applying to schools online and receiving our acceptance letters (at least some of them) via email. We knew little about Internet safety, and we were more focused on the prospects of the Internet than the dangers. What I experienced as a teen was just the beginning and I could never have dreamed how intertwined our lives would be with the web when I became an adult.

Internet Family Risks

Today, kids have the world at their fingertips. They literally have unlimited information in their pockets at all times. They are always reachable, always connected, and always entertained. There is extensive research on how this is harmful to childhood development and how it negatively affects their ability to learn and grow. There hindrances and barriers to happiness in the real world caused by a dopamine addiction that is fed through constant interactions on social media. There is a strange dichotomy of having this level of access and information, and the negative effects and dangers of being perpetually connected online.

Internet Family Safety Plan

So, what can parents do to help their children learn to harness and access the powers of technology without exposing them to its potential darkness? Here are five things all parents should do to help their children learn to use the internet safely:

Talk openly with your children about this topic. Don’t shy away of fear that you are being too intrusive. Discuss your expectations, potential benefits, and potential risks. Consistent talks will help to build trust between you and your child when it comes to social media.
Make a rule that you will be checking your child’s social media interactions regularly. It is a must that you are friends with your child and that you follow each other on social media.
Use a resource like Common Sense Media to help guide you in your conversations with your child.
Discuss the permanence of the internet with your child. Once something is posted, it’s saved forever online.
Set rules for phone and internet use, including limits on how much time they can use their devices. Set an example by following these rules for yourself too! The whole family will be happier and healthier!

How Parents Help Each Child Succeed in School

As a special education teacher, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that no two children learn the same way. Every student brings their unique strengths, needs, and learning styles into the classroom, so a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching just doesn’t work. This is where differentiated instruction comes in. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to meet students where they are, provide the support they need, and help them progress at a pace and in a way that works best for them.

Understanding the role of differentiated instruction in your child’s education can be incredibly helpful. Not only does it help you understand how your child’s teacher tailors instruction to meet their needs, but it also offers insight into how you can support your child’s learning at home.

What is Differentiated Instruction?

Differentiated instruction is a teaching method that adapts the content, process, and products of learning to meet the varying needs of students. It is grounded in the understanding that students come to the classroom with different backgrounds, learning styles, interests, and readiness levels. Rather than teaching every student in the same way, I adjust my lessons to ensure that all students can access the material and demonstrate their understanding in a way that suits them.

Educational researcher Carol Ann Tomlinson, a leader in differentiated instruction, emphasizes the importance of considering students’ differences in readiness, interests, and learning profiles when planning instruction. The goal is to ensure that all students are challenged appropriately without feeling overwhelmed or under-stimulated.

Why Differentiated Instruction Matters

1. Every Child is Unique

In my classroom, I see students at different points in their learning journey. Some may grasp new concepts quickly, while others need additional support or more time to master a skill. For example, during a reading lesson, I might have a student who is just learning to read sitting next to a child who is ready for chapter books. If I were to give both students the same assignment, one might feel frustrated and give up, while the other would be bored. Differentiated instruction allows me to tailor the learning experience so that each child is challenged at their level without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Engagement is Key to Learning

Another reason why differentiated instruction is so important is that it keeps students engaged in their learning. When students are given tasks that match their interests and abilities, they are more likely to stay motivated and invested in their education. Engagement is especially critical for students who may struggle with certain subjects, as it helps prevent them from becoming disengaged or frustrated.

In my classroom, I often give students choices in how they demonstrate their understanding. For example in math, if we are learning about areas and perimeters, some students might design a zoo or bedroom, while others might prefer solving math equations.

By offering options, I ensure that students can approach the material in a way that excites them and plays to their strengths. Self-determination theory, developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, supports this approach, stating that students are more engaged when they feel a sense of autonomy in their learning.

3. Differentiation Promotes Equity

Equity in education means ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed. Differentiated instruction is key to achieving this. It’s not about giving every child the same resources or assignments but about meeting their individual needs and providing the right level of support. In math, for example, some students might benefit from manipulatives to visualize problems, while others are ready for more abstract reasoning. This flexibility ensures that all students can access the curriculum and make progress.

In secondary classrooms, this principle is just as important. As students prepare for life beyond school, differentiated instruction helps ensure that every student is challenged appropriately and has the skills they need to succeed in their life and career goals.

How Differentiated Instruction Looks in My Classroom

Differentiated instruction can take many forms depending on the subject matter and students’ needs. Here’s a look at how I apply it in different areas of my classroom:

Differentiating Content: I adjust what students learn based on their current understanding. In reading, for instance, some students may read leveled books, while others tackle more complex texts. The goal is for each student to be challenged but not overwhelmed.
Differentiating Process: This involves varying the ways students engage with the material. For example, during a math lesson, one group might work on hands-on activities, another might use digital tools, and some might receive direct instruction from me. These different approaches ensure that all students are making sense of the content in a way that works best for them.
Differentiating Product: Students demonstrate their learning in different ways. After a unit on historical events, one student might create a timeline, another might write an essay, and a third might develop a creative project like a video. By offering choices, I ensure that students can showcase their strengths and interests.
Differentiating the Learning Environment: The classroom setup also plays a role. I offer flexible seating options, including desks, standing tables, and floor spaces, so students can work in an environment that suits their learning style. Some students may need quiet spaces to focus, while others thrive in collaborative group settings.

How Parents Can Support Differentiation at Home

Parents play a crucial role in supporting differentiated instruction outside of the classroom. Here are a few ways you can help:

1. Embrace Your Child’s Learning Style

Every child learns differently. Some kids are hands-on learners, while others are more visual or auditory. Pay attention to how your child best absorbs information, and provide opportunities for them to learn in ways that resonate with them. For instance, if your child is a kinesthetic learner, you might use household items for hands-on math activities, like using coins to practice addition and subtraction.

2. Encourage Choice and Autonomy

Just as differentiated instruction in the classroom gives students choices, you can support this at home by giving your child options in how they complete their homework or explore a new topic. Offering them autonomy helps build their sense of responsibility and keeps them engaged in their learning.

3. Provide Additional Support or Challenge

If your child is struggling with a particular subject, work with their teacher to identify ways to support them at home. This might include additional practice with specific skills, using educational games or apps, or even working with a tutor. On the flip side, if your child is excelling, encourage them to delve deeper into subjects they are passionate about through extra reading, projects, or activities that go beyond what is covered in school.

4. Communicate with the Teacher

Differentiated instruction is most effective when there is open communication between home and school. If you have concerns about your child’s progress or if you notice they need more support or challenge, don’t hesitate to reach out to their teacher. Working together ensures that your child is getting the most out of their learning experience.

Differentiated instruction is at the heart of effective teaching. It allows teachers to meet students where they are, keep them engaged, and promote equity in the classroom. As parents, your involvement in supporting differentiation at home can make a significant difference in your child’s academic success. By embracing your child’s learning style, encouraging choice, providing support or challenge when needed, and maintaining open communication with their teacher, you help create a learning environment where your child can thrive both at school and at home.