What Should You Look For When Choosing a Tutoring Service?

What Should You Look For When Choosing a Tutoring Service?Alist tutoring services are one of the many ways you can use to help your child learn something. The idea behind tutoring is that there is a lot of pressure in being a parent or guardian of a child. If you want to find the best way to deal with the pressure, the process for choosing the best tutoring service is going to be just as important as finding the perfect student. While you will have to spend some time comparing all the different tutoring options available to you, it is an important step to take.The first step in choosing an Alist tutoring program is to find out what types of lessons you need. If you only need tutoring for subjects like reading and math, then you will be able to use one of the many tutoring services available that offer a wide variety of lessons to help your child do better in school. If you are going to tutor for a college level class, then you will have to look at each option to see which one is best suited to your needs.There are many different ways to find out about the classes your child needs. By looking through the school's newspaper and checking on their website you can usually find out whether they have a program you can take. You can also look through the internet to see if they have any offerings that your child can participate in.When you are choosing the Alist tutoring services, you will want to make sure that you choose a tutor that is certified. It is never a good idea to select a tutor that has not earned a degree. There are so many different schools that are willing to pay your child's tuition if they know that you can afford it.The next step in finding the tutoring service is going to be to narrow down your choices to a few that you feel are most appropriate. The first thing you should do is to compare all the tutoring services that areout there. Ask all the tutors you speak with if they have an experience in which they would recommend your child go to. Also, as k them how they would recommend a particular tutor to you.When it comes to selecting a certain tutor, there are a few things that you will want to keep in mind. For example, you should ask about the qualifications of the tutor. Most tutors that can offer good lessons will have worked at a university, so they will be familiar with the teaching methods.In the end, you will be able to choose the tutoring service that fits your specific needs, since there are many different options out there. You will need to make sure that you select the tutoring service that has the qualifications you need for your child's learning, which should be similar to the qualifications of a traditional classroom learning environment. It is always going to be important to consider all the options available before choosing the best one for your child.

Learning Classical Guitar Developing Your Right Hand Technique

Learning Classical Guitar Developing Your Right Hand Technique Suzy S. Learning classical guitar requires a high level of coordination in both hands. Polish your right hand technique with these tips from guitar teacher Thomas C. Many classical guitarists run into issues when developing with right hand technique. Common issues such as insufficient accuracy, poor tone, counterproductive tension, or lack of speed may all be countered with patience and knowledge working towards a more efficient and relaxed movement. In order to fix any of the above issues, it is important to determine what technical barrier is between you and your goal. Most of these problems will be easy to fix with close attention to detail of the right hand joint movements (knuckle and middle joints), and relaxation. Positioning the Thumb For developing thumb (P) technique, it is essential that the guitarist moves from the wrist joint, or joint closest to your wrist. In doing this, you are able to get much more power and volume. The thumb should then follow through to around the middle joint of your index (I) finger. Many guitarists will make the thumb movement with only the tip joint of the thumb. By using the wrist joint, you are now able to create a much louder, fuller sound and increase speed with continuous motion. The string should come in contact with the spot directly between the flesh of your thumb and the nail to create the best sound. Positioning the Fingers The right hand fingers (IMA) should be practiced so that the tip of each respective finger follows through to the palm of your hand. Make sure that your wrist is aligned parallel with your forearm (with a slight, comfortable arch). Start by preparing I (index), M (middle), and A (ring) on the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st string of the guitar. Start with the I finger, making sure to leave the M and A fingers prepared on the 2nd and 1st strings. The I finger should meet the string, just as the thumb does, simultaneously touching the nail and flesh. Make sure that the I finger is following through to the palm and the sound is not being created by the outwards pulling of the string away from the guitar.  Your wrist should not move, as the joints of the fingers are creating the motion. Repeat the same process for the M and A fingers (with M, I and A should be prepared/when playing A, I and M are prepared. Just as with P and I, the M and A fingers should meet the string right between the nail and flesh. It is good to practice with proper follow through to develop the correct movement, but when playing a piece, especially at higher speeds, the finger will not make contact with the palm. The aim is an efficient, accurate, and relaxed motion. Remember to practice slowly â€" developing the correct motion is more important than speed when youre learning classical guitar, at least at first! Hold out one chord with your left hand and practice playing a P-I-M-A pattern with your right hand. When this becomes easy, try playing P-I-M-A-M-I as a pattern. For an example of what it looks and sounds like when youve mastered this right hand technique, check out Thomas video below: View this post on Instagram Practicing pimami arpeggios #guitar #classical #music #arpeggios A post shared by Tom Clippinger (@tclippinger) on Nov 7, 2014 at 11:30am PST Thomas C. teaches guitar, classical guitar, music theory, and audition prep in Baltimore, MD.  He is studying classical guitar performance at the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University, and he also plays guitar in the band Wait For It. Thomas has been teaching for 4 years. Learn more about Thomas here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by Jason Bachman

Professional Women Dont Act Like This

Introvert Whisperer / Professional Women Dont Act Like This Professional Women! Don’t Act Like a Chick If you want to Get Ahead as a professional It’s no secret that women are still struggling for pay and position equity. You don’t have to dig too far to find a study vividly illustrating that point. Although you read many things about asserting yourself and being willing to demand a higher wage, there is one big thing missing with a lot of advice to women. Don’t act like a chick. Huh? What is acting like a chick? Over the years, I’ve noticed that there is a  category of women whose behavior does nothing to support any career goals. The Chick is a woman who has apparently learned behavior that worked on a segment of the population like the parents and BFF’s but is a total turn off in the work place. The Chick” has behavior that blatantly reminds the boss or upper management, that, yes, she is female and not in a good professional way. The type of behavior that defines you as a Chick AND that you want to avoid at all costs: Talk your feelings over â€" While you may be used to a lot of personal disclosure, keep a big chunk of it for your friends that don’t work with you. Especially, minimize your emotional conversations to the boss. Your good work will become overshadowed by what could look like an inability to hold it together. Don’t get “squealy” â€" This is the vocalization equivalent to fingernails on a black board. If you are excited and tend to squeal, save it for a sporting event with friends. Don’t call yourself a “girl” â€" There are people I know who use this third person term almost as an excuse. We know you’re woman, but now you’ve just told us you’re actually a girl. It’s not complimentary or cute. Stop apologizing so much â€" One of the big differences between men and women is the nasty habit women have of apologizing way too much. It diminishes the meaning of a real apology so save the apologies for when you truly need to apologize. Don’t apologize for your opinions or having the strength to share them.

5 Tactics for Starting a Conversation with a Stranger - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 5 Tactics for Starting a Conversation with a Stranger - Introvert Whisperer 5 Tactics for Starting a Conversation with a Stranger Dorothy May 18, 2016 Communication, Problem-Solving 2 responses There is a hierarchy of cringe-worthy activities and high on the list is networking.   If you peel back networking, there are few things worse for many people (like my fellow socially reluctant) than approaching and speaking with a stranger. The problem you face is the fact that you have little or no “frame of reference” with this other person.   Where do you begin when starting a conversation?   Even if you can muster up the courage to go near the stranger, it makes you feel like a deer in the headlights. Do you run away as fast as possible or hope for the fire alarm to goes off? I have found that rather than stop in your tracks, it’s good to have some conversation tactics that I have found to work well.   With a bit of planning, you can seriously reduce the fear and loathing of networking. Tactic #1 â€" What do you have in common RIGHT NOW? There is something you do have in common with this stranger and that is whatever the event is you are attending.   If it is a party you were invited to, you have that person in common.   If it is a group associated with a profession or interest, you have the focus of the group as a place to start. Possible openers: How do you and Jane know each other? How long have you been part of the project management group? What is your profession that brings you to this group? Tactic #2 â€" Look for a “point of entry”. “Point of entry” is my little term for a conversation starter.   It could be something the person is snacking on all the way to an article of clothing.   It may not become the topic for a full-blown 15-minute conversation but it’s a place to start.   Your questions will have to fill in the rest of the conversation. Possible openers: I see you’re munching on the egg rolls, do you recommend them? I noticed your lapel pin, what is the pin associated with? Tactic #3 â€" Ask for an introduction. An often overlooked tactic is to ask someone like the event organizer or a person you do know, to introduce you to someone you don’t know.   Usually, this person will have some knowledge about the person they are introducing you to and will mention the insight during the introduction.   Pay attention as this can help you launch your conversation. Tactic #4 â€" Be transparent. So often, we think we have to be the perfect, glossy version of a human when we meet someone new.   It’s really ok to admit you are there to get acquainted with new people and would like to have a chat with them.   People love people who are open and friendly.   Go ahead and admit you have no cleaver way of knowing where to start the conversation and introduce yourself. Possible openers: I’m new to this group and really don’t know anyone.   Is it ok for me to join you and your friends? (I’ve done this a number of times and people are remarkably hospitable) Hi, I don’t think you and I have met before.   I’m Dorothy and you are?   (Response) What brings you here today? Tactic #5 â€" The classic. We are all very accustomed to the question: “What kind of work do you do?”   Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and ask that classic question.   Once we know the kind of work someone does, it helps frame the next part of the conversation. One of the things you rarely hear discussed when it comes to networking is the idea of preparing for it.   I’m a big advocate of doing just that.   Not all of us are big social butterflies who can easily come into a setting and begin a gabfest with anyone they encounter.   I have discovered that you can think through various parts of the process and develop good tactics to help you get the most out of the next event.   Isn’t that worth the cringe reduction? Let me emphasize that Self-Promotion doesn’t have to be obnoxious to be effective. But, if you don’t Self-Promote you, who will? If you ever want to get ahead, you have to learn how to Self-Promote. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that shows you simple, yet effective ways to Self-Promote. Start watching now: CLICK HERE Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleash your professional potential. www.introvertwhisperer.com

Vocabulary Developments and Word Meaning Tutorpace

Vocabulary Developments and Word Meaning Tutorpace Developing vocabulary helps to improve ones reading comprehension and writing skill. Learning new words require understanding not only the literal meaning of the words studied but also the implied inferred/ connotative) meaning. Vocabulary development is an implement to retrieve the existing knowledge in ones mind, to communicate ideas, to study and to acquire new concepts. Basically, developing vocabulary and learning word meaning are essential elements in comprehending what one reads and to be an academic success. To develop and understand vocabulary, words should be introduced in proper context and authentic situations so that it can relate to the knowledge and experience of the learner. Interactive word games are another tool to learn vocabulary and meaning. The learner should actively participate and interact with new words that are introduced in reading excerpts. Context clues such as definitions, synonyms, antonyms, inference and examples help to develop vocabulary and meaning . Additionally, using structural analysis by breaking the words into basic units like roots, prefix and suffix facilitate the learner to acquire vocabulary easily. Thus varieties of strategies are applied to improve and develop vocabulary learning.

Russian Lessons Manchester

Russian Lessons Manchester Looking For Russian Language Lessons In Manchester? ChaptersWhy Should I Consider Taking Russian Classes?What Type Of Russian Class Would Work Well For me?What Can I Expect To Learn During Russian Classes?How Can I Find Russian Lessons Near Me?If you’re interested in learning Russian, you might wonder where in the UK you can find a Russian language course.Thankfully, there are Russian courses available across many cities in the UK. So,  whether you’d like to learn Russian in London, improve your Russian in Leeds, learn intermediate Russian in Glasgow, develop your Russian skills in Birmingham, or study Russian in the UK generally, there are lots of major cities where you can achieve your goal of improving your proficiency in Russian.This article focuses on learning Russian in Manchester and outlines what kinds of things might have an influence on the type of Russian language course that you decide to take.It’s a widely spoken second language across Eastern Europe;It’s one of the official languages of the United Nations;It can be useful if you’re planning on travelling or working in Russia; andIt’s known as a challenging language for English speakers to learn, due to some aspects of Russian grammar as well as the fact that Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet.If you're completely new to the Russian language, you can learn how to ask basic questions with the help of Russian language lessons. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, geralt, Pixabay)What Type Of Russian Class Would Work Well For me?The type of Russian language class that you enrol in will likely be dictated by a number of different factors, such as:How much money you can afford to pay for a Russian language class;How long you’d like to learn Russian for;Where the course is located (for example, somewhere in Manchester or online);Whether the course is accredited; andYour existing proficiency level in Russian.Another factor that might influence the type of Russian class that you take is how you prefer to learn. For example, if you find that you learn a lan guage best on your own, or that you'd prefer to learn Russian with just the help of a personal tutor or teacher, then you might be more comfortable taking private Russian language lessons.Equally, if you find that you learn better in a group environment and you enjoy having the opportunity to speak and listen to different people in Russian, then a group Russian class may be a better environment for you.One of the great things about learning a foreign language such as Russian is the fact that there are so many different course types out there. So whether you'd like to take private lessons, or would prefer to attend group Russian lessons, workshops, or online-only classes, there should be a course format that works well for you and your preferred learning style.What Can I Expect To Learn During Russian Classes?When looking for Russian language courses, it’s important to remember that every course is different. There are a variety of things that might influence the direction that a R ussian language course takes, including, but not limited to:The experience of the teacher;The ability level of the class;The nature of the course and whether it is accredited or unaccredited; andHow long the class is expected to run for.Let’s look at one of these influencing factors â€" the ability level of the class â€" in more detail.Generally, most Russian language course providers will offer Russian courses for specific groups of people who have a similar, if not the same, proficiency level in Russian. As a result, you'd typically expect to see a selection of courses offered, aimed at either beginners, intermediate or advanced Russian learners.By providing Russian language courses according to the students’ ability levels, the content of a course can be tailored in order to help students tackle the aspects of the Russian language that they would typically struggle with at their ability level.For instance, a beginners’ Russian language course might cover topics such as the Russian alphabet (known as the Cyrillic alphabet) and may also cover topics such as basic Russian grammar, common nouns and verbs, and typical greetings. The course may also only focus on the present tense.An intermediate class, on the other hand, should already be familiar with the topics covered in a beginners’ Russian lesson. As a result, their classes should focus on more advanced topics and more specialised vocabulary while covering a wider range of tenses, including the past, present, and future tenses. Intermediate Russian classes may also learn more about the distinctions between the perfective and imperfective aspects of verbs.Finally, in an advanced class, it’s likely that many students are already comfortable with verb conjugation across all tenses and moods, and have developed a broad vocabulary that allows them to discuss a wide range of topics in detail. In such instances, classes may focus more on improving the students’ overall fluency levels, and cover much mo re advanced areas of grammar.There are lots of different types of Russian language lessons out there, and some Russian classes are more conversational in nature. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, Tumisu, Pixabay)Russian For Business Or For General Conversation?Another thing to remember is the fact that the structure and content of your Russian language course will also likely be influenced by the type of Russian that you’re looking to learn.For example, if you’re interested in learning about the Russian language more generally, then you might expect your Russian lessons to teach you things such as  common Russian greetings, how to describe yourself and others in Russian, and may also teach you things such as how to give directions or order a meal in a restaurant.On the other hand, if you’re hoping to learn Russian for business purposes, then the content of your course might well be different. For example, a business Russian course may place more focus on things such as:Learning how to c onduct yourself during a meeting in Russian;How to write emails and letters to business contacts in Russian; and, perhapsLearning vocabulary specific to the area that you’re likely to work in.If you’re interested in taking a particular Russian course, but you’re not completely sure what that course is supposed to cover, feel free to get in touch with the course organisers and ask for further clarification and information regarding the syllabus before you make a decision on whether to book your place.How Can I Find Russian Lessons Near Me?There are lots of different ways that you can find a Russian language course in Manchester, and typically a quick search in an internet search engine should point you in the direction of which Russian language course providers are near to you.As a general rule, places that might offer Russian language classes include language centres. However, it’s always a good idea to double check which languages such centres offer, as they may not always offer Russian as a taught course, or they may not offer a Russian course appropriate to your proficiency level.Alternatively, you might want to look at whether one of the universities in Manchester offers a Russian language course that’s right for you.The University Language Centre at Manchester University, for example, offers a number of courses, including Russian, to a wide range of people, including the general public as well as students and staff of the university. At present, two Russian courses appear to be offered â€" one aimed at beginners and the other at intermediate learners.Manchester Metropolitan University also offers Russian lessons alongside other languages such as French, German, Spanish, Arabic, and Japanese, to name just a few.If you need to learn Russian for business purposes, then you may want to consider taking Russian classes that focus primarily on business Russian. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, StartupStockPhotos, Pixabay)You Can Always Take Your Search OnlineIf you can’t find a perfect Russian course for you in Manchester, the main thing is not to give up hope, as there are lots of different ways to learn a new foreign language  or increase your existing proficiency in a foreign language.In fact, one way of learning a new language, or developing your existing foreign language skills, is to hire a tutor.Online tutoring sites, such as Superprof, have a range of experienced foreign language tutors, including Russian tutors, who are able to provide bespoke lessons based on your desired learning outcomes and existing ability level in Russian.What's more, there are lots of tutors available that are actually native Russian speakers, which can be really helpful when it comes to improving your Russian speaking and listening skills.So whether you’ve never learnt Russian before, or consider yourself to be a near-native speaker, a Russian tutor may be able to help you further improve and develop your understanding of Russian. With one to one, gro up, and online tuition options available, why not see whether tutoring can help you?

Maths Problems How to avoid silly mistakes

Maths Problems How to avoid ‘silly mistakes’ Maths Problems: How to avoid ‘silly mistakes’ “I don’t know why I keep making these stupid mistakes in maths. I never get over 90% on practice tests even on problems I am good at because of these mistakes.” Does this sound familiar? Many tutors find that concentration is one of the biggest issues for students, and one that tutors find a lot of time focusing on in their lessons. Careless mistakes account for a huge number of lost marks in maths problems, where one mistake - doing a plus instead of multiply, for instance, or putting the decimal point in the wrong place - can lose all the marks in a question. These careless errors stem from the inability of the mind to concentrate. But how can we avoid them? We recommend following the SHUV Strategy Slow down . Hang On a Minute. Underline Stuff . Visualise with Vivid Images. This strategy can be adopted by parents to support their children with their maths homework. Slow down Practicing the skill of slowing down is quite challenging, especially in exam conditions where students know they have a limited amount of time. Ask your child to say this sentence before every question: “I am just going to slow down for a bit here”. Repeating this sentence exactly sends a signal to your brain to slow down and start thinking. Hang On a Minute Besides slowing down, engaging your child’s curiosity reduces the chances of careless mistakes. Repeat the sentence: “Hang on a Minute, something sounds fishy” Even when your child doesn’t feel that way, this will help to shut off automatic guessing mechanisms. Underline Stuff Besides the obvious benefit of underlining key points from questions, following the question with a pen fixes your gaze to one word at a time and reduces the ‘scatter brain’ syndrome where your mind just tries to look everywhere. See speeder.com  for some examples of this. Visualise with Vivid Images Daydreaming can be controlled by deliberately trying to visualise an image or picture that is partially relevant to the question. Whenever your child sees a question on gradients, he or she can visualise a playground with a slide and the formula of the function floating around this playground. The more strange the context the better. It is important to remind your child that paying attention to detail is an art form that has to be practiced! For private maths tuition tailored to your needs search in your area and for the level you want, e.g. GCSE maths tuition, A-level maths tuition, and boost your learning.

O trauma do Inglês

O trauma do Inglês Eu tinha 16 anos e, tal como muitos adolescentes, achava que sabia falar Inglês, mas não sabia nada.  Vivia no Rio de Janeiro, estudava em uma escola particular e, além do Inglês, estudava Espanhol. A minha mãe acreditava que por estar a pagar a mensalidade de uma boa escola eu não tinha necessidade de fazer um cursinho, ledo engano.Por motivos familiares, fomos viver para Portugal. Lá, naquele pedacinho que ainda é Europa, mas as vezes não parece, eu fui estudar para uma escola pública. Passei a estudar Inglês e Francês, pensei que o Inglês seria fácil e o Francês ia acabar com a minha vida, mas não foi bem assim.  Embora eu nunca tivesse tido contato com o Francês, tudo corria bem. Porém, não podia dizer o mesmo sobre o Inglês.Descobri que durante anos, na escola particular no Brasil, eu tinha aprendido mais do mesmo todos os anos, enquanto na escola pública em Portugal os alunos pareciam ser bastante fluentes, sendo que lá não é comum frequentar cursos de l ínguas como acontece no Brasil.Na primeira prova de Inglês do ano, eu tirei 0,5 (sim, 0,5 MEIO). Fiquei completamente chocada. Finalmente chegou o tão esperado dia da prova oral, dia este que tinha sido publicitado pela professora como a minha oportunidade de me redimir, de conseguir, pelo menos, não ficar com aquele 0,5 no boletim.O meu nome é Ana. Eu sempre fui das primeiras da lista. Naquela turma eu era a primeira. Eu estava em pânico.A professora entrou na sala, sorriu, sentou, e anunciou que íamos começar. Disse: Hello, Ana! How are you today? Ready to begin? Eu congelei, entendi tudo o que ela disse, mas não conseguia dizer uma única palavra. Ela tentou novamente: Ana? Are you okay? Eu continuava calada, não conseguia dizer nada. Não é que eu não entendesse, mas a turma inteira estava olhando para mim, eu sabia que o meu sotaque era terrível, tinha medo de falar e dizer tudo errado. Eu fiquei calada. Nova tentativa: Ana, you have to talk to me, otherwise your final score will be zero. Do you understand me? ZERO.  Levantei, as lágrimas escorriam pelo meu rosto, saí correndo da sala. Bati a porta e vaguei pelo corredores da escola sem saber onde me esconder. Foi horrível!Passados alguns minutos a professora me encontrou. Perguntou, em Português, se estava tudo bem e o que tinha acontecido para eu ter aquela reação. Entre lágrimas e soluços, expliquei que o motivo era a vergonha do meu Inglês, que eu sabia ser péssimo. Ela foi extremamente simpática, arranjou o número de uma professora particular, com a qual tive aulas, e falou com a direção da escola para que eu não fizesse mais nenhuma prova até ao final do ano letivo. Eu iria fazer uma prova escrita e uma prova oral, a média entre as duas avaliações seria a minha nota final, sem choro, sem desculpas. Era aquilo e pronto.Estudei, li e conversei em Inglês com a professora particular. Fiz exercícios e me dediquei ao máximo. No último dia de aulas fiz as duas provas. N a escrita, que a professora corrigiu na hora, eu tirei 7. Na oral, que deveria ter 15 minutos de duração e acabou virando uma conversa de uma hora, eu tirei 8. Acabei o ano, que começou com 0,5, com um 7,5 e me senti muito orgulhosa disso.Hoje, 10 anos depois, trabalho com Inglês todos os dias e adoro! Por isso, se você tem algum trauma com o Inglês, não hesite em tentar ultrpassá-lo. Aprender uma língua é uma aventura na qual você tem que entrar de cabeça. Portanto, se jogue!

?? How To Teach Your Child To Read Awesome Advice and Top Reading Tools!

?? How To Teach Your Child To Read Awesome Advice and Top Reading Tools! How To Teach Your Child To Read: Awesome Advice and Top Reading Tools! When you think about teaching your child to read, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For most of us it probably brings to mind memories of sitting in front of an alphabet and sounding out each of the letter sounds. This was likely followed by attempting to draw the letters out by hand. All of this was probably done on repeat until you began to remember the sounds and shapes of the letters. Sound like a familiar picture?This type of reading and writing by rote technique has been practiced for years across many parts of the world, including the UK, and it generally tends to precede any kind of actual reading. Because of course, you need to understand the building blocks before you can understand the words and you need to understand the words before you can write, right? Wrong. Well ok, it’s not completely wrong, but it’s not wholly true either. Researchers from the land of flat-pack furniture and utopian school systems (perhaps unsurprisingly) may have cracked another edu cation myth in recent years.Expanding on a teaching principle originally developed by a 19th century Italian doctor, Maria Montesorri, researchers and educators in Sweden have shown that learning to write before reading, can have significant benefits to children's reading ability. The group created an integrated Writing to Read (iWTR) program that increased the number of ‘excellent’ student readers by an impressive 20%, whilst students’ writing capabilities (in terms of creativity, structure and clarity of content produced) were assessed as being at the same level as students 2 academic years above, by their teacher. Exciting stuff!The study mentioned above used interactive technology capable of digitally synthesising speech (think Siri), so children were able to piece together the words they already knew how to say by trialling different letters and hearing their phonetics. Working in pairs they were able to generate stories from their imagination without having to first lear n to physically write letters.Many schools and studies agree that the physical act of writing is a vital factor in activating and coordinating the reading network in the brain and that the skills should be learnt at the same time. However, the Swedish group suggests that the intellectual process of generating ideas, transferring them into digitised words and then sharing and improving them with their classmates are where the major advantages are found, rather than from the act of handwriting. They also suggest that traditional writing should be left until later, allowing children to focus on the creative aspect of turning thoughts into content.Whilst the Swedish group’s research is yet to be expanded upon, what we do know is that the principles of Writing To Read are likely here to stay for some time and are backed up by a growing amount of evidence.So, how should you teach your child to read? There’s a wealth of options out there, but we’ve been hard at work researching and q uestioning our expert Primary tutors to bring you 8 awesome steps to teach your child to read.? Jump straight to step #8:Use every reading resource you can find!??How to teach your child to read: 8 super simple steps!?#1: Read aloud to your child everyday!This may seem like a simple one, but research by Boston Medical School suggests that parental role models that read often and engage with their children through this format have one of the greatest impacts on positive child outcomes.In a modern world full of tech and too much to do, bedtime stories can easily slip through the net, but they can also be an excellent way of encouraging an interest in reading from an early age. It’s also a pretty lovely way to destress from the day!As your child gets a little older, you can also try following the words with your finger as you read, allowing an association of sounds with words. Eventually, you can have your child attempt to move their finger along the words to match your reading. This can be a great way to assess their comprehension - there are also a load of apps that can fill a similar role.#2: Phonics, Phonics and PhonemesIf you’ve not heard of the term before, phonics are basically the backbone of modern literacy education, being both the name of the method of teaching as well as the term used to describe a single sound produced by 2 or more letters, or the sound of a single letter that doesn’t sound like its letter name (i.e. y in sky).Phonemes are perceptually distinct sounds distinguishing one word from another (i.e. p, b, f, s in pat, bat, fat and sat).Traditionally, phonics are learnt through repetition and interactive activities like vocalisation and card-matching games, which will gradually become ingrained in the student’s brain and will eventually lead into word decoding.However, there are an increasing number of alternative approaches based on emerging research, just like the Swedish study we covered earlier. Just so there’s no confusion: j ust as with any complex system, to understand the sounds that go into reading, children will ultimately have to memorise them. Not all techniques are created equal, however.There’s a huge amount of publicly available EdTech out there that can gamify phonics, enable children to creatively explore how sounds fit into words and there’s even some apps that closely mimic the program described in the Swedish study. All of them being far more engaging and mentally taxing than simple repetition. We’ve covered off a full list of some of the top phonics apps and resources later on in this article!#3: Forget reading - start writing!Ok, so it’s probably worth noting at this point that we don’t expect your kids to be writing novels yet (or even understand what a novel is for that matter). But what you can do is incorporate a variety of motor exercises which studies have shown can increase your child’s capacity to successfully identify letters, words and their corresponding phonics. T his also allows children to add another level of understanding to their learning, giving a more holistic view of reading and writing.Sand or salt trays have been shown to give children a major boost to both confidence and writing ability when used to practice individual letters or numbers. The ability to wipe out mistakes and try again can be hugely beneficial to moving forwards with practice as opposed to seeing the messy mistakes that you might find using paper. This is particularly useful for encouraging children to be ok with their writing mistakes and not to dwell on them, giving them a more positive mindset.Another excellent activity can be to write stories or sentences out together. You can incorporate this into play by using toys to enable your child to describe what’s happening or things like idea-generating dice. By using ideas and words straight from your child’s imagination it improves confidence and self-esteem, but also encourages an interest in both reading and wr iting, seeing that they can continuously build on their work.Using the words your child uses also gives the work a sense of identity and your child a sense of self awareness, which can be further ingrained when returning to the work to edit and extend it. You can go a step further and add illustrations to the work as well.#4: Practice before bed, reinforce first thing in the morning.Scientific research has shown across multiple studies that retention of both motor skills (movement) and new information can be increased substantially when performed, or taken in, shortly before bed.One study in particular has shown that not only can sleep help to improve retention of skills and information when tested the next morning, but that practicing first thing in the morning helps to keep these memories intact throughout the rest of the day.This basically means that practicing phonics, reading or writing before bed and then during breakfast, or on the way to school can not only help your child t o better remember what they’ve learnt in the short-term, but it also helps to stop all the new and exciting information taken in throughout the day from taking its place!What’s even more exciting about this is that it works for most new skills and training, including musical instruments, revision and sports.#5: Say, write and learn - Dolch words.What are Dolch words? Many of you won’t have heard the name before, but you will have come into contact with them in almost every sentence you’ve ever spoken or read. Dolch words are basically some of the most frequently used ‘service words’ in the English language, which are estimated to make up 50-75% of all words in children’s books.By using some of the techniques suggested earlier in this article to learn Dolch words, you can supercharge your child’s reading ability. With 220 words in the original Dolch lists, learning them all is a pretty manageable target that will make a huge difference to your child’s understanding of text.Writing sentences or stories together as discussed earlier and using these words as well as specifically picking them out during a bedtime story will really help to reinforce their correct usage.#6: Have your child read aloud to you every dayOnce your little genius has gotten to grips with the basics, the really enjoyable part can begin! Children’s story books, both physical, electronic and app-based are available in their masses and can be selected by age, ability and preference of genre with increasing ease in the modern world of tech, so you can be sure to find something that engages your child the most. We’ve pulled together a list of the most impressive and useful resources on this front later on in the article.Whatever method you choose to use, you should do your best to ensure that you listen to your child read at least once a day - and yes, this might mean you might have to relinquish control of reading the bedtime story! Studies have shown that parents who show a greater interest in reading and in their child’s activities in general tend to have a positive effect on children’s grades and overall attainment in life - so protect that quality time!One of the major benefits of this point though is setting up an excellent habit that will eventually take hold regardless of whether you’re there or not. A life-long reading habit has a huge impact on children’s wellbeing as well as increasing the 3 major intelligence types: crystalised (what you know), fluid (your ability to solve problems) and emotional (ability to accurately read and respond to your own and other’s feelings).#7: Build their confidence with a tutor!One of the most important factors of learning any skill, but particularly something as vital as reading and writing, is confidence. Confidence is a key component of motivation and motivation is ultimately what is going to drive your child forwards in their learning.To break it down a little further: confidence is based on self -esteem and self-belief and this forms the foundation of our intrinsic motivation. If we believe that something is achievable then we will more than likely have the motivation to keep plugging away at it.If you’ve been in contact with any kind of connected device over the past few years, then you’ve more than likely heard of Caroline Dweck and her team’s work on the growth mindset. Fostering this mindset in children can have a huge impact on children’s self-esteem and self-belief by helping them to reframe intelligence and ability as a dynamic, rather than static, attribute. It also teaches them to see failure through the lens of opportunity rather than negativity. Having a tutor who is experienced in teaching literacy skills and who is capable of regularly spending time with your child, reinforcing a growth mindset, can have a huge impact on confidence levels.In an average 30-child classroom, a teacher has time to give only 10 minutes of individual focus to each child a we ek, meaning that today’s teachers just don’t have time to build students up. 1 to 1 tuition can fulfil this need by providing an aspirational figure who is there solely for your child and can change the focus of the entire lesson to suit the student’s personal needs.With research by the Sutton Trust showing that as few as 6 sessions can be enough to boost your child by a whole grade, the benefits speak for themselves. But don’t take our word for it, have a chat with some of our expert Primary, reading and literacy tutors and find out what they can do for you!#8: Use every reading resource you can find!Whether your child is just at the beginning of their reading journey or is already confident enough to read some books on their own, there is a wealth of resources out there to help them develop their reading abilities at any stage.From digital libraries full of thousands of titles, to vocabulary and spelling apps, phonics programs, interactive books and more, we’ve searched far and wide to bring you the top tools for teaching your child to read. Take a look below at these truly awesome resources!? Top reading tools and resources!?AbiTalk Started in 2011, AbiTalk was devised by Emmy Chen, a software engineer and entrepreneur turned stay-at-home. Emmy realised that interactive apps could be highly effective for teaching her young son reading and phonics.AbiTalk’s apps support not only English, but also Chinese learners too. This design choice is inspired by Emmy’s own experiences and background, as she emigrated from China to the United States in order to attend graduate school to study computer science. She learned English in just six months for this!To date, over 90 apps have been developed for AbiTalk, covering phonics and reading to arithmetic and languages. Every month more are added to the platform, and each app is inspired and tested by Emmy’s son and daughter, so every app is truly kid approved!Start browsing hereAesop’s Quest 2 NRCC Ga mes Studio creates games to serve as educational aids for teachers and students. The games provide a way to learn that’s fun and engaging for students, and is named after the fables from the titular storyteller.Aesop’s Quest focuses on reading comprehension to develop cognitive reading skills, and the touch mechanic of the game engages the child players in a hands-on learning process. The level of reading comprehension can be tuned for the equivalent grade level of the learner, based on excerpts from reading materials appropriate to that level.NRCC Games Studio is located at the New River Community College in Christiansburg, Virginia, and the games are created by the colleges students and funded purely through the app’s revenue.Check it out!AlphaTots Spinlight develop apps with fun at the forefront, and AlphaTots Alphabet is no exception! The app introduces kids to their ABCs with colourful graphics, interactive minigames and even songs. The upper and lower-case forms of each letter are displayed, and children can learn its sound and launch a mini game that hooks their engagement. The games are failure-free and can be tweaked to prevent accidental touches, so frustrations arising from developing motor skills are eliminated and learning is maximised.The app features 26 minigames, one for each letter of the alphabet, along with an interactive alphabet that kids can use to recite their ABCs any time and no third-party apps, so parents can confidently leave their child without fearing for their bank account!Take a look hereB-InspiredMamaAs a former art teacher turned work-at-home mom of three, Krissy deeply understands the struggle so many moms have juggling their busy lives with their desire to raise well-rounded, creative kids. To help those fellow mamas, Krissy authors the B-InspiredMama blog where she shares inspiration for kids’ crafts, learning fun, family-friendly recipes, and creative parenting.We all learn in different ways, and some children may need more stimulation than others. For kids who need more colourful, hands on approaches to learning, a source of inspiration and creativity such as B-InspiredMama could be just what you need to devise crafty ways to help your child learn how to read.Find out moreBBC Bitesize Bitesize has been going strong for 20 years since its launch in 1998, and in all that time it has a stayed an invaluable free service to help students of all key stages in learning and revision.Bitesize Literacy has games and interactive exercises to teach phonics, spelling, punctuation, rhyming and more, offering a wide breadth of topics to further children’s reading comprehension.There are also worksheets to accompany each game as a free download, giving you a free resource to help learners along the way and test their comprehension.Take a lookBookly Bookly tracks everything about reading, so parents as well as teachers can easily see how the children evolve over time and monitor everything about their r eading level, time spent, reading speed and pages read. It shows tons of statistics as well as beautiful graphics to better understand reading. After you do finish a book, you can generate a nice infographic to share on social media or just to collect them.Bookly focuses on making readers feel a sense of reward for finishing books, and in turn, reading becomes its own reward. You can also set goals to make reading a daily workout for your brain, and it even has an achievement system. If you want a young reader to make reading a habit, then Bookly is a great place to start.Check it out!Brightly Brightly started as a website to help parents raise readers and has grown into an engaged community that also includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, librarians, teachers, and others who are passionate about cultivating a love of books and reading in children.The Brightly team takes pride in working with a diverse group of contributors and authors who cover a range of topics for readers of ever y age and stage. The site offers a wide variety of reading tips and book recommendationsâ€"from seasonal to evergreen, age-based to level-setâ€"incorporating the voices of experts from across the kids’ book landscape.Recent additions to the site’s offerings include “Teach Brightly”, a space on the homepage where educators can easily access relevant content and a Facebook group for educators that goes by the same name.Start learning here!Children’s Books and Reading Children’s Books and Reading is a fantastic resource for practical tips and techniques to help your child grow into a confident and successful reader, and their advice is backed by proven methods. They focus not only on helping a child to learn to read, but also to help young readers understand what they are reading, and to be motivated to read.There are also reading-related activities to reinforce literacy skills, book suggestions to inspire you and your child, and topical news to keep you up-to-date with th e literary world.The site’s owner, Stephanie, was motivated by her own experiences in learning to read, and after having her first of two sons she wanted to know more about teaching a confident young reader. This website is the culmination of her ongoing mission, so check it out!Get reading!Children’s Storybooks Children’s Storybooks Online was created in 1996, and quickly gained recognition in the form of a four-star rating by NetGuide’s Best of the Web in 1997. It has since been featured in Yahoo magazine and been distributed on CD ROM in U.S. schools.The stories hosted on the website are all original and illustrated by Carol Moore, and the first story to be featured on the site, The Littlest Knight, took her two years to completely illustrate. The stories are varied for ages ranging from children up to young adults, and there are also riddles, mazes, and colouring book pages to entertain and amuse.The books have all been written by a variety of authors and are completely free to read on the site, giving you the perfect place to find some free material if you want to get your children reading colourful, trustable material!Take a look Choice of the Dragon The ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’-style stories are true classics for retro fantasy fans, and they’re still a popular novelty today!Choice of Games LLC produce text-based, multiple choice games that can be played in your browser or downloaded for smartphones. The games are based around rich, original stories that draw players and get them invested in the narrative in the way that only interactive gameplay can.Choice of Games have also developed an original scripting language named ChoiceScript, which budding writers can use to write their own games in the same style. If you have an avid gaming fan who struggles to latch onto conventional stories, give this a try!Start your adventure!Epic! Epic! was born out of a single question: How do we make books more accessible to kids?The team behind Epic ! have observed the way that videos and games on phones and tablets are always so effective at grabbing kids’ attentions, but books seem to struggle meeting the same success.Today, Epic! has grown into the leading digital library for kids aged 12 and under, with literally thousands of books, videos, quizzes, and more! It’s a subscription-based service, costing just $7.99 a month, but with a free month to start off with â€" and it’s free for librarians and elementary school teachers!Check it outFarFaria FarFaria is a storybook world just waiting to be explored!Stories are presented as locations on an interactive map that kids and parents can traverse together, and saving books into your favourites means they can be accessed anytime and anywhere in a tablet or smartphone.Every book also has a ‘Read-To-Me’ option, providing high-quality narration for younger readers who need help with their comprehension or who want to enjoy the story on their own. Reading before bed has pro ven benefits that extend into adulthood, so parents looking to instil the habit in their child have a fantastic tool at their disposal with FarFaria. Also, you can start for free!Try it outFocusandRead.com FocusandRead specialises in helping struggling readers, creating learning tools based on evidence obtained from research studies.Joan Brennan is an experienced educator who, in the past, employed sensory reading aids such as focus cards for her middle school classroom. Many of her students struggled with conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism and other conditions that hindered their ability to focus and read. She found that many of her readers improved with notable success in the form of improved reading rates, better focus and fluency, and more.Recently, the site has published a new Windows 10 version of their Reading Focus Cards desktop app alongside the existing customisable versions of the app for Apple Macs and other Windows PCs.Find out moreHip Hop Hen Phonics Hip Hop H en apps were launched in 2014, and soon were featured on the Kid’s section of the app store. Their first three educational apps are part of a complete phonics reading scheme, and are specially built to introduce children to hear, read and write early phonics sounds in an easy, fun imaginative way.The phonics apps are created by teachers and follow national curriculums, addressing key early learning skills such as finishing rhyming sentences, identifying sounds in words for reading, speaking and listening, and many more.Each app is designed with a gorgeous and colourful doodle art style, and Hip Hop Hen are a Moms with Apps member, meaning they follow the best privacy practices for kids’ apps and personal information is never shared or connected to social media.Hop on over!Homer Homer is a learn-to-red program that starts with what makes your child unique. Begin, the company behind Homer, believe that children become strong and confident readers when they use literacy to explore their passions and interests.Once Homer makes a note of the child’s current reading level , it creates a personal learning plan tailored to them, supplied by a catalogue of interactive stories and songs. Homer has blind, randomised studies to back up its efficiency, and can increase early learning scores by as much as 74%. Their research and white papers are available on the website to access and browse, as is the opportunity to try it for free!Get started hereInternational Children’s Digital Library The ICDL Foundation’s goal is to build a collection of books that represent the literary culture of peoples throughout the world.The ease and accessibility of travel in the modern age means that people can now emigrate from far across the world to a new location, but the costs of such a move often include the books and publications of their native tongue. A paper published in 2005 by UNESCO declared: “Denial to access to information in one's mother tongue is equivalent to a de nial of a human right.”The International Children’s Digital Library allows books to be searched by country, giving visitors an easy way to find free reading material written in their mother tongue and read for free!Visit them hereJumpStart JumpStart Blast-Off: Early Reading helps children learn the key reading skills needed early on so they can blast through correct answers and zap away the incorrect ones as they race for the top score. Within this app, the player can explore a mysterious cavern packed with reading skills that are fun and educational at the same time!The game itself features 19 lessons designed to teach pivotal early reading skills by focusing on the beginning phonics and early reading so kids can master the skills to excel in school. Children will develop crucial educational skills such as word recognition and sounds, early grammar classification, and more. Through listening and interacting with words, elementary school learners will enjoy a comprehensive read ing and learning experience.Check it outLiteracy CentralLiteracy Central is a free resource by Reading Is Fundamental, a literacy non-profit who are committed to building a literate America.There are reading activities and advice for parents to get children reading at home, and book and development resources for educators. RIF also have upcoming tools such as a literacy tracker to monitor reading progress and suggest further reading based off of interests.RIF have a newsletter to keep you abreast of new additions to the site and a smartphone app which can scan a book’s barcode and link to thousands of digital resources tied to that title. Sign up for a free account and give it a try!Have a browseMonkey Junior Learn-to-Read Monkey Junior is packed with content, sitting at over 1000 lessons comprising 30 topics, 3000 sentences and more!The program teaches through a combination of two methods, the phonics method and the whole-word method. With the phonics method, children look at le tters either individually or in groups and recognise the sounds, then blending them together to form a full word. By taking this forward and reapplying it, children can read and pronounce new words that they haven’t encountered before.Backed by the professional opinions of language experts, Monkey Junior builds lessons that provide the optimal route for learners to form words, recognise whole words and phrases and learn proper pronunciation.Take a look!Montessori Letter Sounds Montessori Letter Sounds is an app that works in four steps, aimed at four increments between ages 3 â€" 5. Two of the games are locked at first and have to be earned as children play, ensuring they learn progressively.The games encourage children’s abilities to memorise letter sounds and shapes and to write out their first words using a moveable alphabet. There is also a ‘Toolbox’, in which there’s a phonetic alphabet, notebook, and sandbox where kids can freely trace and practise letters.The app h as been featured by Apple and Common Sense Media, as well as winning a Parents Choice Gold Medal 2012 award. The developer, EDOKI, is made up of certified teachers who aim to make truly educational apps that are as useful as possible for parents and learners.Learn more hereMr Thorne Does Phonics 20 million YouTube views around the world have now helped associate Mr Thorne Does Phonics, Mr Thorne and Geraldine the Giraffe with high-quality educational content that is enriching for young learners and additionally useful for adult learners, children with special educational needs, correctional educational programmes, trainee teachers and those with English as a second language.Via a virtual platform to teach around the world, Mr Thorne utilises the synthetic approach to teaching phonics, focusing on the units of sounds as building blocks for reading through the word, blending individual phonemes to unlock language, so that 'learning to read' becomes 'reading to learn’.Tune in here!M rNussbaum.com MrNussbaum.com offers over 300 levelled printable and online informational text-reading comprehension passages, and multiple-choice question sets for kids aged 7-13.Created by a current public-school teacher with experience in grades 2-6, these exercises include interesting passages on science, maths, and social studies topics and serve as perfect practice for state-mandated standardised tests. Most of the online exercises offer text narration, font adjustment, highlighting, immediate feedback, and printable reports that detail exactly what questions were answered correctly and incorrectly.For assessing the progress of your kid’s reading comprehension, these tests are an ideal resource for parents and teachers.Try them out hereMrsPerkins.com MrsPerkins Dolch Words is a website that provides resources for educators and parents to teach Dolch words to their students and kids.Dolch words are named after a 1948 book named ‘Problems in Reading’ by Edward William Dol ch, in which a list of over 200 ‘service words’ and a separate list of 95 common nouns was published. These lists are thought to contain between 50% and 75% of words that appear in children’s books. By learning these words, kids are equipped to recognise the majority of words that occur in children’s literature.The resources on MrsPerkins.com include classroom forms, games, worksheets and more, so try it out and see how many new words your child might learn!Check it outPhonicBooks PhonicBooks is a small company founded in 2006 by Wendy Tweedie, Tami Reis-Frankfort and Clair Baker. All being special needs teachers, they shared a passion for helping all children to learn to read, and they utilised their expertise to develop phonic reading books.PhonicBooks cater for bother beginner and older, struggling readers in need of catching up. The range of books on offer has exploded from its initial 10 titles to over 298 and climbing, all fuelled by customer demand! 40 countries worl dwide use their books as well as the U.K., and they have earned a reputation for quality and effectiveness in that time.Available books are listed on the site with prices and details of the story content, and titles are separated according to appropriate age level. For older readers in need of catching up, these books are ideal as a discreet, home-accessible alternative to extra support at school where learners may be reluctant to appear that they’re ‘falling behind’.Find out morePocket Phonics Used in over 1000 schools and pre-schools since its conception, Pocket Phonics teaches kids letter sounds, first words, and handwriting. Research has shown that kids learn nine times as fast when using the app as they do in a regular classroom lesson.Pocket Phonics doesn’t just teach the individual letter sounds, but it also teaches the sounds from combinations such as ‘sh’, to make a total of over 60 sound combinations. It also teaches writing, using an arrow on screen to guide the children’s fingers as they follow.Students can even receive achievement certificates and weekly progress reports can be sent via email, so parents and teachers can keep track.Why not take a look?PrimaryGames.com One of the fastest growing fames companies on the internet, Primary Games has been providing entertainment to web-surfing young’uns since 2000! Originally founded by teacher Susan Beasley, the company has grown over the following years from a small project to a bustling hub of amusement with millions of users worldwide.Several thousand individual games are currently on the site, with more always coming in. What started out as Susan building her own educational games for the kids in her classroom has grown into a huge collection of titles to help kids wind down, hook their attention, and grab their engagement in ways that conventional exercises just sometimes can’t achieve.Hop on and play!ReadAskChat ReadAskChat is a digital library for parents to share with their children and support their reading journey as it begins.Their name refers to the central ethos of their service: parents reading alongside their children as a shared activity; listening and responding when the child asks questions, to develop confidence in their thoughts and a stronger family bond; and chatting to share ideas and help your children build them up.The platform also features helpful additions such as conversation starters, engagement metrics and reminders, and activities to aid development and introduce some play into the process of reading.Find out moreReading Bear Reading Bear is a project of WatchKnowLearn.org, and boasts an innovative approach to teaching early readers vocabulary, new concepts, and phonetics. Everything is as free as it is lovingly crafted!Each presentation is playable as either a video or an interactive slideshow. In each, at least one phonics rule is introduced, with seven different versions for each presentation. In the fullest, for instance, a word is sounded out slowly and quickly, then blended slowly, and after an optional prompt, blended quickly. As the sounds are made, the corresponding letters are highlighted.Visual aids are also used, such as relevant pictures that help comprehension. The process is thorough, but forgiving and well-paced, giving an in-depth introduction to new vocabulary.Try it out!Reading BrightStart! BrightStart! began in 2005 via funding from The Nemours Foundation, and represents Nemours’ understanding that there is a strong link between child health and reading ability.The site’s activities and recommended books are informed by research and partnerships, and they show a confident knowledge in everything they do concerning child reading skill. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the site is the Preschool Reading Screener for children aged 3-5, which results in an action plan based on your next best moves to help your child learn to read.With developmental milestones also offered with suggestions to help each parent introduce confident reading to their child, this is one resource that any mother or father should be keen to take a look at!Check them outReading Eggs Reading Eggs is used by more than 12,000 schools worldwide and turns learning to read into a series of fun games and activities.The idea behind the program is to build on what kids already know, encouraging them to learn through play with the user’s subscription granting access to games, songs and more. There is also an online library and other sites and programs to access.Memorable characters are consistent throughout the child’s learning journey whilst using Reading Eggs, and parents can get updates and reports sent through so that they can keep an eye on their child’s learning. Reading Eggs boasts more than 10 million child learners worldwide, so what are you waiting for?Take a lookReading Kingdom Reading Kingdom is an online program, using the Phonics-PLUS decoding system.Created by Dr. Mari on Blank, one of the world’s top experts in reading, Reading Kingdom is research based and adapts to every child. Kids are also able to use the program without supervision, meaning the desire to learn and read can be modelled and then acted upon independently.The principle of the program is that educators have heavily relied on phonics to teach reading in the past, but many words cannot easily or effectively be ‘sounded out’. Reading requires more skills than phonics alone can teach, but programs such as Reading Kingdom can help support the gaps in a learner’s education and give them the kind of support they need.Find out moreReading Raven Reading Raven is a customisable app for children ages 3 â€" 7, guiding them on the journey of learning to read so that they become independent and confident in their abilities.From reading, recognising, and tracing letters to identifying and building words and sentences, Reading Raven takes kids from the earliest steps to fully fledged re ading comprehension. The interactive nature of the app also teaches hand-eye coordination and listening skills, helping children make connections between spoken and written language.Take a look at their website and download the parent and teacher guide to find out more!Get started hereReading Rockets A comprehensive and jam-packed site bursting with resources, blogs, advice pieces and more, everything you need to help a young reader whether they’re on track or struggling.Reading Rockets creates and disseminates free, evidence-based information about reading through television programs on PBS and via their website. Their mission is to take evidence from research invested into by the U.S. government, turn it into practical information and advice, and spread it to as many people as possible.Even if you have some simple questions about helping a child to read or what you might encounter on the way, this site is full of good advice and makes for a worthy bookmark in your browser!Visit them hereReadWriteThink ReadWriteThink offer topical and researched reading-related resources for parents and educators. Their mission is to provide access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction in the form of free materials.They are also supported by the International Literacy Association, a membership organisation dedicated to internationally supporting the efforts of children everywhere to learn how to read.To stay on the cutting edge of the reading world and get top advice from trustworthy sources, you want to keep up-to-date with ReadWriteThink!Check them outSchool Zone School Zone have a wealth of products available to give kids a big boost to their reading and information retention abilities.Amongst their range is an old classic, the tried and true flash cards! Flash cards may seem outdated in this information age, but they’re a quick, easy, and portable resource to test a child’s knowledge and memory wherever you are.School Zone also supply software, toys and games, and even tablets like the Little Scholar, which comes preloaded with over 70 educational apps, and is ready with or without Wi-Fi and has a reporting app for parents!Browse hereSmart Kidz Club Reading Smart Kidz are one of the fastest growing collections of eBooks educational resources for young readers, and they provide a library of interactive resources, eBooks, activities, and quizzes that can be accessed anytime, anywhere online or on mobile devices.All of their books and resources are beautifully illustrated, and their content can be synced offline onto mobile devices. This provides kids with a safe and ad-free environment for reading, learning, and fun.Join them in their mission is to help promote affordable education that is easily accessible to all kids around the world.Take a lookSmartyGames SmartyGames is a free, friendly, and kid-safe site that has been hosting games for over eight years, and is still going strong!Their reading section includes animated ABCs, action-word flashcards, and short stories to engage your kid’s attentions and help them learn in a colourful and appealing format. Most are Flash-based but are being redesigned to be mobile friendly, so parents have free and convenient access to a bit of fun out and about.The site is Kid-Safe certified and approved by the Association for Library Service to Children, so you know it’s also safe for your child to use on their own.Check it outStarfall Starfall Education Foundation is a publicly supported non-profit organisation, and they opened the Starfall website in 2002 as a free public service.Still going strong in 2018, they combine a systemic, phonics-based approach with audiovisual interactivity. As well as the free resources available, they also offer a membership program for a small fee, which expands the content to include songs and reading activities spanning several key stages.As well as all that, the Starfall Parent-Teacher Centre has worksheet s, informative guides, curriculum downloads and more!Dive in here!Storyline Online app Storyline Online receives over 100 million views every year from children worldwide, and for good reason!Storyline Online is a product of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a non-profit organisation that relies on grants and donations to fund Storyline Online and all of its videos. The videos are all available to stream from the site, and they even feature prolific actors reading children’s books alongside original animations, including Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and Betty White.Each book has a run time and suggested level of ability, so you know you’re picking the appropriate title for your child.Find out moreTeach Your Monster To Read Teach Your Monster to Read is an extremely fun video game that kids love to engage with. What could be more fun that creating your own monster and taking it on a magical journey?Children learn to read by teaching their monster to read, and the game h as been designed in collaboration with leading academics from the University of Roehampton. These experts have ensured that the BAFTA-nominated game complements synthetics phonics programs used in schools and is pedagogically sound. This makes it easy for parents and teachers to trust, and makes sure children are learning the right letter sounds at a pace that's right for them.As part of The Usborne Foundation, their mission is to help as many children learn to read as possible. The game has now been played 60 million times, and it can only grow from here!Check it outThisReadingMama ThisReadingMama’s ultimate goal to provide encouragement by way of hands-on learning activities and helpful tips and resources. If you are a parent, home-schooler, classroom teacher, or tutor in the preschool or elementary ages, you’re in the right spot!The site’s owner, Becky Spence, has a passion for all things related to reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonics, and sh e has a special place in her heart for struggling readers.If you subscribe on the site, her resources come directly to your inbox once or twice a week and you get exclusive offers and free printables that no one else can access. There are also tons of free printables, so why not take a look!Find out moreuKloo The uKloo app combines just the right amount of silly with the right amount of educational value to create a fun reading experience for children. Tested and awarded for children of all abilities, the uKloo Early Reader App is a fun seek-and-find literacy game for ages four and up. It encourages independent learning as kids to look up word clues, search the play screen and discover surprises along the way! There’s even a picture helper to look up words when kids get stuck.The uKloo app’s engaging animations offer a fun reading experience that gets kids’ reading without even realising it, and it progressively builds sight reading, introduces research skills, builds confide nce, and promotes independent learning and play.Take a look!Word Wizard Word Wizard allows children to experiment with word building in order to understand how it works. Studies have shown that children have to learn letter sounds (phonics) and then learn that words are just a blending of the letters sounds.This is what Word Wizard allows children to do; when a letter is touched on-screen, the letter sound is pronounced, and in the sandbox, when any letters are put to together using the mobile alphabet, the resulting sound is pronounced thanks to an advanced text to speech engine (even if the corresponding word does not exist).Word Wizard also offers three spelling activities of increasing complexity. In each activity, after selecting a word list, each word is pronounced and the child has to build the word with the correct spelling using the talking mobile alphabet.Check it out hereWords for Life As a parent, you can make all the difference to your child’s communication skills. Helping children to communicate will help them develop good relationships, do well at school and be confident and happy.Words for Life gives parents an idea of what communication milestones their baby and child might reach as they grow. There are ideas for fun activities you can do together to help your children develop their skills, as well as tips from top authors, recommended reads, competitions, and more!The website is divided into sections according to appropriate age ranges.Have a browse nowReading is a gift that every child deserves and which we can all help to give to our children, so however you choose to go about teaching it, you can be sure that the journey is truly worthwhile!Already got the basics covered? Check out our awesome editorial on The Top 100 Children's Books of 2018 to get them inspired and boost your child's literacy levels through the roof!