The Active Reader Blog

Why direct and explicit instruction is one of the most effective ways to teach early reading skills.

Phonics instruction and phonemic awareness is a crucial step in developing a strong reader. It helps budding readers understand the relationship between letters and their sounds which leads to strong decoding and encoding (spelling) skills in the future.

 Here we have identified five reasons why phonics instruction is so important.

Setting up natural free play experience creates a child-centred inspirational learning process. It allows for play, exploration and supported risk taking. As a child learns how to explore their natural environment and get messy, they will begin to develop confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences.

Everything you need to know about how to get started with sensory bins, including a shopping list and steps to putting a sensory bin together. 

As a parent, would you rather work to prevent future learning struggles for your children or wait and remediate struggles you observe in the moment?

Read on for our take on prevention techniques vs remedial intervention strategies for literacy skills.

Children can be resistant to flash cards or learning tools. Here are our top tips for introducing flash cards to a child. 

Here are 8 ways you can help your children connect with nature no matter where you live.

We have rounded up a series of 6 skills that you can work on at home with your kindergarten age child. These activities are based in structured literacy concepts and geared to help lay a foundation to allow your child to experience success as they begin to develop their reading and writing skills. 

10 low stress activities to help you enjoy the last few weeks of summer.

One of the best ways to practice letter sounds and focus on your child's reading skills and language acquisition is by choosing books that focus on specific letters. Here is a list of 9 books that will help you focus on the letter A!

Want to squeeze in some last minute fall activities before winter hits? Here is a list of 10 simple activities that don't need a lot of prep.

How often do we send our children outside and encourage them to "have fun," then we proceed to sit down on a chair and supervise. Probably quite often, and there is nothing wrong with that! However, there are big benefits to having our children see us get our hands dirty.