Starting the reading journey is an exciting milestone. The first step? Take a trip to the library and let your child choose a few books. This builds a sense of ownership and excitement, sparking an early love for reading. But beyond selecting books, the method you use to teach reading plays an even more critical role. 

The Debate: Phonics vs. Whole Language

Reading instruction falls into two categories: phonics and whole language. Phonics teaches children to break words down into sounds, or “phonemes,” which are then blended to form words. This method mirrors how children naturally learn language: by listening, distinguishing sounds, and eventually combining them to create meaning.

Whole language, on the other hand, treats words as entire units to be memorized rather than broken down. However, this method can be confusing for young children. Imagine trying to memorize thousands of words by sight alone! This approach can feel counterintuitive for children, relying on memorization instead of comprehension.

Why Phonics Works

Phonics aligns with the way kids naturally learn language. By understanding that words are made up of individual sounds, they develop the ability to decode new words. This gives them the tools to tackle unfamiliar words independently, boosting their reading confidence.

Phonics also encourages precision and persistence. Rather than guessing a word’s meaning, phonics encourages children to “sound it out.” This skill translates into better problem-solving and critical thinking abilities in reading and other subjects.

Why Whole Language Falls Short

The whole language approach can limit a child’s reading progress because it relies on memorizing entire words rather than breaking them down into sounds. While this method can help children recognize a few familiar words, it doesn’t equip them to decode new words independently.

Whole language often encourages guessing based on pictures or context, which can lead to frustration as texts become more complex. Without the tools to sound out new words, children may struggle, impacting both their reading skills and their confidence. Over time, this can diminish their interest in reading altogether.

Phonics provides children with a roadmap for understanding words logically. By learning to break words into sounds, young readers gain the skills they need to read independently, building confidence, independence, and a true love for reading.

Building Strong Readers with Phonics

Opt for a phonics-based approach to give your child the best start in reading. Encourage them to focus on the sounds in words and practise “sounding out” letters and combinations. Not only does this lead to stronger reading skills, but it fosters a mindset of persistence and curiosity.

For over 40 years, Oxford Learning’s Little Readers program has helped young readers develop confidence and foundational skills through phonics. With a strong base in phonics, children don’t just become great readers—they become lifelong learners.

So, take a trip to the library, pick up a few books, and start reading. With phonics as your guide, your child is on the path to success.

If you find that your child is struggling with reading, Oxford Learning can help.

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Originally published July 2010. Updated 2024

The post Why Phonics Builds Better Readers appeared first on Oxford Learning.

Active listening is an important “soft skill”, like problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork. It’s a skill that can be acquired and developed — but it takes time and patience to master!

WHAT IS ACTIVE LISTENING?

Active listening means giving full attention to the speaker and trying to understand the complete message being sent. Active listeners show verbal and nonverbal signs of listening. Positive reinforcement, remembering, and questioning are all verbal signs of active listening. Non verbal signs include smiling, head nods, posture, and avoiding all distractions.

Active listening also involves encouraging positive conversation. This means acknowledging the other person’s point of view and being able to repeat back what was said in your own words.

WHY IS ACTIVE LISTENING IMPORTANT?

Having active listening skills has many benefits; besides better comprehension in the classroom, active listeners tend to be better communicators and problem solvers. Being an active listener also shows good character, commitment, and is an essential component of being a leader.

Benefits of being an active listener include:

• Fewer misunderstandings
• Faster work rate
• Improved resourcefulness
• More self-reliance
• Improved productivity

ACTIVE LISTENING VS PASSIVE LISTENING

So, what happens if you aren’t actively listening? You may fall into the trap of passive listening. Passive listening is simply hearing what the speaker is saying without really trying to understand it. When students passively listen, they don’t retain information because they are easily distracted.

Active listening requires the listener to understand the point the speaker is trying to communicate, not just hearing the words he or she is saying.

Becoming a better listener is an important skill that students need to actively develop and practice.

How can you help your child improve his or her listening skills?

FIVE STEPS TO ACTIVE LISTENING

Parents and teachers can teach students how to become an active listener by becoming active listeners themselves. Through modelling active listening to your child, he or she is able to see the value and importance of being an active listener. It also gives your child a reference to develop his or her own listening habits.

Improve the active listening skills of both you and your child by following these 5 tips:

1. Maintain eye contact

People who maintain eye contact are seen as reliable, warm, sociable, honest, confident, and active. Focusing your eyes also helps improve concentration. This helps you fully understand what the speaker is saying.

2. Don’t interrupt

Let the speaker complete his or her thought before you try to respond. Do not interrupt, finish sentences, or rush him or her. Avoid guessing or assuming where his or her thoughts are going— this can create a negative impact on effective communication.

3. Ask questions

One way to show you are listening (and make sure you hear correctly) is to ask specific questions about what is being said. This provides clarification, ensures understanding, and shows that you are listening.

Try asking these four types of questions:

Open-ended: expand the discussion further
Example: “How was your day at school today?”

Close-ended: prompt for specifics
Example: “Are you finished your homework?”

Leading: prompts the respondent to answer in a particular way
Example: “Do you have too much homework?”

Reflective: expand and extend thinking
Example: “You mentioned math is your favourite subject in school, tell me more about that.”

4. Repeat back what the speaker says

Repeat what has been said back to the speaker in your own words. This helps make sure you have understood what he or she is saying. Summarize by repeating the main points of the message. This gives the speaker a chance to correct you, if necessary.

5. Listen for total meaning

Any message has two components: the content of the message and the underlying feeling or attitude. Both parts are important and give the message meaning. Listen for both for content and the underlying emotions. Sometimes the real message is in the emotion rather than the content.

By following these tips, you and your child are developing the skills you both need to be better active listeners. Practicing these steps with your child will continue to help him or her improve his or her listening habits.

ACTIVE LISTENING ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS

Showing your child how to be an active listener by example is only the first step. It is also important to practice these skills.

Try these activities to help develop and sharpen your child’s listening skills.

• Read stories to your child. Ask him or her to predict what will happen next. The prediction requires your child to listen to the details to make a logical guess.
• Cook with your child. Read the recipe to him or her, having your child listen to and follow each step to complete the recipe correctly.
• Have conversations about things your child is interested in. This gives your child a chance to engage in a real conversation, practicing both speaking and listening.
• Play the telephone game. Get together with a group and have one person whisper a sentence to the next person. Each person repeats it to the next until the final person. Have this person say the sentence aloud and see how much the two sentences have changed.
• Create a list of questions with your child for him or her to ask you or a sibling. After one person has answered, see how many the other can remember. Switch roles and see how well the other person does.
• Play the “spot the change” game. Read your child a short story. Then read it again, making some changes. Each time your child hears a change have him or her clap or raise his or her hand.
• Get creative with “follow the directions.” Give short, simple instructions and have your child draw according to the directions they hear.

It takes a lot of concentration and determination to be a better listener. Practicing active listening techniques will help students become better communicators and build listening skills they will use for life.

Looking for some extra help? Find out more about Oxford Learning’s programs and how we can help students reach their full potential.

The post Tips & Activities To Improve Your Child’s Active Listening Skills appeared first on Oxford Learning.

Follow our 12 Days of Learning to keep your child learning over the holidays

Day 1: Get Crafty Together

Crafts are a great family holiday activity. They reinforce many important school skills like attention to detail, following instructions, and maintaining focus. These activities also encourage creativity and imagination. Plus, kids end up with a great craft that they can feel proud of!

There are many great craft sites available. Check out Oxford Learning guest blogger Secret Agent Josephine and her many great crafts on Alpha Mom. This one for holiday wreaths is budget-friendly and uses many supplies that you have around the house. Families with older kids might like her recent holiday artwork project.

Day 2: Snuggle Up With A Book

Reading is one of the greatest ways to work on school skills over the holidays. Books not only tell stories of great adventures, they help media-saturated children unplug. Reading also helps children develop their vocabulary and improve reading comprehension. These are all great skills and necessary in the classroom.

Need some ideas on what books are appropriate for what age? Visit Scholastic’s 100 Greatest Books for Kids list for some great book suggestions broken down by age groups.

Day 3: Take a Hike

We all know physical activity is good for our bodies, but studies have shown that physical activity is great for the brain as well! Physical activity helps increase blood flow to the brain which increases memory function as well. To put it simply, once you get the blood pumping, you get the wheels turning.

Why not take advantage of the holiday weather and go on a family hike? Chase the kids around. Have a snowball fight, or walk around the neighbourhood and look at the lights. Whatever you plan for the holidays, include physical activity and your kids will stay sharp for the entire season.

Day 4: Play Video Games

Your kids may be fully intending to play video games day in and day out over the school break. Before you pull the plug, research has indicated that video games might not be as detrimental to kids’ mental development as we tend to think. In fact, certain interactive video games might actually help children develop skills that pay off in the classroom.

So if you’re up for the challenge, pick up the controller and get them to teach you how to play! Having your children play teacher allows them to think logically about the game and how they play it.

Day 5: Roll the Dice

Board games are a great way to get families to interact over the holiday in a fun way. Playing board games can help kids develop critical thinking skills like strategy, analysis, and planning. They also help improve basic school skills such as addition, subtraction, and reading comprehension.

That’s not all. Board games are a great way to step away from technology for an hour or two and simply spend quality time together.

Check out our Board Games and Learning post for some great game suggestions from our readers.

Day 6: Use Your School Agenda

The holidays are perfect for relaxation and celebration, but that doesn’t mean you have to forget about school. Studies show that children actually crave structure and routine. Over the holidays, use an agenda to stay organized and focused, and to get a head start on January assignments. Just as your child uses a school agenda to keep schoolwork organized, he or she can use one to organize the holidays. Sit down together to record holiday activities and January assignments in the agenda. For example:

• Dec 23 11AM — 12PM start Science project
• Dec 24 8PM — Caroling in City park
• Dec 25 Christmas! Do NOT wake parents before 7AM!
• Dec 26 11AM — 12PM Science project
• Dec 27 11AM — 12PM Science project — go to library
• Dec 29 1PM — Skating party
• Dec 30 11AM — Leave for Grandma’s

Make sure you reference the agenda every day over the holidays so your child can practice time management! Try to fit in one hour for school work every day, even just to go over school notes, read, or organize a binder or pencil case.

Use the agenda during the holidays to emphasize the idea that school doesn’t end just because kids are on break. Create a seamless transition to back-to-school by staying organized and on-track.

Day 7: Go to the Library

Libraries are more than just a place to find books. For the developing reader and/or the student of any age, the library can help develop a certain sense of discovery and motivation to learn. Even just the experience of going to the library and borrowing books can help kids feel a sense of ownership.

Day 8: Keep A Holiday Journal

Keeping a journal doesn’t have to be about sitting down and writing for a period of time. This task can be daunting, especially if keeping a journal is something that was assigned in class.

Journals can be about anything at all. They can be used to sketch, to make lists, to keep track of favourite quotes, or to create mind-maps. You can glue things in them. You can tear pages out. There really are no rules. The point is to put pen to paper and get introspective. It’s about putting aside some time every day to think actively and document the thought process.

Day 9: Go Online

Let’s face it: even the best Christmas presents lose their appeal after a few days. So, why not task the kids with doing some sort of online research project? Any topic goes, whether it’s a favourite animal, or what model of snow blower is the best value. Ask the kids to locate the information for you, and then have them tell you what they discovered.

This is also an opportunity to have important conversations about online safety and how to judge reputable sources online. Have kids take note of where information comes from and ask them to analyze the quality of one site over another. Media literacy is a skill that will become increasingly important as kids age. If you can combine important thinking and learning skills with holiday fun, then everybody wins.

Day 10: Send Holiday Thank You Cards

Everybody sends cards before the holidays, so why not start a new tradition of sending holiday thank you cards after the holidays? Make a list of recipients and their addresses. For younger kids, have them decide what they want to say and write it out for them on a sheet of paper that they can use for reference. Then grab the pens and get writing! It’s a great way to practice penmanship and try out some new vocabulary words!

Try to incorporate some of the words from this Christmas vocabulary list.

Day 11: Get Puzzlin’

Crosswords, word searches, puzzles, and sudoku books are all great ways to challenge the mind. The process of trying to figure out a problem and work through the steps needed to reach a solution gets your child’s brain firing on all cylinders.

You can turn these solo activities into group games by attempting a puzzle together. During the puzzle, try talking through the steps and explaining your reasoning to each other.

Day 12: Chip Away at Schoolwork

There are many creative and unique ways to incorporate learning into the school holidays. But sometimes, the simplest solution is best: do a little bit of schoolwork everyday. This is especially important for high schoolers. If your teen has a school assignment over the holidays, make a plan to work on it a little bit everyday. This will help avoid the “I-go-back-to-school-tomorrow-and-I-haven’t-started-my-project” stress, and also make sure they are getting enough revision time to learn and absorb important facts.

Keep Your Child Engaged Over Break With These Holiday Study Tips

Just like over the summer break, kids’ motivation can take a nosedive over the holidays. It doesn’t take long for it to happen. The best way to prevent a holiday brain drain is to maintain the momentum. Even if no schoolwork has been assigned, organize notes. Tidy binders and pencil cases. Clean out book bags. Read over notes and highlight keywords. Make study notes. As much as students may wish – the holidays won’t last forever! Make these 12 days of learning a part of your holiday so your child is set to go back in January.

Have A Holiday Learning Tip of Your Own?

Share it with us and other parents on the Oxford Learning Facebook page!

The post 12 Days Of Holiday Learning appeared first on Oxford Learning.

We all know that literacy is the ability to read and write. But literacy is also so much more than that…

Literacy is:

• Understanding
• Knowledge
• Fluency
• Capability
• Growth
• Success in life

Literacy skills help us understand context and meaning in the written word. It helps us achieve higher-level thinking and helps us to make sense of the world around us. It helps us to solve problems and reach for goals and to improve our lives. Literacy breaks down barriers and opens doors. Literacy is opportunity.

Keep reading: Everything you need to know about elementary school tutoring.

Simply put, literacy gives us quality of life.

In terms of your child and his or her education, literacy is his or her ability to read and write fluently and with understanding and meaning. In the classroom, your child’s literacy skills might be discussed using the term “reading comprehension”

Reading comprehension is the ability to read or write a sentence and understand its meaning. It is the ability to look at the written word and quickly process the meaning, instruction, or direction…and that’s important because reading comprehension is at the core of almost everything that children do in school.

Without solid reading comprehension skills a student can miss basic meaning behind a reading passage and make silly mistakes. These silly mistakes can easily translate into poor grades and poor grades can easily translate into frustration and an unwillingness to participate in class.

By working on basic literacy skills, your child will improve in areas such as sounding out words and vocabulary development and improve in turn, his or her reading comprehension.

When you improve a child’s literacy skills, you improve that child’s self esteem.

It’s win-win.

You can read more about the importance of literacy and how you can help your child develop strong literacy skills at ABC Canada.

Read more about the importance of reading.

The post Understanding Literacy and Your Child appeared first on Oxford Learning.

Every educator has struggled with the challenge of keeping their students engaged and interested in their learning material. One way to overcome this hurdle is to embrace inquiry-based learning — a teaching method that places students’ questions, ideas and observations at the centre of the education experience.

At one point or another, every educator has struggled with the challenge of keeping the attention span of a classroom full of students. When students do not find subjects or problems particularly interesting or intellectually stimulating, they often have difficulty staying focused and have issues with retaining important information.

One way to overcome this hurdle — and to foster a greater interest in the material being taught — is to encourage students to become active contributors to their own learning experience through a method of teaching known as inquiry-based learning.

What is inquiry-based learning?

In the Ontario Ministry of Education’s report Inquiry-based Learning: On Transforming Wonder into Knowledge, inquiry-based learning is described as a teaching approach that builds on the idea that educators and students both share responsibility for learning.

Instead of an educator telling students everything they need to know, inquiry-based learning places students’ questions, ideas and observations at the centre of the learning experience, and requires them to engage in evidence-based reasoning and creative problem solving. The approach emphasizes learning by doing, encouraging students to build their knowledge through experience and exploration.

Inquiry-based learning places students’ questions, ideas and observations at the centre of the learning experience [Tweet This]

“The key to [inquiry-based learning] is to teach students how to ask their own questions, and to discern good questions from bad questions,” explained Dr. Alan Edmunds, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Western University.

Dr. Edmunds added that the approach is about helping students generate solid, inquisitive and deep questions around a topic.

Inquiry-based learning also combines several approaches to instruction that have been proven to be successful, including small-group and guided learning.

According to Dr. Sharon Friesen, Professor and Vice Dean of the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, inquiry-based learning has been used in the classroom environment at universities since their inception. She explained that this form of teaching has also been used in primary and secondary education for decades.

“K-12 classrooms are set up to support inquiry work. They actually have been for quite some time, as inquiry-based learning first made its way into K-12 classrooms in the late 1920s and early 1930s,” Dr. Friesen said.

What components are needed to make inquiry-based learning work?

While inquiry-based learning is a dynamic approach that can be adapted for almost any learning environment, there are several components that need to be put in place in order to make the teaching style successful for everyone involved. A few of these key components are:

A culture of inquiry: According to Inquiry-based Learning: On Transforming Wonder into Knowledge, establishing a culture in which students are encouraged to express their thoughts and challenge one another’s ideas is an important first step in the inquiry process. When students feel comfortable and encouraged to share what they are thinking, they are much more likely to contribute to a classroom discussion amongst their peers.

External support (for teachers): Dr. Friesen explained that unless a curriculum has been designed to require deep understanding of a few significant ideas central to the subject disciplines under study, teachers would need to spend a significant amount of time interpreting and reconfiguring the guidelines to make them coherent and applicable to the inquiry-based learning approach.

Educator guidance and support (for students): Even though a large component of inquiry-based learning revolves around students, the success of the approach depends on the guidance provided by teachers. According to the Canadian Education Association’s research resource Is Inquiry-Based Learning Effective?, “teachers should guide students to develop a good question for investigation, monitor their inquiry process, and provide guidance when they encounter difficulties.” Dr. Edmunds agreed with this, explaining that while students learn great from other students, the teacher needs to guide them so they discover the proper knowledge.

Understanding of the audience: Dr. Edmunds suggested that educators do a small test of their students’ understanding by going through the nuts and bolts of the material prior to asking them higher order questions. He explained progressive assessments should be used to ensure that all students have a solid knowledge base before beginning.

Open-mindedness and spontaneity: When planning for a lesson, teachers may feel the need to begin or frame the discussion around one question or a specific set of questions. However, inquiry-based learning is most effective when the leader has an open-minded approach and is willing to build on spontaneous questions that encourage further thought and discussion amongst the class.

Why is inquiry-based learning important?

Inquiry-based learning is a useful method that educators should embrace, as it helps to enhance the learning experience of students. The method gives children the opportunity to take a hands-on approach in their education while obtaining several important skills that can be used at all levels of their learning, and even into their future careers.

“Within discipline-based inquiry learning, students learn how to: gather, critique, analyze and interpret information; create working theories; pose new questions; bring forward evidence; integrate new ideas,” Dr. Friesen said.

“Students are taught specific skills and knowledge that are at the heart of the disciplines in a discipline-based inquiry-learning classroom as they are key to them fully advancing within the subjects,” She added.

Inquiry-based learning also gives students the opportunity to develop stronger relationships with their classmates, improve their communication skills, and increase the confidence they have in their own ideas and ability to contribute in the classroom.

When Should Inquiry Based Learning Be Used?

While inquiry-based learning is an effective method that can be embraced in a variety of situations, it isn’t a method that should be used for everything.

There are multiple learning situations and lessons that would benefit from a more direct approach, such as explaining how to complete a straightforward multiplication or division equation. Asking higher order questions in a situation like this would likely confuse students, especially if they do not already have the proper knowledge base to take part in the discussion.

However, if an opportunity arises to engage students by asking questions and encouraging them to play a bigger role in their knowledge development, embracing inquiry-based learning will help engage young learners and foster excitement in the subjects they are learning about.

Inquiry-based learning will help engage young learners and foster excitement in the subjects they are learning about [Tweet This]

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Ideally, kids’ motivation would come from within (intrinsic motivation) but sometimes it takes some support to get them to that point, and the messages children get at home can play a huge role.

Here are 5 areas you can focus on to help your child:

How do you motivate your child in school?  Join the conversation in the comments below or on social media!

About The Author:

Kate Winn is addicted to being productive in her roles as mom, teacher, writer and TV guest.‎ Passionate about education, entertainment and travel, you can find her at This Mom Loves and on Twitter

The post How To Keep Your Kids Motivated in School appeared first on Oxford Learning.

Learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms, it is an ongoing process that happens all the time (your brain even keeps working when you’re asleep). There are tons of fun ways to help children learn when they’re not in school.

Evenings, weekends, holidays—they all offer families great opportunities to spend time together, have fun, and continue learning

Here are 5 fun ways to help kids learn!

1. Get Creative

Art helps smarts! Whether it’s crafts or play-doh, playing an instrument, acting, writing poetry, painting, or building model cars… art can help kids of all ages tap into their creative side and get their brains working. Try this creative activity:

2. Get Cooking

Children love to feel like little helpers, so why not let them help with grocery shopping or cooking meals? The great thing about these activities is that they help with an integral (and often difficult) school subject: math.

Have your child decide which produce is a better bargain, or ask them to measure ingredients. Not only will they quickly learn that math is useful, but you also get to eat what you make!

Here are some kid-friendly recipes for everyone to enjoy:

3. Get Outside

Fresh air is not to be underestimated! The outdoors provides a natural playground for children to learn and grow, not to mention exercise helps keep the body and brain fit.

Go on a walk around the block; hike in a nearby Conservation Area; go swimming at a public pool. You don’t even have to leave the house – plant a vegetable garden together, build a snow fort, or play basketball in the driveway. Regardless of the activity, getting outside means kids spend less time in front of screens, and that helps keep their bodies and minds active.

Here are some activity that combine intellectual and physical education:

(Activity ideas from FamilyEducation.com)

4. Get Techy

It seems to be a hot topic within parenting circles – whether or not to expose your children to technology, and if so, how often? Just like everything else, technology isn’t bad when moderated… some schools are even taking advantage of what technology has to offer our children. There are some exciting learning opportunities within interactive children’s games!

Spend a rainy Saturday afternoon playing video games, like https://slot27.id/, with your child. Let them show you how to play, asking plenty of questions. Draw practical connections between the game and how things work in daily life.

For the younger ones, Leap Pad provides a very user-friendly tablet with an endless amount of educational games to purchase physically or through their online store.

For children a little bit older, there are many options available on all different consoles like your computer, traditional video games consoles, and tablets. Here are a few to explore: Little Big Planet, Big Brain Academy, Magic School Bus Activity Lab.

5. Get Reading

Read more about learning:

Unicef on Child’s Brain Development
The New York Times on Technology and Story Time
Oxford Learning on How Reading from a Screen Affects Learning
Stanford University on How Children Learn

What are some fun ways that you help your kids learn at home?

The post 5 Ways To Help Kids Learn at Home appeared first on Oxford Learning.

Read her initial post about her expectations and experience during her first couple of weeks here.

After the three month trial was up, Andrea chose to keep her son in his program. We couldn’t be happier to have him continue on and for him to carry on hitting his personal milestones.

We’d like to congratulate the K Man on his fantastic progress in reading skills over such a short time!

Andrea identified a couple of common challenges that most parents face when choosing to add afterschool tutoring to their family’s already hectic lifestyle. The first challenge is scheduling and the second one is cost.

While Andrea and her family juggled their schedules to get the K Man to his Oxford Learning’s classes, here’s what she had to say about the cost—and the value—of her son’s program at Oxford Learning:

“I firmly believe that’s worth a few hundred dollars a month… In the grand scheme of things, three or four thousand bucks a year is a joke for quality education… While I hope The K Man turns out to be above average, I need to take matters into my own hands to get him there. With extra attention at home and a boost from Oxford Learning, I think his future’s looking pretty damn good.”

Please read Andrea’s full post on Mommy Gearest.

We think the K-Man’s future is looking pretty good too!

The post The Value of Tutoring: An Oxford Learning Review by Mommy Gearest appeared first on Oxford Learning.

Literacy can be fun!

Here’s 5 activities to help your child develop literacy skills AND have a good time!

1. Play games involving letters and sounds.
Board games are great (tech-free) family fun, and can build grammar and reading skills, as well as strategy, problem-solving, and numeracy skills, which are all essential to school success.

2. Read books together.
Nothing beats a rainy Saturday or pre-bedtime snuggle with a book. Reading together is great bonding time, and can (and should) lead to interesting conversations about what it is you’re reading about.

3. Get creative while reading.
Draw pictures of what you’re reading, act out scenes, put on a character puppet show, or make up alternate endings. Use your imagination and make your books come to life!

4. Visit the library.
A trip to the local library can lead to discovering new books, new activities, and new friends! Make it a regular routine and your child will anticipate library day every week!

5. Recognize reading isn’t always about books.
Watching your child sit down with a book for an extended period of time is ideal, but is not the only sign of developing literacy skills. Street signs, cereal boxes, video games, comics… your child can practice reading a lot of things that aren’t books!

*Bonus Tip* 6. Practice what you preach.
The easiest way to get kids excited about reading, language, and learning, is to do the same yourself. If they see you doing it, they’ll want to do it too!

Read More:
Most Important Academic Year (not what you may think)

How To Encourage Good Reading Habits In Kids

The post 5 Literacy Activities for Young Learners appeared first on Oxford Learning.

Here are 5 fun ways to help kids learn at home:

1. Get Creative – Art helps smarts! Whether it’s crafts or play-doh, playing an instrument or acting, writing poetry or painting, or building model cars or graphic design, art can help kids of all ages tap into their creative side and get their brains working. An artistic extra-curricular hobby can help students’ performance inside the classroom too, as well as helping them build confidence and social skills.

2. Get Cooking – Children love to feel like little helpers, so why not let them help with grocery shopping or cooking meals? The great thing about these activities? They help with an integral (and often difficult) school subject: MATH. Have your child decide which produce is a better bargain or ask them to measure ingredients. Not only will they quickly learn that math IS something useful that they use every day, but you also get to eat what you make!

3. Get Outside – A simple walk around the block can offer opportunities for learning, not to mention fresh air and exercise helps keep brains fit as well as bodies. Name trees and flowers, spot animals, or carry a compass along with you to track your direction. If you’re feeling more adventurous, go on a longer hike or visit a conservation area. You don’t even have to leave the house; plant a vegetable garden together, build a snow fort, or play basketball in the driveway. Regardless of the activity, getting outside means kids spend less time in front of TV and computer screens, and that definitely helps them learn better.

4. Get Tech-y – So you have a kid who just won’t put down the iPad or video game controller. All is not lost; technology CAN lead to learning opportunities. Spend a rainy Saturday afternoon playing vids WITH your kid… get him/her to explain the game to you and teach you how to play. Chat about how the game connects to things in real life. Believe it or not, some teachers are even using video games in classrooms as teaching tools!

5. Get Reading – Reading early and often is one of the best ways for children to succeed in school. Kids who read for pleasure will find their literacy skills soar, helping them in every single subject. Even reluctant readers can turn into bookworms and the most connected kids can find reading in a digital age enjoyable. Being a bookworm yourself can certainly help model the habit for your children, and remember all reading counts! Comic books, blogs, magazines, graphic novels… whatever it is, just get reading!

Discover everything you need for the best middle school experience here.

Perhaps one of the most important things to remember is kids are born curious, so parents should be enthusiastic about helping their children explore whatever it is that piques their interest. There is a huge world out there to explore, so learn together, and learn forever!

The post 5 Fun Ways to Help Kids Learn at Home appeared first on Oxford Learning.