Being both a teacher and a mom of two, I know how full life can feel while juggling all the roles we carry— parent, spouse, employee… It’s a lot!

But I also believe one of the most important things you can give your child isn’t toys or gadgets—it’s you. Being emotionally present, walking with them through life’s little hills and big mountains, and showing them what kindness, perseverance, and love look like each day makes the biggest difference.

That’s why I created this page just for you. My prayer is that this page offers encouragement, simple ideas, and practical tips to help make learning at home easier, lighter, and more joyful for both you and your child.

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house…” Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Reading

Reading doesn’t happen all at once—it develops over time. You can think of it as growing a tree. Strong roots lead to a strong trunk, which leads to a full, thriving canopy. I believe reading development can be broken up into three stages:

1. Listening to Learn (Birth – Pre-K): This is the most important stage and the foundation for everything that follows. Before children can read words, they are learning language through what they hear. Every conversation, song, and story builds their vocabulary, understanding, and curiosity about the world.

2. Learning to Read (Kindergarten – 2nd Grade): In this stage, children begin putting the pieces together to become readers. They learn phonological awareness (hearing sounds in words), phonics (connecting sounds to letters), fluency (reading smoothly), vocabulary, and comprehension (understanding what they read).

3. Reading to Learn (3rd Grade and Beyond): At this point, reading becomes a tool for learning. Children use reading to explore new ideas, gain knowledge, and think more deeply about the world around them. They continue strengthening their fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. They also begin learning about morphemes (prefixes, suffixes, and base words), which helps them understand and decode more complex words.

Why the Early Years Matter Most: Each stage builds on the one before it — but it all starts with Listening to Learn. The language your child hears early in life becomes the foundation for their future reading success. A study from Ohio State University found that children who are never read to hear about 4,600 words before kindergarten. Children who are read to daily hear about 297,000 words before kindergarten. That difference is life-changing!

From the very beginning, you have the power to build your child’s reading foundation.

Talk. Read. Play. Sing. Repeat.

Read together every day

- Bedtime (my family favorite)
- After school
- On the couch

Talk about everything

- What does the word _____ mean? What other word could you use?
- What did you read at school today? Can you retell the story to me?
- What story would you like to read together?

Play word games

- Guess Who?
- Scrabble Junior
- I Spy
- Pictionary

Sing together

- Alphabet songs
- Nursery rhymes
- Clap to the rhythm of songs
- Have them repeat lyrics to songs to you

Repeat

Reading References:

Logan, J. (2019, June 6). A ‘million word gap’ for children who aren’t read to at home. Ohio State News. https://news.osu.edu/a-million-word-gap-for-children-who-arent-read-to-at-home/

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2014). Literacy promotion: An essential component of primary care pediatric practice. Pediatrics, 134(2), 404–409. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1384

Bus, A. G., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Pellegrini, A. D. (1995). Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Review of Educational Research, 65(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543065001001

Hutton, J. S., Dudley, J., Horowitz-Kraus, T., DeWitt, T., & Holland, S. K. (2020). Shared reading quality and brain white matter organization in preschool-age children. Brain Connectivity, 10(7), 389–399. https://doi.org/10.1089/brain.2019.0721

Lonigan, C. J., & Whitehurst, G. J. (1998). Relative efficacy of parent and teacher involvement in a shared-reading intervention for preschool children from low-income backgrounds. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 13(2), 263–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(99)80038-6

Logan, J. (2019). A million-word gap for children who aren’t read to at home. The Ohio State University News. https://news.osu.edu/a-million-word-gap-for-children-who-arent-read-to-at-home

Nicolopoulou, A., Cortina, K. S., Ilgaz, H., Cates, C. B., & de Sá, A. B. (2015). Using dialogic reading and dramatic play to enhance children’s narrative comprehension and writing skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 31, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.01.001

Tirado, F. (2017, September 26). Read-aloud: A life-changing form of civic learning. National Council of Teachers of English. https://ncte.org/blog/2017/09/read-aloud-life-changing-form-civic-learning

Topping, K., & Wolfendale, S. (Eds.). (2005). Parental involvement in children’s reading. Continuum.

Warner School of Education. (n.d.). Why reading aloud boosts literacy among children. University of Rochester. https://www.warner.rochester.edu/blog/why-reading-aloud-boosts-literacy-among-children

Yahya, F., & Azizah, N. (2017). Dialogic reading intervention and its effect on emotional understanding in children aged 4–6 years. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran, 6(2), 175–182. https://jpp.fkip.unila.ac.id/index.php/jpp/article/view/231

Zeece, P. D. (2010). Using picture books to support young children’s literacy. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(4), 325–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0428-4

Math

Math isn’t just about numbers on a worksheet — it grows over time through everyday experiences. I believe that just like reading, math develops in stages, with each one building on the last.

1. Early Number Sense (Birth – Age 4): Before children ever see a worksheet, they are learning math by noticing patterns, shapes, and quantities.

2. Emerging Number Concepts (Kindergarten): Children begin to understand what numbers actually represent. They start connecting numbers to real amounts and explore simple math through hands-on experiences.

3. Building Operations & Place Value (1st – 2nd Grade): In this stage, children begin developing strategies and a deeper understanding. They move beyond counting and start thinking more flexibly about numbers.

4. Applying Mathematical Thinking (3rd – 5th Grade): Math becomes a tool for solving problems and explaining thinking. Students begin working with more complex concepts and are expected to show and explain how they got their answers.

5. Abstract & Flexible Thinking (Middle – High School): Students move into higher-level math and more abstract thinking. They rely less on hands-on tools and more on reasoning, problem-solving, and applying formulas.

Why the Early Years Matter Most: Just like with reading, math starts long before school. The early experiences your child has with numbers, patterns, and problem-solving build the foundation for everything that comes later. Children who are encouraged to explore math in everyday life develop confidence, curiosity, and a stronger understanding of how math works.

Count. Talk. Play. Solve. Repeat

Count everything

- Count the number of foods on the dinner plate
- Count toys as you clean
- Count steps as you walk together
- Count the number of cars that pass while driving

Talk about everything

- What did you learn in math today?
- Did you know _______? (My kids LOVE my random facts I randomly share)
- Which has more? Which has Less? How do you know?
- Which is taller? Which is shorter? How do you know?
- How much money is this?

Play math games

- - Trouble
  - Monopoly Jr.
  - Sorry
  - Candy Land
  - Battleship

Solve everyday problems

- - Let them help you measure ingredients while cooking or baking
  - Let them set the table
  - Puzzle building

Repeat

Math References:

Zero to Three. (n.d.). Help your child develop early math skills. Retrieved from https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/help-your-child-develop-early-math-skills/

Child Development Institute. (n.d.). Early math skills. Retrieved from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/early_math_skills/

Jordan, N. C., & Levine, S. C. (2009). Early math matters: Kindergarten number competence and later mathematics outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 45(3), 850–867. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014939

Child Development Institute. (n.d.). Early math skills. Retrieved from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/early_math_skills/

Counting with Kids. (2024, January 16). How place value understanding progresses in elementary math. Retrieved from https://www.countingwithkids.com/early-math/how-place-value-progresses

Jones, S. (2025, February 23). How to teach place value: A comprehensive guide for first grade. Retrieved from https://susanjonesteaching.com/how-to-teach-place-value-a-comprehensive-guide-for-first-grade/

Torres-Peña, R. C., Peña-González, D., Lara-Orozco, J. L., Ariza, E. A., & Vergara, D. (2025). Enhancing numerical thinking through problem solving: A teaching experience for third-grade mathematics. Education Sciences, 15(6), 667. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060667

SplashLearn. (2022, September 3). 9 Most important math concepts kids learn in 3rd grade. Retrieved from https://www.splashlearn.com/blog/third-grade-math/

Mathnasium. (2025, June 18). Common middle school math struggles & how to bridge them. Retrieved from https://www.mathnasium.com/math-centers/highlands/news/middle-school-math-struggles

DreamBox Learning. (2025, September 15). Math fluency guide. Retrieved from https://www.dreambox.com/math/guides/math-fluency

In closing.....

You might be thinking, “This all sounds great… but what does it actually look like in real life? ” For me, it’s simple—board games, puzzles, reading, and lots of talking are my everyday go-tos with my kids. I find our games, puzzles, and books at yard sales, thrift stores, and stores.

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