December Newsletter from Tutoring with Sheryl|Your Reading Expert

It's that time of the year!

We are diving right into the winter season, and your child may be exhibiting some struggles with their reading.

If they are coming home and shutting down because they are feeling behind, or their teacher is reaching out to you with concerns, don't ignore this! You need to take the time to take action!

Your child could be a preschooler and you are just learning what it means to get your child reading and writing. You may have a second grader who is stuck! Or, you might have a sixth grader who has shut down and just won’t do a thing.

I hear your thoughts and your struggle is REAL! I hear stories from parents ALL of the TIME! The one thing I want to do is congratulate you for taking it seriously! You and I both know that reading is the backbone to all learning, so we want to be sure your child is successful.

I have some simple things you can do for your kids at different levels. Give these ideas a try. Don’t be worried about trying things at other levels. That is a good thing. You want to find what works for YOUR child.

Beginning Readers (Pre-K and Kindergarten)

Focus on the sounds of letters. Focus on the shapes of letters. Make learning fun!

The important thing is to say your sounds correctly! If you are working on the letter C just use the /k/ sound and don’t say kaaaa. That won’t help your child later when they are working on spelling and reading. If you want to stretch out a word while you say it, go for it, but use solid sounds to start with.

Use a salt or sand tray to practice the letters. Show your child a letter (and remember you can always find fonts for your child to use that have easy to read shapes like Poppins or Lexend that will use the letter a shaped like: a rather than a. This could actually be holding your child back!

Magnetic letters are a fun, interactive way to keep the kids engaged! You can always try to use them on a cookie sheet or on your refrigerator. But you can also just use them on the tabletop.

Give the kids a sound and see if they can find the letter that makes that sound. You can play Bingo with letter sounds as well! Have the kids take a Bingo sheet and write one different letter in each sheet. Then you say a sound and they mark the sound. If they get a Bingo, you can celebrate their success!

Early Readers (1st-3rd graders)

I LOVE decodable books for beginning readers. I think they play an important role in beginning reading. But, I don’t want you to stay in decodable readers. Why? Your child won’t be challenged to use the skills they have learned. I am going to encourage you to get to your local library and check out some books. Find time to sit down and read together! See if you can read at least 15 minutes 5 days per week. I think you will find your child will start to grow their abilities and grow their love of books!

I also think word games are fun and powerful when it comes to literacy skills. I want to encourage you to play some simple games that will get your kids thinking about words! Have you played the game Bananagrams? It is so much easier than Scrabble and your kids will love creating words with YOU! The rules are simple and you can actually end the game at any point when the schedule won’t let you finish it. This game is great for early readers because they can concentrate on sounds they know, but it is also great for older readers who are learning more challenging words, so you won’t have to get rid of it! You can pull this game out at your holiday celebration!

Older Readers

Older children still LOVE to be read to, they just don’t like to admit it. One thing I find really motivating for kids is to listen to kids’ audiobooks! If you are able to have them have a hard copy of the book, they can listen along and find JOY in reading! Audiobooks are good for people of any age, but they can really support kids who don’t love to read because they may be experiencing struggles with their reading. They want to read the hard books, but they just don’t have the stamina to get through one. You will be glad you tried this out! Be on the search for the classics like Charlotte’s Web, The One and Only Ivan, The Lemonade War, and Lassie!

If your child is struggling to learn to read, don’t wait to get the help your child deserves. Can you imagine going to school and not being able to read and you are being asked to do it ALL DAY long? That would be very difficult and it can turn your sweet child into one that isn’t much fun to be around. Tutoring can be done in short, frequent bursts and it is highly effective.

Contact me if you need support. I am enrolling for the second semester. I currently support students in 1st-9th grade. Most of the kids I support have IEP’s, 504 Plans, have ADHD, have autism, or have dyslexia. Feel free to email me and start the conversation! sheryluehling@gmail.com​

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Sheryl Uehling, a 35 year veteran teacher turned tutor/reading specialist, empowers struggling readers and writers from Kindergarten to Sixth Grade through evidence-based methods rooted in the Science of Reading. Her personalized instruction, blending phonics, decoding, spelling, writing, and comprehension, fosters significant reading achievement.

Sheryl has been featured on The Coach for Tutors Podcast, Soar 1 and 2 Summit for Teachers, and Impact Conferences for Teachers, and she hosts her own podcast on Spotify and YouTube.

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⚠️ Disclaimer: The content I share on this channel is based on my personal experience and opinions. I am not a lawyer, accountant, or financial advisor, and I do not hold any professional licenses in those fields. Nothing on this channel should be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Please consult with a licensed professional for guidance specific to your situation.

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