Read to your child!

Julie Feyereisen
Aug 31, 2023
7 min read

Updated: Nov 7, 2023

Welcome!

1-2-3 Reading is an investment in your child’s education, self esteem, and future. This course was specifically created with you as the parent in mind to help navigate the reading process with your child at home. While most parents believe that it is the teachers responsibility to help their child to learn to read, it is proven that children whose parents invest the time in helping their children read at home have a far greater success rate throughout their years in school.

Julie Feyereisen sitting by a flower bed — Julie Feyereisen

My name is Julie Feyereisen. From an early age, I have been profoundly interested in helping children to learn. At the age of 12, I would take a box filled with activities and books, to entertain the children which I babysat. I realized that the relationships with these children were much richer from sharing these types of experiences. I went on to receive a degree in education and have taught elementary school kids since 1998. As both a teacher and a mother I have always had a great desire to identify the best solutions to not only help my children but every child placed in my care.

Over the years of teaching students in a school setting, I have seen a disconnect between what happens in school and what happens at home. Teachers speak a language which is foreign to most parents and for the teacher to tell the parent to just have their child to “read more” is not the best advice for a struggling reader. I have seen what a difference it can make for a child when they can decode words and comprehend language. The result is a fluent reader who understands what he or she is reading. This ultimately leads to increased self awareness and improved productivity in all areas of their education.

Through this course, my team and I have organized solid strategies which will help you as the parent understand the core solutions in the development of a strong young reader.

The mission of 1-2-3 Reading is to help parents bridge the gap between what a student does at home and in the classroom.

In this course we will cover:

Reading to your child - The number one proven solution in helping children read.
Phonemic Awareness - The basic understanding of the sounds letters make
Heart Words - Memorized words that don’t follow normal reading patterns
High Frequency Words - Words most commonly seen throughout literature
Fry Phrases - The most common phrases seen throughout literature
Uplift words - A strategy to build confident readers used when reading together
Fluency Passages - Timed reading passages to demonstrate reading progression
Choosing the right books - Tips based on any students reading level
& Ways to get your child to love reading

It is my hope and prayer that you will embrace the strategies offered in this course so your child may benefit. If you only were to invest 20 minutes a day, you would see so much progression in your child's reading ability. I wish you and your child a wonderfully positive experience as you move through this course. Remember, this isn’t a race. Go at whatever pace seems most natural and beneficial for your reader. And most of all… Have fun!

Quality Time

One of the most important things you can do with your child is spend quality time together. One special way to do this is to read together.

When you read with your child you:

Offer them your time,
Give of yourself both physically and emotionally,
Support healthier brain development
Provide a foundation for language development
Help prepare them for academic success
Improve focus and self discipline
Develop their imagination and creativity
Cultivate a lifelong love of reading
And most importantly…. Create a special bond with your child

mother reading book to her daughter — "... spend quality time together."

Of all the things I remember as a child, one of my fondest memories is of my mom reading to us as children. These same memories were created for my children as my husband would read to our family.

While not always perfect, my husband and I made a concerted effort to be part of our children’s evening before going to bed. We would often come together in the girl’s room where I, my son, and his three sisters would sit on the two twin beds with their father sitting in between reading to them. At first this started with fun books like Dr. Seuss, Molly Lu Melon, Good Night Moon, Peter Rabbit, Fancy Nancy and so many more. As they grew, we transitioned to books like Encyclopedia Brown, Magic Tree House books, and on to larger chapter books. As the books got larger and plots and characters could build within their minds and hearts, so did the anticipation as to what would happen next as we would read only a chapter or two before having to go to sleep. This type of shared excitement is a wonderful bonding opportunity that I would wish for all parents and their children but I especially want this for you.

Like me, you may have children of different ages and at different reading levels. This is okay. What starts off as a regular family reading activity slowly turns into children breaking off into their own rooms and reading books which interest them individually. A spark that is lit, turns into a passion and love for reading that will last a lifetime. I now have four young adult readers who continue to read each day as they allow themselves to get lost in imaginary worlds created by so many wonderful authors. Yours will too.

Remember these proven successful strategies to help your young reader progress, but none is more valuable than the time you spend reading together.

Read to your child - Modeling

Modeling is the demonstration of how to read. The teacher or parent models skilled reading behavior. Many people think that reading is natural but actually it is not an innate skill. Reading is best learned by listening to others read and hearing the sounds that make up words. The beauty of this learning process is the shared time you will have with your child as they hear you speak words correctly, read passages and stories fluently, use expression and intonation, and read more and more complex sentences.

Phonemic awareness is defined as the ability to identify individual sounds within spoken words. When your child is being read to, they hear the sounds that make up words. This creates mental pictures for your student to pull from when they are reading independently. Being able to hear these sounds creates the foundation for reading.

Fluency is the rate at which we read. To put it another way, it is reading at the correct speed, not too fast and not too slow. It is best modeled by reading to your child. When you read to him or her, they hear what a fluent reader sounds like.

Accuracy is reading a story without making mistakes. This is best modeled when you read to your child.

Intonation is the rise and fall of your voice. Varying your voice makes the story interesting.

mother and father model how to read to son — "Modeling is the demonstration of how to to read."

Reading with expression is to read like you are talking. When you model how to read with expression, this provides a great example for your child to follow. This is a foundational skill for any student grades 1-5.

By reading to your child from books above their reading level, they are exposed to the complexity of the English language which will aid them on their reading journey. When they hear complex sentences, your child will gain a better grasp of the language.

Modeling how to read is a valuable gift you will give your child. You have the power to show them how to be a great reader. They will hear the sounds that make up words. They will hear what a fluent, accurate reader sounds like. Reading will come alive as they hear you read with expression. Your child will become a great reader with your help. I am excited for both you and for your child!

Vocabulary

Having a large vocabulary is the number one predictor of improved reading comprehension. This provides your student with so many more advantages in their life. One of the benefits of reading to your child is that they will be exposed to richer words. This is important to continue to do even after your child can read. It is estimated that a child learns 2,000-3,000 words per year. A child expands their vocabulary through reading, writing and speaking. You can aid in your child’s learning by reading books above their grade level to expose them to larger and more sophisticated words and their meanings.

The next thing is context. Using a word in proper context helps your child better understand how any given word applies around the theme of a sentence or paragraph. Reading to your child helps them understand the context of words that may not be part of their current vocabulary but provides them with the initial exposure to new words. Hearing these new words intertwined in a story or informational text, your child then has the opportunity to better understand what given words mean and can make connections in their own use of those words.

Research

While I have focused my educational passions around the area of reading, it is important to understand that these strategies are proven solutions developed by educators across the country which have been thoroughly researched and tested for years and years. My focus is to curate the best of these solutions and provide them to parents in such a way that 1. it makes sense and 2. it has a realistic application within the confines of your home and between you and your student.

This course may have come to you by way of recommendation from your child’s teacher, from another parent, or just from an online search. No matter how 1-2-3 Reading came to you, please know that it is based on decades of applied research for many other students just like yours.

If you're anything like me, I know you are extremely busy as a parent, as well as the other callings you have in life. While I assume many of you may not have any real interest to read pages and pages of research, I will provide all the appropriate links at the end of this course for those who do.

Patience & Love

The most important thing to remember in this whole process is patience and love. Remember that learning to read is not a skill your child comes by naturally. They must learn the skills it takes to read. I will teach you ways to help that process along.

Patience and consistency is what will make all the difference as you move forward and learn the strategies to help your child. Patience with yourself and the process will see you through this time. The rewards will be immense. Remember why you are doing this? Reading is a gift that unlocks treasures of knowledge. It will take time for you and it will take time for your child. My desire for you is to empower you with the knowledge to help your struggling reader. Love them through this process. Love yourself.

I suggest setting up goals and rewards. When your child accomplishes something, you have accomplished something too. Share in the celebration and acknowledgement of progress. My husband would tell you to go get some ice cream. Whatever motivates you and your child, that’s what you should do.