How do I use an online literacy program (successfully!) at home with my child?
Welcome back! It is the start of a new school year which can bring excitement and trepidation for students. After the long summer break, many parents will want their kids to ‘switch on’ to Term 1 learning. As you know, reading is a fundamental skill that is essential for success in all school subjects.
Does your son require some level of literacy or reading support? Perhaps he has dyslexia, ADHD or other learning concerns? Does he need practice in general literacy skills? Want to extend him with extra reading content? Are you homeschooling? If you’re looking into an online literacy program, how do you get your money’s worth (& the results!)?
Several key strategies can help students achieve success with an online reading program:
Set clear goals: Before starting the program, set specific, measurable goals for what you want to accomplish. For e.g, do they complete 1 topic a week or 2? Is your son’s goal to improve his spelling? (We offer testing to measure growth in spelling age.) This will help your son stay motivated and on track.
Create a schedule: Establish a regular schedule for completing the program, and stick to it as closely as possible. This will help him stay organised and avoid procrastination.
Get support: Our staff at LFB are on hand to help! We encourage students to email us ideas for topics. Parents are welcome to contact or email us as we can provide guidance and support as you work through the program (We love hearing from parents and we provide support and suggestions to help with a boy’s literacy development.) We also offer Personalised Certificates to motivate and celebrate your son’s achievements!
Practice active reading: Instead of just passively reading the material, actively engage with it by taking notes, summarising key points, and asking questions. Our topics are great for creative writing ideas or opportunities to research further.
Get feedback: Meaningful, authentic feedback is what kids love. Our comprehension quizzes offer feedback for each question and hints for seeking the correct answer. Encourage your son to read any feedback and use it to improve his reading skills.
Stay motivated: Reward him for meeting milestones! This is where our certificates can be a real game-changer, so please contact us. Continue to remind him of the end goal.
Use different resources: Our wide choice of engaging topics is what makes LFB different from other online programs: bubblegum, sports, history, robotics, extreme sports, unusual animals, and science topics. Encourage him to share with you something that he has learned and direct him to use other resources such as books and videos to supplement his learning about a certain topic.
Don’t give up: If your son faces any difficulty, don’t give up. Maybe he needs a short break or needs an adult to explain a concept. We encourage parents to sit with their son and ask him to share with you a great topic, something that he’s learned.
It is important to remember that not all boys are the same, and different approaches will work better for different boys. The goal is to provide a variety of engaging activities and materials that cater to different learning styles, preferences, and interests.
See our program in action
“The boys can’t wait to get onto LFB each day during literacy!” We hear this from teachers frequently and it fills our literacy bucket. When parents write to us to tell us that their son is loving the program and is eager to tell them at dinner about the latest topic, we couldn’t be more thrilled.
Take a look at why our program is a world first in targetting boys’ literacy ~
Our literacy programs have created the reading content to support your teaching. STEM, history, creative writing, science: with hundreds of kid-centric topics to choose from, our programs have been proven to lift literacy in schools and at home. Contact us today.
Our Results
An effective reading program needs to be backed by strong results. Literacy for Boys was independently tested in one of the largest State Primary schools in Qld. Students in Years 3 to 6 improved their reading, spelling and comprehension ages by an average of 12 months after only 18 weeks on our program! Click here for the full report.
Contact us if you’d like to trial Literacy for Boys or Literacy for Kids in your school.
info@literacyforboys.com.au
info@literacyforkids.com.au
Want your students to finish strong in their literacy? Want more from your literacy program? Contact us for a 30-day free trial in your school or classroom. New schools receive these great ‘Turn and Talk’ comprehension cards for their classroom ~
Check out our blogs for more ideas and tips.
5 Ways to Build Student Confidence
Identify Comprehension Gaps with these great cards
Steps to Successfully Support Disengaged Learners
See us featured in The Educator Australia magazine
Research confirms that early reading boosts literacy
Boys Love LFB – Here’s what they have to say!
Get boys reading in the digital age
Why write? Tips for reluctant writers
Brought to you by Tanya Grambower