Veronica Blade

Creator of First Step Phonics, the most simplified phonics program available anywhere!
Also, author of sweet romance for teens and adults.

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

What are the first steps of reading? 📚

Once you’ve built the foundation of these first 5 steps your child will be able to READ! While they can take time, everything snowballs once you really get these down.💪

#phonics #phonicstips #phonicseducation #earlylearning #readingsteps

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

Structured vs Permissive/More Relaxed Learning - Which is better?

There are certainly arguments for both, but I lean towards structured learning and here's why.

#homeschooling #homeschoolingtips #teachingtips #structuredlearning #teachingmethods

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

The CORRECT sound to short u

If you are a homeschooling parent trying to help your child, have an accent, or are ESL, this video is for you! Feel free to listen over and over and repeat them as I go.

Get these sounds down before introducing other vowel sounds to avoid confusion.

I also recommend you watch my mouth as best you can if you're struggling with any of the sounds.

Visit my page for the other vowel sounds.

#vowels #vowelsounds #phonicssounds #lettersounds #abcs

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

The CORRECT sound to short O

If you are a homeschooling parent trying to help your child, have an accent, or are ESL, this video is for you! Feel free to listen over and over and repeat them as I go.

Get these sounds down before introducing other vowel sounds to avoid confusion.

I also recommend you watch my mouth as best you can if you're struggling with any of the sounds.

Visit my page for the other vowel sounds.

#vowels #vowelsounds #phonicssounds #lettersounds #abcs

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

The CORRECT sound to short i

If you are a homeschooling parent trying to help your child, have an accent, or are ESL, this video is for you! Feel free to listen over and over and repeat them as I go.

Get these sounds down before introducing other vowel sounds to avoid confusion.

I also recommend you watch my mouth as best you can if you're struggling with any of the sounds.

Visit my page for the other vowel sounds.

#vowels #vowelsounds #phonicssounds #lettersounds #abcs

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

The CORRECT sound to short E

If you are a homeschooling parent trying to help your child, have an accent, or are ESL, this video is for you! Feel free to listen over and over and repeat them as I go.

Get these sounds down before introducing other vowel sounds to avoid confusion.

I also recommend you watch my mouth as best you can if you're struggling with any of the sounds.

Visit my page for the other vowel sounds.

#vowels #vowelsounds #phonicssounds #lettersounds #abcs

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

The CORRECT sound to short A

If you are a homeschooling parent trying to help your child, have an accent, or are ESL, this video is for you! Feel free to listen over and over and repeat them as I go.

Get these sounds down before introducing other vowel sounds to avoid confusion.

I also recommend you watch my mouth as best you can if you're struggling with any of the sounds.

Visit my page for the other vowel sounds.

#vowels #vowelsounds #phonicssounds #lettersounds #abcs

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

What is a CHILD'S job???

When they are young – their instinct is to LEARN! That is actually their job as a child, which teaches them how to survive and be happy as an adult. There are many many avenues in life from which to learn — academics, relationships, sports, etc. So it's important to have those conversations young and you'd be surprised how much they appreciate knowing they have value and a place in the world. After all, they see you working and likely want to mimic you!

P.S. This is obviously not the ONLY thing they should be doing! It's important to love and interact with their family, as well as complete chores so that they help and support their family, even if it’s only very little. And of course, one should have playtime or life becomes less joyful.

#earlyeducation #raisingchildren #children #teachingtips #homeschoolparents

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

What your child does NOT need to know when learning to read!

There's often a lot of concentration on all the things a child needs to learn to start reading (singing the ABCs, letter sounds and names, blending, etc), but I want to talk about things you can skip!

If you're looking for simple phonics materials that don't have unnecessary symbols and that have stories that will keep your child's attention, visit our website today! Link in bio.

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

This is how you spot what your child doesn’t understand.

If your child understands it they should be able to explain it somehow. Even a young child that can't articulate it could draw a picture of a dog or tell you about it for example. The same goes for everything they're learning!

Once you figure out what things they haven't really understood, make sure you work on those a bit more so you avoid frustration and trouble up the road.

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

There are a LOT of vowel sounds and combinations in the English language and to a 4-5 year old it can get pretty confusing!

Here's how I recommend first starting to teach the vowels:

• Start with the short vowel sounds
• Only teach ONE at a time
• Practice that one a LOT
• Then, introduce another that sounds different (as different as possible)
• Practice that new one a LOT
• Then practice both - really get them solid
• Introduce a 3rd, etc.

Happy reading!
Veronica Blade

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

Get your child reading! 📚

Here are all the steps to get your child reading from singing the alphabet to confidently reading 3-letter CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words!

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

Are you stressed trying to figure out WHY your child can't read even though they're in school???

I would bet it's because they are NOT being taught what letters or combinations make what sounds. The result — they can't decode words and, instead, they’re just guessing. And that’s frustrating for everyone involved.

Unfortunately, other teaching methods have become popular — which are often called “phonics” but they are NOT. And so there are too many schools that aren't actually teaching phonics, even if they insist that they are.

If you're struggling with this, you're in the right place. I teach phonics and provide parents and teachers with tips and materials to help make reading simple and successful. Feel free to comment or DM me with any questions or struggles and I'm happy to help.

#Phonics
#LearnToRead
#ReadingStruggles
#ParentingHelp
#LiteracyMatters

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

I get asked a lot about what age to start teaching one's child to read. There isn't a 1 answer fits all for that question.

Every kid is different, and if you've ever tried teaching a kid, you know forcing it doesn't go over very well. I find it most successful to:

1) Lean into their interests and then work reasons why they need to learn to read into the study of that thing.
2) Make learning fun!! Do activities - even simple ones. Kids like games, so why not make learning into one so they enjoy it more.

Lastly, do NOT stress and compare your child to others. Every child has their own strengths and if you just keep working on it bit by bit they'll turn out just fine.

#TeachKidsToRead
#EarlyReading
#ParentingTips
#Homeschooling
#LearningThroughPlay

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

Teach THESE Letters First to Help Your Child Start Reading

Letters that sound like their name are the easiest for a child to learn and if they learn these consonants and 1 short vowel they can start reading all kinds of 3-letter consonant-vowel-consonant words.

Happy reading!
Veronica Blade

#teachkidstoread
#phonicsforkids
#learnletters
#beginningreading
#cvcwords

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

Struggling With Vowel Sounds? Try This Simple Phonics Strategy for Kids

There are a LOT of vowel sounds and combinations in the English language and to a 4-5 year old it can get pretty confusing!

Here's how I recommend first starting to teach the vowels:

• Start with the short vowel sounds
• Only teach ONE at a time
• Practice that one a LOT
• Then, introduce another that sounds different (as different as possible)
• Practice that new one a LOT
• Then practice both - really get them solid
• Introduce a 3rd, etc.

Happy reading!
Veronica Blade

#phonicsforkids
#teachvowels
#shortvowels
#learnphonics
#preschoollearning

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

5 Mistakes Parents Make When Teaching Kids to Read (And How to Fix Them)

If you've been trying to teach your child to read and it isn't going well, I'd bet 1 or more of these are the issue.

And as an encouraging reminder, teaching children is HARD! If it were a cake walk, everyone would be doing it. So don't beat yourself up and just get anything out of the road that's making it extra difficult.

Happy reading!
Veronica Blade

#teachkidstoread
#readinghelpforkids
#readingstruggles
#phonicsforkids
#learnhowtoread

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

One small daily habit that can boost your child’s reading skills: spelling.

I can't overstate the importance of SPELLING when it comes to teaching READING!

Not everyone realizes that these skills go hand in hand. When a child practices spelling, they listen and mentally decode what letter makes what sound and write it down. This in turn makes reading easier, so always put some spelling practice into your reading lessons! Plus - they'll become a great speller!

#HelpingKidsRead
#ReadingAtHome
#EarlyLiteracy
#ParentingTips
#PhonicsFun

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

How to keep practice from getting BORING!

It's true, practice does make perfect, but what about when your student doesn't want to keep practicing the same thing over and over again? Well... you better get ACTIVE and CREATIVE!

Watch for some of my tips for reading, but they'll likely inspire you for other subjects too.

#phonics #phonicsteacher #iteachphonics #phonicspractice #homeschooltips #homeschoolers #homeschoolparents #teachingtips #readingteacher #learntoread #teachers

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

Tips to help your child remember lowercase b vs d.

I can’t take credit for these, but here are two helpful tips that someone came up with to help your child remember which is which on their own until it becomes second nature.

I hope they help!

Happy Reading,
Veronica Blade

#earlyreading #phonics #earlylearning #learntoread #iteachreading #phonicstips #iteachphonics #teachingphonics #lettersounds #toddlerscanread #reading #homeschooling #homeschollingtoddlers #prek #kindergarten #abc #abcs #abcd #homeschoolingparents #letterrecognition

[Veronica Blade @VeronicaBlade]

HONEST REVIEWS - Kitten Edition! 😸
She’s enjoying The Pug 🐶, book 13 of our First Books 📚

First Books are made for brand new readers so they can truly succeed at decoding and become confident, independent readers!

Get them now on our website (link in bio)

#phonics #phonicstips #phonicseducation #earlylearning #earlyeducation #homeschool #homeschooltips #homeschooling #homeschoolingtoddlers #toddlerscanread #learntoread #earlyreading #teachingtips #toddlereducation #homeschoolingparents #iteachphonics #firstbook #firstbooks #firststepphonics