Holmes Tutoring

05/29/2026

Transitioning to the Science of Reading can feel overwhelming when you are staring at a mountain of research. While understanding the theory is vital, parents and teachers often just need to know: "What do I do differently tomorrow morning to help my scholar?"

7 Mighty Moves by Lindsay Kemeny is the perfect practical guide for this transition. It identifies seven high-impact, evidence-based shifts that move the needle for struggling readers. Whether it’s rethinking how you teach "sight words" or streamlining your phonics routine, this book provides the actionable steps needed to align your instruction with how the brain actually learns.

🔗 Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/429yUfw

In this no-nonsense guide, primary reading expert and classroom teacher Lindsay Kemeny shares seven ways K–3 teachers can modify what they are currently doing to transform their reading instruction. Each chapter focuses on a critical area of foundational reading–from the most efficient ways to t...

05/28/2026

Why Your Child Can't "Sound It Out" (And How to Help).

"Sound it out!" is often the first instruction we give a struggling reader. However, if your scholar is staring blankly at the page or guessing the word instead, the issue usually is not visual—it is auditory.

Before a child can successfully sound out printed letters, they must first possess strong phonological awareness. This is the ability to hear, isolate, and blend the individual sounds in spoken words. If a student cannot hear the separate sounds in the air, they cannot accurately attach them to the letters on the page.

Over on the blog, I explain exactly why this reading disconnect happens and share actionable steps you can take to bridge the gap. While you are there, you can download a free, zero-prep phonological awareness activity to help your student build this critical auditory foundation at home.

🔗 Read the post and grab your free printable here: https://www.holmestutoring.com/blog/phonological-awareness

05/27/2026

"The Simple View of Reading states that reading comprehension is the product of printed word recognition and language comprehension." — LETRS

Reading comprehension is not a single, isolated skill; it is a multiplication problem. To truly understand a text, a child must be able to sound out the words on the page AND understand what those spoken words actually mean.

If a student can decode flawlessly but lacks vocabulary, comprehension falls flat. If they have a brilliant vocabulary but cannot crack the printed code, comprehension is still zero. You cannot bypass one to get to the other.

At Holmes Tutoring, we don't leave comprehension to chance by only focusing on half of the equation. I use structured, explicit instruction to build both printed word recognition and language comprehension, giving your scholar the exact tools they need to become a confident, independent reader.

Learn more here: www.holmestutoring.com

05/26/2026

A no-stress guide to teaching phonics at the kitchen table.

Teaching your scholar to read at home should not require an education degree or hours of complex lesson planning. The secret to stress-free phonics practice is keeping it simple, systematic, and highly targeted.

Over on the blog, I have put together a straightforward guide on how to structure effective literacy practice at home without the overwhelm. To make implementation even easier, you can grab my zero-prep, Science of Reading-aligned Phonics Bundles directly from the shop. These high-contrast, clutter-free activities are designed to isolate essential decoding skills while keeping kitchen-table learning peaceful and effective.

🔗 Read the guide and shop the resources here: https://www.holmestutoring.com/blog/phonics

05/25/2026

Turn reading tears into reading confidence.

If reading practice frequently ends in frustration or tears, it is a clear indicator that your scholar is missing foundational decoding tools. When children are expected to read texts that require skills they haven't been explicitly taught, reading becomes a source of anxiety rather than joy.

You can change the narrative at home by using a curriculum designed to build confidence through step-by-step mastery. I highly recommend All About Reading. This open-and-go, multisensory program breaks down the English language into highly structured, bite-sized lessons. It ensures your student experiences success at every step, turning reading anxiety into genuine confidence.

🔗 Help your scholar become a confident reader here: https://www.allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id=3056

05/22/2026

For years, many classrooms and homeschool curriculums relied on "balanced literacy" or whole-language approaches that encouraged students to guess words from context or pictures. As the Science of Reading gains traction, many parents and educators are realizing they need to shift their approach to explicit, systematic instruction.

Know Better, Do Better is an excellent, judgment-free guide for this transition. Written by educators who successfully shifted their own practices, this book breaks down the foundational components of evidence-based reading instruction. It is highly recommended for homeschooling parents or teachers looking to audit their current literacy routines and implement structured, scientifically backed methods at the kitchen table or in the classroom.

🔗 Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/3PgKpPh

Know Better, Do Better

05/21/2026

FREE worksheets: A Hands-On Way to Teach Reading Sounds.

Before a student can read letters on a page, they must first be able to hear and manipulate sounds in the air. This auditory skill—phonological awareness—is the critical first step in the reading process.

However, simply asking a scholar to listen to sounds is not always enough. To truly lock in these foundational auditory skills, children often need hands-on, interactive practice to help them understand how spoken language can be broken apart and put back together.

Over on the blog, I am sharing a free set of targeted phonological awareness worksheets. These zero-prep printables focus entirely on training the ear, giving your student the exact hands-on practice they need to build a rock-solid auditory foundation before printed letters are ever introduced.

🔗 Read the post and grab your free printables here: https://www.holmestutoring.com/blog/phonological-awareness

05/20/2026

"Our brains are not adapted to read, but they are adapted to support learning to speak." — LETRS

We watch our children learn to talk effortlessly and often expect reading to happen the exact same way. This is one of the biggest myths in education. Spoken language is a biological guarantee, but reading is an invention that must be explicitly and systematically taught.

Surrounding a child with books is wonderful, but it will not magically teach a struggling reader how to decode. Waiting for reading to simply "click" or develop on its own through exposure only leads to frustration and a widening gap.

At Holmes Tutoring, we don't wait for the magic to happen. I use structured, direct instruction to literally rewire your scholar's brain for reading, giving them the exact code they need to become confident, independent readers.

Find out more here: www.holmestutoring.com

05/20/2026

How to stop the tears and frustration during daily reading time.

Daily reading practice should not be a battle. When tears and frustration occur, it is almost always because a student is being asked to apply decoding skills they have not yet mastered. To eliminate the anxiety, we must step back and provide explicit, highly predictable practice where the student can actually feel successful.

Over on the blog, I discuss exact strategies to reset your reading routine and take the stress out of literacy practice. To support this reset at home, my Science of Reading-aligned Phonics Bundles are available directly in the shop. Designed with clean, high-contrast layouts, these zero-prep printables remove visual overwhelm and isolate the exact phonics skills your scholar needs to build true reading confidence.

🔗 Read the full post and shop the resources here: https://www.holmestutoring.com/blog/phonics

05/18/2026

Science of reading for parents explained.

You have likely heard the term "Science of Reading" used in education, but what does it actually mean? It is not a specific curriculum; it is decades of cognitive research proving exactly how the human brain learns to read. This research confirms that reading must be taught through explicit, systematic instruction—not through guessing, memorizing sight words, or simply being exposed to books.

For parents who want to apply this proven science at home without needing a teaching degree, I highly recommend All About Reading. This comprehensive, open-and-go program takes the guesswork out of literacy by providing step-by-step lessons built entirely on evidence-based reading practices.

🔗 Explore the curriculum here: https://www.allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id=30563