Red Cat Reading April Fool's Day tips and tricks kids games surprise fun

April Fool’s Day: Tricks to Try With Your Kids!

Red Cat Reading Team Blog, fun activities, Uncategorized

April Fool’s Day is celebrated by many on April 1st each year, but it’s not a national holiday. Though its origins date back to the 1500’s, the games, tricks and jokes have continued to this day. April Fool’s Day brings smiles to children and adults alike, most of the time. As a parent, there is nothing I like more than hearing …

Teach Phonics short u sound

Teach Phonics: Short “u” Sound — for Parents

Red Cat Reading Team Phonics

Introducing the Short “u” Sound “U” is the last of the vowels in the English alphabet. Like the other vowels, it has both a short vowel sound and a long vowel sound. The short “u” sound says “uh,” as in “umbrella” and “bug.” The long “u” sound, on the other hand, is a little less common. It’s heard in words like …

Red Cat Reading Teach phonics short o sound

Teach Phonics: The Short o Sound — for Parents

Red Cat Reading Team Phonics

The phonics short o sound is the vowel sound in “hop,” “top,” “mop,” “tot,” “pot,” and “lot.” Other o sounds are the long o, as in “mode” or “toad,” and the double o, as in “mood.” All these different sounds that one letter can make can be confusing for a new reader! The short o sound is the easiest to …

Red Cat Reading Writing Poems Learn to Read

Poet’s Day – Learning to Read by Writing Silly Poems

Red Cat Reading Team Phonics

Poets Day is a wonderful way to introduce your children to the world of reading and poetry, and can be a lot of fun to celebrate with your emergent reader! There are fun and endless ways to create your own silly kids poems together, whether they rhyme or not. Be as silly as you can. It has been shown that …

Red Cat Reading Teach phonics short i sound

Teach Phonics: Short “i” Sound — for Parents

Red Cat Reading Team Phonics

Introducing the Short “i” Sound The short “i” sound, which is the vowel sound in “hit” and “big,” is an important sound for new readers to learn. Start with words where the short “i” comes first, like “igloo” or “iguana,” so that your child can hear the “i” sound clearly. The short i sound says “ih,” as opposed to the long …

Red Cat Reading Cupcake day learn to read

Cupcake Day: How to Have Fun Baking and Learning to Read

Red Cat Reading Team Phonics

Cupcake Day can be an incredibly fun day for emergent and young readers. It’s also a great educational opportunity that will not only give your child a great boost in reading, but also allow you both to bond over a delicious dessert that you can make together! Whether you are choosing to use a cake mix to make your cupcakes, or if …

Red Cat Reading Blog – Date to Create Day

Celebrating Date to Create Day with Fun Reading Activities

Red Cat Reading Team Phonics

International Date to Create Day We’re celebrating international Date to Create Day with a variety of creative activities you can use to help your child learn to read. Check out our many craft ideas for kids! Reading and creativity often go hand in hand when dealing with young children. There are so many crafts for children that you and your child …

Teach Phonics: Short “e” Sound — for Parents

Red Cat Reading Team Phonics

Introducing the Short E Sound Short “e” is the sound that the letter “e” makes in the words, “egg,” “leg,” and “wet.” It is pronounced eh (as opposed to words like “meet,” “tea,” or “key,” which contain long “e” sounds, pronounced ee). The short “e” sound is very common, especially in the middle of words (like “pet”). That means there are …

Teach Phonics – Short "a" Sound. Red Cat Reading

Teach Phonics: Short “a” Sound — for Parents

Red Cat Reading Team Phonics

The short “a” sound is one of the first sounds that many kids learn to read. It’s also pretty common, so kids get lots of practice! The short “a” sound is the sound at the beginning of the word “ant” and in the middle of the word “cat.” It’s pronounced “ah.” (The long “a” sound, by contrast, is the “a” …