One of the great things about teaching children in a homeschool or one-on-one setting is that we can easily see when readiness simply isn’t there. And one of the greatest benefits is that we can wait for the child’s readiness to be there before moving on. (Sweet babies…let’s be patient with them!)

Patience is often hard for a homeschooling mom. We are prone to comparisons. We are prone to worry. We are prone to low self confidence when our kids aren’t learning quickly.

But we don’t have to simply sit by and “wait.” There are things we can do to help prepare our kids to learn, especially in the area of phonics and early reading. That is what this podcast I did a few years ago is all about–being proactive while we wait for “reading readiness.” (Be sure to print off and use the outline included!)

So enjoy these days without pressure to achieve…..and watch your little one develop the readiness that is needed to tackle the hard work of learning to read (later!)…. 🙂  

Click HERE to download the handout!

Love and hope,

Donna

The post Preparing a Child to Learn to Read (Podcast and More!) appeared first on Character Ink.

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The post July Wondering Wednesday Schedule appeared first on Character Ink.

Today we answer reader’s questions about how to create a love for learning in your home! This audio presentation is actually one that we did as a keynote address this spring in British Columbia, so I’ll let the description from the program speak for itself!

Don’t forget to contact us with questions that you would like to see answered!

“Ray and Donna Reish draw on their thirty years of home schooling-and developing a love for learning in their seven children—to help home school parents see how they can have children who love learning and enjoy home schooling. They include information on the importance of beginning early in developing a love for learning (as opposed to a disdain for multiple workbooks at a young age); the influence of free time and frivolities on love for learning; the value of reading aloud; building comprehension to build enjoyment of learning; how hands on learning encourages a love for learning; modeling love for learning; creating learning memories; the fun and value of family learning times; how to develop a home school lifestyle; the effects of peers on love for learning; developing study skills; spiritual training at various times; teaching multiple children and multiple learning styles; and much more.”

Download the podcast notes here.

Listen to previous podcasts here.

 
Links:

When You Want Mamas to Feel Great

Two Things to Teach Kids When They See an Emergency

[Series] 52 Weeks of Talking to Our Kids

[Podcast] 30 Tips from 30 Years
 

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The post [Podcast] Creating a Love for Learning appeared first on Character Ink.

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Have a question you are wondering about for a future Wondering Wednesday?  Email Donna here.

Not signed up for our Freebie Fridays?  You can do that here! 🙂

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The post June’s Wondering Wednesdays & Freebie Fridays appeared first on Character Ink.

It is so hard to believe that May is here! With so many winding down their school year and the busyness of summer upon us, we are going to make a couple of changes at Raising Kids With Character and Character Ink Press blog for a couple of months.

During May, June, and July, we will just have two Wondering Wednesdays (first and third Wednesdays) and two Freebie Fridays (second and fourth Fridays) as far as new podcasts, videos, and free products. We will resume weekly Wondering Wednesdays and weekly Freebie Fridays in August to help everybody get started back up in the fall.

So….don’t go away…we’ll still be here. We just know that with vacations, summer sports, Bible school, and more, people don’t have as much time to listen/watch—and oftentimes school gets put on the back burner.

Stay tuned as we continue our 52 Weeks of Talking to Your Kids; add more Meaningful Composition books; reveal our new Write On books in June (Write On, Peter Pan!); and much more!

Love and hope,
Donna

The post Summer Podcast & Freebie Schedule appeared first on Character Ink.

Ray and Donna Reish, of Character Ink Press and Raising Kids With Character Parenting Seminar, bring you their Top 30 Tips From 30 Years of Homeschooling. They delve into areas of prioritizing, character training, heart training, housework, little kids, school, and time management. Speaking from their hearts, they love to help parents in general, and homeschoolers specifically, be successful in their parenting.

Download the podcast notes here.

Listen to previous podcasts here.

The post [Podcast] 30 Tips from 30 Years of Homeschooling appeared first on Character Ink.

Have a question you are wondering about?  Email Donna here.

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The post April Wondering Wednesday Preview! appeared first on Character Ink.

In this Wondering Wednesday podcast episode, Donna Reish explains the various areas of language arts instruction for each grade level—what to focus on, what to continue with, and how to move through language arts grade-by-grade. She touches on the essentials of language arts in the areas of listening, phonics, reading, spelling, comprehension, writing, grammar, oral communication, literature, and penmanship.

Download the podcast notes here.

The post Podcast: Teaching Language Arts Across All Grades appeared first on Character Ink.

Click here to download the printable Sample Checklist Challenge!

This video has Donna Reish, author of the Checklist Challenge method, teaching how to use the Checklist Challenge. The Checklist Challenge is included in nearly every writing project in every Character Ink Press book (including Character Quality Language Arts; Meaningful Composition; Write On, Mowgli; and Write On, Peter Pan). This sample one may be tweaked and used over and over again in classrooms, homeschools, and co-ops.

The Checklist Challenge has the following characteristics/benefits:

(1) Each task is given separately (i.e. not just a big master list with no explanation). The tasks are explained and samples are provided.

(2) The checklist has check boxes (one per paragraph) for each essay/report/story that you can customize to a certain project. It is clear that a paper has four paragraphs, so most of the task should be done four times—once per paragraph.

(3) The tasks are skills learned in grammar. Once a child learns how to use quotations, he should practice them immediately by putting them in his writing. The Checklist Challenge marries grammar and writing in a way that other programs do not.

(4) Coding instructions are given so that a student can be taught to code his additions and revisions for easy teacher-grading.

And so much more.

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The post Video: How to Complete the Checklist Challenge–Level I appeared first on Character Ink.

Welcome to another Wondering Wednesday podcast episode! In this audio presentation, Donna Reish (of Character Ink Press and Raising Kids With Character) answers questions about faith and character training for young children. Donna begins with the Five W’s and One H of Character Training, reminding parents that we must first have it in our hearts before we can give it to our children. She then delves into laying some foundations with toddlers. Finally, she talks about the four places and times that Deuteronomy tells us to teach our kids God’s Word and ways: when you rise up; when you sit in your house; when you walk by the way; and when you lie down. She gives examples and activities for each time period—focusing on getting to our children’s hearts with unconditional love, intentionality, prioritizing, and selflessness.

Click here to download the printable handout.

Subscribe to our Wondering Wednesday podcasts in iTunes.

 
Click here to see our previous podcasts!

The post Podcast: Faith and Character Building for Littles appeared first on Character Ink.