The Test My Kid Blog
Practical, growth-minded guidance on math, reading, grade-level expectations, and the test scores schools use, written for parents who want to know where their child really stands.
Sight words are the high-frequency words kids learn to read on sight. Here is the full Dolch list by grade level, from pre-primer through third grade, and the plain-English version of how to practice them without the flash-card grind.
At this age reading is being built from scratch, so the right book depends on the phase, not the grade. Here is a list for kindergartners and 1st graders, from picture books you read aloud to the first books they read to you.
Middle-grade books get longer and heavier, and the grade on the cover tells you less than ever. Here is a grade-by-grade list for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders, and how to weigh reading level and content for the child in front of you.
'I hate reading' is almost never about reading. It is about the work feeling too hard, too slow, or no fun. Here is how to defuse the resistance, find the skill underneath it, and help your child want to pick up a book again.
Picking books by grade is a fine starting point, but the grade on the cover matters far less than the fit. Here is a grade-by-grade list for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders, and how to find the level that actually fits your child.
Getting your child to read more is rarely a willpower problem. It is usually a fit problem: the wrong book, the wrong level, or too much friction. Here is how to fix the fit and build a reading habit that sticks.
When a teacher says your child is behind in reading, the fix is figuring out which layer broke: decoding, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension. Here is how to find the real gap and close it with short, focused practice.
Fluency is the bridge between sounding out words and understanding them. Here are the home routines that build it, the research behind them, and how to find the right level to practice.
Comprehension is the half of reading you can't hear. Here are the home habits that build it, the research behind them, and how to find the one skill to practice first.