The Parenting Superpower that Helps Your Child Succeed in Reading & Life

On my last birthday, I chose a word of the year for my personal “new year”: Deliberate. 

My work is all about sharing evidence-based information on how parents and families can set kids up for success in reading, school, and life. And in furthering that mission this year, I’ve been thinking a lot about how my word of the year may just be the parenting super power any one of us can leverage to help our kids succeed.

In the whirlwind of parenting, it is so easy to fall into a “reactive” mode—responding to the loudest cry, the messiest spill, or the tightest deadline. But being deliberate is about creating a sacred pause. It’s making the choice to stop, breathe, and consciously decide how we want to show up for our children. 

When it comes to raising thriving readers, being deliberate changes everything. It turns “routine” into “opportunity.”

Here are a few examples of how a deliberate mindset can transform the different seasons of raising a child—so we can help our kids succeed and thrive as readers and through all the opportunities that opens up:

1. Deliberate Conversation (The Baby Years)

Literacy doesn’t start with a book; it starts with your voice. Even in utero, babies are listening to the sounds of your language.

• The “back-and-forth”: Research shows that conversation exchanges between a parent and a baby build the brain foundations for vocabulary and reading later on. Every time you respond to your child, you’re building their brain for success.
• The deliberate choice: Instead of just talking at your baby, narrate your day and interact with them deliberately. Respond to their babbles and coos as if they’re really communicating. Before you know it, they will be.

2. Deliberate Observation (The Preschool Years)

Sometimes we get anxious about milestones because we’re comparing our kids to aspirational trends. Being deliberate means looking at the child in front of you and finding out what they actually need—now—to take their personal next step.

• The GPS Method: When you have a concern, use my GPS framework: Guidance (check actual standards for their age), Personal observation (pay attention and make notes), and Specialists (talk to a pediatrician, teacher, or other expert).
• The deliberate choice: Trust your gut. If you feel a gap exists, don’t wait for it to become a crisis. Early intervention is the most deliberate act of love you can provide. Sometimes, that means seeking out evaluation or just some extra support.

3. Deliberate Teaching (Everyday Life)

We often think teaching reading requires a desk and a curriculum, but the most powerful lessons can happen in the “in-between” moments.

• Pattern interrupts: Use a trip to the grocery store or a drive to soccer practice to play with sounds, point out letters, or talk about the meaning (or spelling) of a word. 
• The deliberate choice: Spend a few minutes during downtime—at the bus stop, over breakfast, or in the dentist’s waiting room—to teach your child something they don’t know about language. Point out letters on cereal boxes, t-shirts, or street signs. Draw their attention to a new word or a strange spelling. Talk about the meaning of a word you hear or discuss more complicated ideas. Let the lessons grow with the child.

4. Deliberate Writing (The School Years)

As our kids grow as readers, they can start expressing themselves as writers, too.

• Models for writing: Reading actually teaches us how to write. When kids read a variety of stories, they learn the structures and styles they can use in their own work.
• The deliberate choice: Encourage your child to set pen to paper and take the time to model doing the same. Write a thank you note to their teacher or a colleague, then suggest they do the same. Pen a letter to a senior citizen together. Allow a few extra minutes before grocery shopping and invite your child to help you write the shopping list. You might just wind up with a cute keepsake into the bargain.

As you raise your child, I invite you to join me in being deliberate. It isn’t about working harder or doing more. We’re all stretched thin enough. 

Instead, it’s about paying attention, making intentional choices, and taking the small but deliberate actions that make a big difference in setting up our kids to fulfill their own version of success.