The Coach’s Card
Sixty seconds before you sit down together.
Print this, magnet it to the fridge, read it once before the first session. The app scripts most of what you say. This card is the rest.
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Sit shoulder to shoulder, not face to face.
Screen between you, both looking at the page. This is a book you’re reading together, not a quiz you’re giving.
Say: “Ready to start? I read the story, you read the parts in gold.”
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You read the narration. Your child reads the highlighted line.
The app tells both of you what to do on every screen. Follow it. Trust it.
If they hesitate: three seconds of silence, then just say the word. No drama.
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Mistakes cost nothing.
A missed word is a normal part of learning to read, not a bad grade. The app remembers what tripped them up and quietly builds tomorrow around it. That is the science.
Say (out loud): “Nice try. Let me read that one for you.”
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Praise the effort, not the result.
The words your child needs most are “you worked hard on that,” “you didn’t give up,” “that was a tough one and you kept going.” Not “you’re so smart.”
The app gives you a fresh praise line every night. Say it like you mean it. You do.
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Stop before the story tips out of fun.
Fifteen minutes is a full session. Ten is fine too. Ending on a win is the whole point. The story only moves when your child reads, so it’ll be waiting exactly where you left it tomorrow.
Say: “Great work. Same time tomorrow, same page, keep going.”
The one sentence that carries the whole thing
You are not the tutor. You are the parent, sitting close, reading a real story together, celebrating the word your child just read. The app does the teaching. You bring the warmth. Nothing else has to be perfect.