Today I’m sitting down with Beth Gaskill, a multisensory literacy instructor and early childhood educator, popularly known as 'Miss Beth' from Big City Readers. Together, we discuss the journey of preparing your toddlers for pre-K and kindergarten. Beth shares her professional insights on fostering lifelong readers, the differences between phonics and phonological awareness, and why the shift from whole language methods to science-based reading instruction is crucial. They also discuss practical tips for parents to support their kids' early literacy skills effectively at home and how to advocate for better reading curriculums at school. Whether you have a little one on the way to pre-K or already navigating the early school years, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways to help your child thrive.

Helpful Timestamps:

• 01:37 Beth's Background and Experience
• 06:18 Understanding Reading Methods
• 09:51 The Shift in Reading Education
• 14:30 Parental Involvement in Education
• 20:40 Phonics vs. Phonological Awareness
• 24:24 Challenges in Early Reading
• 29:54 Spelling Tests and Memorization
• 32:56 Kindergarten Readiness
• 37:04 International Perspectives on Early Education
• 41:00 Conclusion and Resources

More from Beth Gaskill:

Follow her on Instagram @bigcityreaders 

bigcityreaders.com 

Make Reading Click, our first free learning to read workshop: https://my.demio.com/ref/NdBsEKF5wWoY4Tbs  

Free Printable Resources: https://www.bigcityreaders.com/free-resources  

Listen to the Play On Words Podcast

• EP. 71: Kindergarten Redshirting Part 1: Can You Learn To Read At Home Depot? 
• EP. 26: Phonics vs. Phonological Awareness

About your host:

🩺🤰🏻Lo Mansfield, MSN, RNC-OB, CLC is a registered nurse, mama of 4, and a birth, baby, and motherhood enthusiast. She is both the host of the Lo & Behold podcast and the founder of The Labor Mama.

For more education, support and “me too” from Lo, please visit her website and check out her online courses and digital guides for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum/newborns. You can also follow @thelabormama and @loandbehold_thepodcast on Instagram and join her email list here.

For more pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood conversation each week, be sure to subscribe to The Lo & Behold podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to listen!

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Disclaimer

Opinions shared by guests of this show are their own, and do not always reflect those of The Labor Mama platform. Additionally, the information you hear on this podcast or that you receive via any linked resources should not be considered medical advice. Please see our full disclaimer here.

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Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services