I'll never forget the time my middle child, at age four, found a flashcard with the word “flabbergasted” on it. I read the card to him and told him the meaning of the word. He started bringing the card everywhere he went and belly laughing whenever he showed it to someone. Some nights, he even slept with it under his pillow.
Read more Our first Star of the Month of 2026 is Grethel, a 5th grader at Estrella Mountain Elementary in Goodyear, AZ, who is "flying" through Read Live stories and has moved up three levels since August. Here is what Grethel's teacher, Ms. Johnson, wrote about her:
Read more Read Naturally founder Candyce Ihnot likes to tell the story of a little boy who went from struggling to fluent using the Read Naturally program. When Candyce asked the boy how he got to be such a good reader, he said with a smirk, “It was nothing you did.” Rather than be offended by his brutal honesty, Candyce was delighted. The boy was taking due credit for his own accomplishment. He had come to understand that he’d possessed the tools for success all along. Having found the confidence and fortitude to master a huge challenge, he could now draw on those qualities again and again—without his teacher’s help.
Read more The easiest Read Naturally stories to read are often the hardest ones to write. Many people are surprised to learn this. Isn’t it easier to write a quick level 1.0 story than it is to research and write a complex level 8.0 story?
Read more My eighth grader, Adam, refused to participate in his piano recital this year because he hadn’t learned his piece well enough. I can confirm that he hadn’t practiced much and was making lots of mistakes. Even so, a few days before the recital, I pleaded with him, “Can you just go up there and play it as best as you can? It’s okay if you make mistakes!”—to which he responded, as I knew he would, “No way. That’s too embarrassing.”
Read more We're closing in on winter break, so naturally your students are calm, on-task, and doing their best learning... right?
More likely, they seem to have entered "break mode" a few days ago. We know how these things go. That's why we've pulled together some recommendations to: 1) get you through the rest of 2024, and 2) keep your students reading over the break.
Read more Congratulations to Leyla, our December Star of the Month! Leyla is an 11th grader at Rock Brook School in Skillman, New Jersey, who has used Read Naturally's GATE program to transform from a non-reader into a reader! Here is what her teacher, Ms. Rina, shared about her:
Read more Are your students inexplicably saying the numbers 6 and 7 all day? Whether they’re 6 or 7 years old, in 6th or 7th grade, or 67, Read Naturally has appropriate content for them!
Read more Regardless of where kids are on their reading journey, there are countless ways to keep them reading all winter long. Here are some easy ideas for kids to try at home or for teachers to incorporate into the classroom. The free printables in this post will also make a great packet to send home over winter break!
Read more Children around the country will be asked the same question several times this week: What are you thankful for? While some children will take the time to pause and give a thoughtful answer, many will just answer the question quickly (“I’m thankful for my family and friends”) without taking the time to consider the meaning of what they’re saying. In fact, many adults will do the same thing.
Read more 
Share your student’s success story—nominate him or her for our Star of the Month award. Win a Barnes & Noble gift card for the student and a Read Naturally gift certificate for your class!
