Word Wise Therapy

24/03/2026

Totally trying this with my letter focused five year old!

24/03/2026

24/03/2026

Recharged the batteries over the weekend in the great outdoors.

- 11kms walked
- eels, trout, ducks and swans seen
- weka, robins, bellbirds and a midnight kiwi call heard
- sunset and sunrise soaked-in
- curiosity peaked

22/03/2026

Our latest unit dives into the fascinating world of skinks and geckos, but it’s about so much more than reptiles.

When children build rich background knowledge and learn topic-specific vocabulary (think: camouflage, endemic, habitat, predator, nocturnal, scales), something powerful happens:
- Their interest skyrockets
- Their reading comprehension deepens
- Their spelling improves (because words are meaningful, not random)
- And most importantly, they stay engaged

Instead of isolated word lists, I anchor literacy in real content. The result? Kids who are curious, motivated, and making connections.

Plus… who doesn’t love an adorable lizard? Can you tell which is which?

13/03/2026

🥰

❤️❤️

13/03/2026

This week I’ve focused on my visual communication skills in support of children with hearing loss. I’ve also had a chance to work and play with some gorgeous new entrants gaining knowledge in early literacy. Polishing off the week focused on mastering different sentence types with my older writers. Word Wise Therapy

06/03/2026

Plus who doesn’t love a snuggle and read session?

Reading with young tamariki builds language skills and attention span.

Make it fun and interactive by using expression, asking questions about the pictures as you point to them. Make predictions as to what might happen next. Making it interactive boosts comprehension and engagement.

Talk about the characters, the events and the characters feelings so tamariki understand the meaning. Reading rhyming books helps tamariki hear how language flows, building phonological awareness, a key skill of learning to read.

A positive reading experience encourages a lifelong love of reading.

Visit our website for more: https://www.talkingmatters.org.nz/blog/post/158004/reading-with-pepi/

04/03/2026

Gorgeous books!! 📚 ❤️

04/03/2026

🙌 when you see your message and an oral language challenge reflected in the local school newsletter. Thanks Institute for Multisensory Structured Language Education- IMSLE and Jodi Clements - “Oral language is the sea that literacy floats upon.”

04/03/2026

Love compound goals - this morning a communication system paired with highly motivating game and letter name/sound practice. Then, perspective taking and sentence structure using visual scenes and thought bubbles. Lastly, social skills - role play with Lego people. How do we join a conversation? What do we say, where do we stand?

04/03/2026

Early intervention is best.