1. Use creative pointers for reading

We use different objects to point to the words to make sounding out words a little more fun and, in the case of my boys, a little easier. In the photo above, you can see Levi using a monster finger to point to the words as he sounds them out. When Eden was learning to read, she used a little star wand I found in the party favor section of Target.

These little items make following along in their book more fun and are one more tool you can use to help easily distracted kids focus. I have found little party favor packs to be a great place for finding pointers.

2. Use highlighters for writing

I have found that my kids struggled to stay on the correct lines when they started writing on lined paper for the first time. They were so focused on forming the letters correctly and how to spell the words that staying on the line became an extra distraction.

To give the kids a more helpful introduction to lined paper, I highlighted the bottom half of the writing space, from the dotted middle line to the bottom line (shown in the photo above). This gives them a much easier way to quickly see where the majority of their letters should be written. Once they get the hang of writing on lined paper, I will stop highlighting so they can focus on just the lines themselves.