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June 2025
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Pre-k - 8th Grade
Literacy & Tutorial Centers
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Unlocking Imagination: How Mental Imagery Strengthens Reading Skills Family Literacy Focus With Reading Ranch
WHY MENTAL IMAGERY MATTERS Children who struggle with reading comprehension often cannot visualize the content. They might read the words accurately but fail to grasp the meaning because their minds are not actively engaged. Mental imagery supports stronger comprehension, improved memory, increased engagement, and better inference skills.
Reading is more than decoding words — it’s about building meaning, making connections, and bringing stories and information to life. One powerful tool that helps children do this is concept imagery — the ability to create mental images while reading or listening. Like a movie playing in the mind, this skill strengthens a child’s comprehension, memory, and overall engagement with text. Families can play a key role at home in nurturing this vital skill. WHAT IS CONCEPT IMAGERY? Concept imagery is the process of forming detailed mental pictures of what is being read or heard. When a child reads the sentence, “The golden retriever chased the red ball through the tall, green grass,” a mental movie should begin to play. They might picture the dog’s floppy ears, the bright red ball, and the grass swaying. This ability to visualize text builds the foundation for deeper comprehension. Children who can “see” what they read can better follow the plot, remember details, infer meaning, and analyze the characters.
their visualization. This hands-on approach helps them slow down and process what they’re reading.
2. Use All 5 Senses: Encourage
children to visualize using sensory details. Ask:
“What did it smell like?” “Could you hear anything in that scene?” “How did the weather feel?”
HOW FAMILIES CAN SUPPORT CONCEPT IMAGERY AT HOME
Here are five simple, fun ways to support your child’s mental imagery skills at home.
Adding these layers helps children form richer, more complete mental images. 3. Act It Out: Sometimes, movement helps cement mental images. If the main character is sneaking down a hallway, invite your child to tiptoe
1. Stop, Sketch, and Visualize: After reading a sentence or paragraph aloud, pause and ask: “What do you picture in your mind?” “What color was the house?” “How did the character look or feel?” Then, have them use a whiteboard or paper to draw it out. Sketching gives children a tangible way to express
like the character. This physical reenactment can help build an embodied sense of the scene.
4. Make Reading Personal: Help your child connect stories to their own lives by asking:
“Have you ever been in a similar situation?” “What does this remind you of?”
These connections deepen imagery and make reading more meaningful.
5. Use Picture Books Creatively: Even older children benefit from picture books. Try reading the text without showing the illustrations. Ask your
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Make This Summer a Page-Turner School’s Out, but Learning’s On!
School may be out, but your child’s reading and writing progress doesn’t need to take a vacation! Summer is the perfect time to enjoy extra fun, family time, and relaxation, but it’s also a common season for young readers to fall behind. To combat the summer slide and keep them engaged, you can do things
at home that encourage them to keep up the progress before they return to class. Here are three fun and easy ways to keep the pages turning, whether in your cozy reading nook at home or a summer getaway! PLAY WITH PURPOSE One of the best ways to keep your child engaged in reading this summer is to make it fun! Get creative with activities, encouraging them to use their imagination, hone their skills, and practice core concepts. You could do arts and crafts projects like painting or sculpting that help them develop their motor skills and explore storytelling in a new light. Help them write stories, poems, or even comics that speak to topics they are interested in. FIELD TRIP FLAIR Your summer vacations and trips to different destinations can be great opportunities to bring reading and writing to life. Plan educational excursions where your children
can explore something new while getting essential practice. A fun day trip to a zoo or aquarium can teach them about zoology and nature, or a museum visit can give them a peek into history and art. Stop at the exhibits and read aloud about what you are looking at. Add another layer of learning by asking them questions about what they see, hear, or think. JOIN THE READING PARTY Many local libraries and other community programs host summer reading clubs to keep students interested in learning during their school breaks. These clubs typically offer books tailored for specific age groups and include activities, workshops, and sometimes even prizes. Not only will this keep your child motivated, but it will also help them meet other young people. At The Reading Ranch, we offer fun and comprehensive summer reading classes to make learning and writing fun and beat the summer slide. Contact us today to learn more!
Words That Wow Building Big Vocabularies for Bright Futures
Vocabulary is one of the main building blocks for successful reading, writing, and communication skills. Children start picking up new words at an early age, and you can help them build a larger vocabulary base that will help them master language and become more confident readers. By focusing on age- appropriate words and implementing different activities to help them learn, you can expand their word bank, boost comprehension, and make language fun. Let’s spell out the best methods to introduce your little learner to new words with confidence. DAILY CONVERSATIONS The conversations you have with your child daily can help build stronger vocabulary skills. By talking to them, you naturally expose them to new words and give them a chance
to practice. Ask open-ended questions that prompt in-depth responses and challenge them to get descriptive. Asking what they are feeling, what they enjoyed about their day, or how they solved a problem will spark them to express their thoughts with the full array of the words they know. Expand their responses by adding details to show them new words and phrases. READ TOGETHER Make time to read together out loud. Make sure you choose books at their reading level that introduce new vocabulary. Give them various genres to keep it interesting and appeal to the topics they are most curious about. Picture books are a great option because they help children visualize new words, allowing them to stick. This is another excellent opportunity to
ask them questions about the text and how the story made them feel.
WORD GAMES Make vocabulary entertaining by playing games that aim to enhance their communication skills. Word association games are a great way to get young minds thinking about the connection between words and their meanings. It could be as simple as playing “I Spy,” giving them clues about a word they must guess. Rhyming games can help them understand word patterns and provide a positive challenge. Give them a word they have to rhyme with and a time limit. At The Reading Ranch, we know how to make learning new words fun, not frustrating! Contact us today to learn about our vocabulary programs!
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child to draw what they picture. Then, compare their sketch to the book’s pictures and discuss similarities and differences.
WHITEBOARDS: A VISUALIZATION GAME-CHANGER Keeping a whiteboard handy during reading time is a simple but powerful way to promote visualization. It invites kids to draw what they imagine, compare it with the text, and revise mental images as the story develops. Using whiteboards also encourages children to justify their drawings: “I drew the sky orange because the book said the sun was setting.” This reinforces comprehension and text-based thinking. It also builds confidence, especially for visual learners, because they have a tool to make their thinking visible. BUILDING A LIFELONG SKILL Mental imagery doesn’t just help with storybooks — it’s essential for understanding nonfiction, remembering textbook information, and analyzing complex ideas in upper grades. Many strong adult readers say they “see” what they read as if a movie is playing. By encouraging your child to visualize and sketch as they read, you’re helping them become active, thoughtful readers who truly engage with text. At Reading Ranch, we intentionally build concept imagery into our lessons to strengthen comprehension and develop mental flexibility. Whether through whiteboard sketching, guided visualization, or interactive discussion, we aim to help children experience reading in a way that sticks.
Teriyaki Beef Skewers
Inspired by AllRecipes.com
This light, flavorful dish of tender, marinated beef slices can serve as a protein-rich appetizer or a tasty entree for a summer evening.
INGREDIENTS • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar • 1 cup soy sauce • 1/2 cup pineapple juice (optional) • 1/2 cup water • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped • 4 lbs boneless round
steak, cut into 1/4-inch- thick slices
• Bamboo skewers soaked in water
DIRECTIONS 1. In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, water, vegetable oil, and garlic together. Drop beef slices into the mixture and stir to coat. 2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. 3. Remove beef from marinade, shaking to remove excess liquid. 4. Thread beef slices on skewers in a zig-zag pattern. 5. Preheat grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate. 6. Cook beef skewers for about 3 minutes per side until the meat is cooked through.
—Dr. Kim Southwell
Are you ready to help your little learner grow a love of reading and writing? Visit ReadingRanch.com to learn more about how we make reading fun!
Take A Break
Adventure Barefoot Father Gemini Hiking Juneteenth Park Picnic Pride Sandals Sunburn Volunteer
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6991 Pecan St, Suite 200, Frisco, TX 75034
469.817.9809
Pre-k - 8th Grade
Literacy & Tutorial Centers
ReadingRanch.com
Inside 1 2
Building Confident Readers at Home
Reading Fun in the Sun
Talk, Read, Play, and Grow
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Teriyaki Beef Skewers
A Streamlined Focus on Family Flow
Family Flexibility
with their parents and siblings, regular family activities can help parents better determine whether their kids feel undue pressure in any area of their lives. Although positive stress can help a young person rise to challenges — for example, studying for a big test or meeting the deadline for an important assignment — too much stress can hinder a child’s coping skills and lead to anxiety and depression or physical symptoms such as headaches and stomach pains. Setting consistent daily routines — the same bedtime each night, for example, or regularly scheduling family time everyone looks forward to — will go a long way in helping them feel more in control of their days and encourage better communication with other family members. Life is more than checking off items on our schedules. Any family can create a system that helps everyone feel happier and healthier in even the busiest times with only minor adjustments. Smart Scheduling for Better Health
Fulfilling life’s many demands should never come at the expense of your family’s health. If your household’s daily grind consists of juggling multiple schedules and commitments with little room for relaxation, you’re not alone. Here are two ideas to help your family slow things down and better ensure everyone’s physical and mental well-being stays positive as the hours fly by. A SCHEDULE OVERHAUL When work commitments, paying bills, coordinating transportation for your children’s extracurricular activities, and other daily obligations lead to hurried and scattered interactions among family members, the American Heart Association recommends creating a new way forward. First, look closely at everyone’s daily schedules over a week to see where gaps may exist and which activities could be scaled back to allow for more time spent together. You can start by choosing two 30-minute slots during the week and two
hour-long slots on weekends to get everyone in one place. The goal is to have distraction- free time with your loved ones, so put away your computers and cell phones during these special moments. STRESS-SMART STRATEGIES Naturally, hectic schedules often lead to stress — not just for adults. In addition to providing children with all-important personal time
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