Research & Design
At Child1st, we believe learning should be engaging, intuitive, and fun. Traditional methods often rely on memorization and repetition, but research shows that children thrive when learning is visually stimulating, interactive, and meaningful.
Key Beliefs
✅ Learning happens when children are captivated – Patterns, colors, stories, and hands-on activities spark curiosity and retention.
✅ Drill and memorization are ineffective – Instead of forcing knowledge, we attract children to learning through play, puzzles, and novelty.
✅ Every child deserves to learn – No child should be limited by labels or outdated teaching methods.
✅ The brain is wired to learn – We leverage visual, kinesthetic, and contextual learning to reach all students.
✅ Movement and creativity enhance learning – Active engagement helps children absorb and retain information faster.
By tapping into a child’s natural abilities—their imagination, curiosity, and love for play—we create an environment where learning feels effortless. When children are excited, they remember more, think deeper, and succeed sooner.
The Breakthrough That Changed Everything
In the fall of 1999, Sarah began teaching a group of kindergarteners using a structured phonics approach. While they became skilled at decoding words, they struggled with recognizing whole words and retaining what they read. They could sound out letters but weren’t truly reading.
Everything changed in November 1999 when Sarah integrated visual, spatial, and kinesthetic elements into the lessons. Suddenly, the students were actually reading! By March, they tested well above grade level. The key was combining explicit phonics with whole-brain learning—reaching all types of learners.
The Science Behind the Success
Identifying the Problem
Sarah noticed that even bright students were struggling. Many traditional teaching methods relied on abstract symbols and sequential procedures, which didn’t align with how young brains naturally learn.
Research and Discovery
Through observation and research, Sarah discovered that children learn best when new concepts are connected to familiar patterns, images, and movements. Abstract symbols alone were confusing, but when paired with visuals, stories, and physical actions, learning became effortless.
Designing a Better Solution
Sarah developed a method that embedded abstract concepts in images, body movements, and stories. This approach:
- Showed the global whole first (e.g., a word’s meaning before breaking it into letters).
- Moved from whole to part (e.g., recognizing a word before sounding out each letter).
- Highlighted relationships between learning elements (e.g., connecting letters to real-world objects).
Testing and Refinement
Sarah tested these ideas with her students, refining them based on their feedback. Over time, the method evolved into Child1st’s signature programs, proven effective across different age groups.
How Child1st Makes a Difference
What Are Child1st Alphabet Resources?
Learning the alphabet is a critical first step in a child’s reading journey—but just singing the ABC song isn’t enough. Recognizing letters as abstract symbols can be confusing, especially when trying to link them to sounds. That’s why Child1st created a unique, brain-friendly approach that bridges this gap and makes letters easy to learn, remember, and use.
How It Works
Child1st Alphabet resources go beyond "A is for Apple" by turning each letter into the object itself—F becomes a flag, M looks like a mountain, and so on. These visual transformations create strong memory hooks that help children instantly recognize and recall letters.
Each letter is paired with a short story that connects its shape to its sound, making phonemic awareness feel natural and meaningful. Hands-on activities, movement, and visual play bring the alphabet to life, engaging children through multiple learning channels.
Who It’s For
This approach is ideal for:
- Visual and kinesthetic learners
- Right-brained thinkers who need meaning and context
- Emerging readers who struggle with traditional methods
- Early learners building pre-reading skills
By combining visual mnemonics, storytelling, object identification, and multi-sensory play, Child1st Alphabet resources build a solid foundation for reading success—right from the very first letter.
What Is Easy-for-Me™ Reading?
Learning to read is a big leap—from using words naturally in conversation to decoding lines of abstract symbols on a page. Many children arrive at school full of imagination and strong oral language skills, but struggle to make sense of written words. Easy-for-Me™ Reading bridges that gap.
This program gently transitions children from spoken language to reading fluency by pairing abstract symbols with visual meaning, phonics, and multisensory activities—making reading feel natural and intuitive.
How It Works
Easy-for-Me™ Reading combines explicit phonics instruction with sight word recognition, creating a balanced, brain-friendly approach. Each lesson uses vivid visuals, stories, and hands-on learning to help children master reading skills without overwhelm.
What makes it different? It’s built specifically with neurodiverse learners in mind. While traditional reading instruction works well for left-brained, step-by-step learners, Easy-for-Me™ was designed to also support right-brained children—those who think in pictures, learn holistically, and need context and purpose to thrive.
Who It’s For
This approach is ideal for:
- Beginning readers
- Visual and kinesthetic learners
- Children who learn better through storytelling, imagery, and hands-on practice
- Struggling or reluctant readers
- Any teacher or parent looking for a simple, joyful path to reading success
Why It Works
By aligning with children’s developmental stages—especially during a time of rapid right-brain growth—Easy-for-Me™ Reading meets students where they are. With support for all learning styles, clear guidance for adults, and built-in SnapWords® integration, this program delivers a strong foundation for reading success—one child at a time.
What Is the SnapWords® System?
The SnapWords® System is a comprehensive, neurodiverse approach to teaching reading that combines sight word recognition with explicit phonics instruction. It’s carefully leveled by difficulty, with each level building on the last, ensuring that no skill is taught in isolation.
Students not only learn to read high-frequency words, but also develop a strong understanding of phonemic awareness, phonics patterns, spelling, decoding, writing, and comprehension. Skills are reinforced through decodable readers and game-based activities, helping learners become fluent and confident readers.
Who Is It For?
The SnapWords® System is uniquely designed to meet the needs of all types of learners, including:
- Left-brain processors who learn best through logical, sequential instruction.
- Right-brain processors who need visual, meaningful, and holistic learning experiences.
By integrating visual memory, phonics, movement, and context, the SnapWords® System ensures that both analytical and visual learners can thrive.
How It Works
The four key components of the SnapWords® System include:
- Sight Word Instruction using visuals and motion to anchor memory.
- Mini-Lessons that teach phonics, decoding, spelling, and writing.
- Decodable Readers that let students apply what they’ve learned in context.
- Games and Activities that make learning fun and build fluency.
Together, these elements provide a multisensory path to reading success—for every child.
What Is Right-Brained Phonics & Spelling?
Phonics and spelling can be a major hurdle for many children—especially those who don’t thrive with memorization or abstract symbols. Child1st’s Phonics & Spelling resources remove that struggle by transforming traditional instruction into a visual, meaningful, and whole-brain experience.
Built especially for right-brain learners, this approach makes sounds and spelling patterns stick through visuals, stories, and body memory—without relying on drills or rote memorization.
How It Works
We begin by developing phonemic awareness—the ability to hear and segment sounds in words. From there, we teach children to write what they hear using symbols (letters and letter combinations), making reading and writing feel intuitive.
Instead of memorizing spelling rules or letter sequences, children learn to connect sounds with spellings. Words are embedded in images that reflect their meaning and structure, helping children recall spelling patterns naturally.
Who It’s For
This program is ideal for:
- Visual, kinesthetic, and spatial learners
- Children who struggle with traditional phonics
- Emerging readers ready for blends and digraphs
- Educators and parents seeking a stress-free way to teach spelling
Note: This collection focuses on blends of two or more letters. For single-letter sounds, see our Alphabet Collection.
Why It Works
Traditional phonics methods already support left-brain learners. Our method adds what right-brain learners need—context, imagery, and sensory engagement—so all children can succeed. Phonics and spelling are no longer abstract or confusing—they’re memorable, visual, and fun.
With explicit, systematic instruction and built-in support for neurodiverse learners, Right-Brained Phonics & Spelling offers an inclusive and effective path to literacy.
What Is Right-Brained Math?
Traditional math instruction often favors students who think in words and thrive on step-by-step procedures. But what about the many children who think in pictures, patterns, or movement? For visual/spatial and kinesthetic learners, math can quickly become confusing and frustrating.
Right-Brained Math was created to meet these learners where they are—by making math visual, hands-on, and story-based.
How It Works
Rather than relying solely on abstract numbers and formulas, Right-Brained Math uses:
- Colorful visuals to show how numbers work
- Stories and characters to explain math concepts
- Tactile and movement-based activities that bring math to life
This multi-sensory approach helps students build a strong number sense, understand operations, and confidently apply what they’ve learned—all without the struggle that often comes with traditional methods.
Who It’s For
Right-Brained Math is ideal for:
- Visual and kinesthetic learners
- Children who have struggled with conventional math programs
- Homeschool families and classrooms that value multi-sensory learning
- Any child who thrives when learning feels meaningful and fun
Why It Works
When math instruction matches how a child learns best, the results are transformative. By tapping into the natural strengths of right-brain processors, this program takes math from abstract to accessible, from frustrating to joyful.
Right-Brained Math unlocks confidence and competence in children who might otherwise feel left behind.
