When a school or teacher suggests tutoring, it can feel confusing, triggering, or even alarming — especially if you don’t understand the school’s actual plan to support your child. In this quick episode, Miss Beth breaks down what to do in that moment and what every parent needs to know before hiring a tutor in first grade.

You’ll learn:

• what schools are expected to do before recommending outside tutoring
• the key questions to ask when a teacher brings it up
• how to advocate for your child (even if you don’t realize you need to)
• what first-grade support should look like
• a simple script to get clear answers and keep communication collaborative

If you’ve ever wondered whether tutoring is the right next step — or if your school should be doing more — this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and the exact words to say.

First Grade RESET doors now open! Until 11/23

In this episode of the Play On Words podcast from Big City Readers, host Beth Gaskill dives into the viral trend inspired by Taylor Swift's song "Cancelled," exploring the concept of a "betrayal list" in education. Beth shares her own list of educational practices she believes should be "cancelled" to foster successful readers, including behavior charts, memorizing sight words, and the "letter of the week" approach. She emphasizes the importance of connection, regulation, and adaptive teaching methods over outdated practices.

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Introduction and Viral Trend
• 00:03:00 Beth's Full Betrayal List
• 00:06:00 Behavior Charts
• 00:09:00 Reading Levels and Sight Words
• 00:12:00 Letter of the Week
• 00:15:00 The Giving Tree and Rainbow Fish

  •  00:18:00 What's Not Cancelled?

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More Resources: Bigcityreaders.com

Miss Beth from Big City Readers reads Room On The Broom, our Halloween favorite! Julia Donaldson is one of the best authors we love to promote. Find more Halloween stories ⁠here⁠!

And Follow on ⁠Youtube⁠ for more story time for kids!

Check out our ⁠on demand classes⁠ to raise readers- toddlers to third grade.

Welcome to Season 3 of Play On Words from Big City Readers! In this kickoff episode, Miss Beth dives into one of the most common challenges families face each fall: back-to-school anxiety.

If mornings feel chaotic, drop-offs end in tears, or your child worries about school all weekend, this episode is for you. Drawing from her years of working with families, Beth shares practical, playful, and totally doable strategies to ease anxiety and help your child feel confident about school.

• The Power of Routine: Why the same breakfast at the same time can reduce stress.
• Connection Items: How a matching bracelet, heart doodle, or silly ritual helps kids feel close to you all day long.
• Drop-Off Rituals That Work: From synchronized car door slams to secret handshakes, small traditions make big transitions smoother.
• Practice Runs: How Saturday morning school visits (plus donuts!) can transform how your child feels about the building.
• Timing Anxiety Talks: Why Saturday mornings beat Sunday nights for reading “first day of school” books and having big feelings conversations.
• The Hardest Step for Parents: How to keep goodbyes short, sweet, and empowering—without feeding the worry loop.

Instead of letting anxiety take over, these routines give kids jobs to do, helping them channel nervous energy into action. Parents and children become a team, turning the hardest part of the day into a moment of connection and pride.

✨ This episode isn’t just about managing anxiety—it’s about building confidence, connection, and joy around school routines.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Big Feelings Booklist

Printable Routine

Read about it on the blog 

The principal is BACK. Part 2 or 2 with principal, educator and friend of the pod: Jon Arens. We are answering all ALL your questions about learning to read and starting kindergarten.

Questions YOU asked and we discuss in these two episodes:

🧠 Decision-Making Factors

• What factors would make you consider redshirting as a good fit aside from age alone?
• Is it better to make the decision based on academic readiness or emotional/maturity?
• Does birth order influence the choice?
• Does research show it’s better to hold back a boy vs. a girl?
• Where do we draw the line? (March birthdays redshirted)
• HELP! 4YO July Bday. Language/reasoning/comm 💯, Social-emotional 😱

⚖️ Pros, Cons & Impact

• What are the top 3 signs to redshirt?
• Long-term implications of 6–7-year-olds in K — does it raise expectations too much for 4–5-year-olds?
• Is fear of “boredom causing behavior issues” a reason NOT to redshirt?
• Can kids get bumped up a grade if it ends up not being a good fit?

💡 Situational Scenarios

• My child is smart, early Aug birthday, but can’t sit still and struggles to participate.
• My child can read since 2.5 and is advanced in math but struggles emotionally (Sept bday).
• Late August birthday — can tell social/emotional differences but not academic ones.
• Very extroverted, very tall, late July birthday, reading level H — teacher says she’s okay.
• Twins with developmental delay — early intervention or more time?
• Late birthday + IEP for ADHD — repeat K or will the IEP be enough for 1st?

📍 District/Policy Questions

• Why don’t some schools (like CPS) allow redshirting?
• Is it allowed in every school district? Is it really up to parents?
• NYC with a Dec 31 cutoff — is that developmentally inappropriate?

🛠 Practical Tips

• I’m holding my son back (Aug 17) and sending him to TK — tips for avoiding regression?
• We’re redshirting KG but likely going to 1st — what should we focus on?
• Should we repeat kinder in a multi-age class (K/1) or switch to a different class?
• When would you do it?

😅 Other

• I already did it. How do I explain it to him?
• How common is this?
• Did it — bad idea. Had to fight to skip ahead due to immature classmates.
• My answers as a principal were easier than as a parent.

The principal is BACK. Part 1 or 2 with principal, educator and friend of the pod: Jon Arens. We are answering all ALL your questions about learning to read and starting kindergarten.

Questions YOU asked and we discuss in these two episodes:

🧠 Decision-Making Factors

• What factors would make you consider redshirting as a good fit aside from age alone?
• Is it better to make the decision based on academic readiness or emotional/maturity?
• Does birth order influence the choice?
• Does research show it’s better to hold back a boy vs. a girl?
• Where do we draw the line? (March birthdays redshirted)
• HELP! 4YO July Bday. Language/reasoning/comm 💯, Social-emotional 😱

⚖️ Pros, Cons & Impact

• What are the top 3 signs to redshirt?
• Long-term implications of 6–7-year-olds in K — does it raise expectations too much for 4–5-year-olds?
• Is fear of “boredom causing behavior issues” a reason NOT to redshirt?
• Can kids get bumped up a grade if it ends up not being a good fit?

💡 Situational Scenarios

• My child is smart, early Aug birthday, but can’t sit still and struggles to participate.
• My child can read since 2.5 and is advanced in math but struggles emotionally (Sept bday).
• Late August birthday — can tell social/emotional differences but not academic ones.
• Very extroverted, very tall, late July birthday, reading level H — teacher says she’s okay.
• Twins with developmental delay — early intervention or more time?
• Late birthday + IEP for ADHD — repeat K or will the IEP be enough for 1st?

📍 District/Policy Questions

• Why don’t some schools (like CPS) allow redshirting?
• Is it allowed in every school district? Is it really up to parents?
• NYC with a Dec 31 cutoff — is that developmentally inappropriate?

🛠 Practical Tips

• I’m holding my son back (Aug 17) and sending him to TK — tips for avoiding regression?
• We’re redshirting KG but likely going to 1st — what should we focus on?
• Should we repeat kinder in a multi-age class (K/1) or switch to a different class?
• When would you do it?

😅 Other

• I already did it. How do I explain it to him?
• How common is this?
• Did it — bad idea. Had to fight to skip ahead due to immature classmates.
• My answers as a principal were easier than as a parent.

The principal is BACK. Part 1 or 2 with principal, educator and friend of the pod: Jon Arens. We are answering all ALL your questions about learning to read and starting kindergarten.

Questions YOU asked and we discuss in these two episodes:

🧠 Decision-Making Factors

• What factors would make you consider redshirting as a good fit aside from age alone?
• Is it better to make the decision based on academic readiness or emotional/maturity?
• Does birth order influence the choice?
• Does research show it’s better to hold back a boy vs. a girl?
• Where do we draw the line? (March birthdays redshirted)
• HELP! 4YO July Bday. Language/reasoning/comm 💯, Social-emotional 😱

⚖️ Pros, Cons & Impact

• What are the top 3 signs to redshirt?
• Long-term implications of 6–7-year-olds in K — does it raise expectations too much for 4–5-year-olds?
• Is fear of “boredom causing behavior issues” a reason NOT to redshirt?
• Can kids get bumped up a grade if it ends up not being a good fit?

💡 Situational Scenarios

• My child is smart, early Aug birthday, but can’t sit still and struggles to participate.
• My child can read since 2.5 and is advanced in math but struggles emotionally (Sept bday).
• Late August birthday — can tell social/emotional differences but not academic ones.
• Very extroverted, very tall, late July birthday, reading level H — teacher says she’s okay.
• Twins with developmental delay — early intervention or more time?
• Late birthday + IEP for ADHD — repeat K or will the IEP be enough for 1st?

📍 District/Policy Questions

• Why don’t some schools (like CPS) allow redshirting?
• Is it allowed in every school district? Is it really up to parents?
• NYC with a Dec 31 cutoff — is that developmentally inappropriate?

🛠 Practical Tips

• I’m holding my son back (Aug 17) and sending him to TK — tips for avoiding regression?
• We’re redshirting KG but likely going to 1st — what should we focus on?
• Should we repeat kinder in a multi-age class (K/1) or switch to a different class?
• When would you do it?

😅 Other

• I already did it. How do I explain it to him?
• How common is this?
• Did it — bad idea. Had to fight to skip ahead due to immature classmates.
• My answers as a principal were easier than as a parent.

The principal is BACK. Part 1 or 2 with principal, educator and friend of the pod: Jon Arens. We are answering all ALL your questions about learning to read and starting kindergarten. 

Questions YOU asked and we discuss in these two episodes:

• What factors would make you consider redshirting as a good fit aside from age alone?
• Is it better to make the decision based on academic readiness or emotional/maturity?
• Does birth order influence the choice?
• Does research show it’s better to hold back a boy vs. a girl?
• Where do we draw the line? (March birthdays redshirted)
• HELP! 4YO July Bday. Language/reasoning/comm 💯, Social-emotional 😱

• What are the top 3 signs to redshirt?
• Long-term implications of 6–7-year-olds in K — does it raise expectations too much for 4–5-year-olds?
• Is fear of “boredom causing behavior issues” a reason NOT to redshirt?
• Can kids get bumped up a grade if it ends up not being a good fit?

• My child is smart, early Aug birthday, but can’t sit still and struggles to participate.
• My child can read since 2.5 and is advanced in math but struggles emotionally (Sept bday).
• Late August birthday — can tell social/emotional differences but not academic ones.
• Very extroverted, very tall, late July birthday, reading level H — teacher says she’s okay.
• Twins with developmental delay — early intervention or more time?
• Late birthday + IEP for ADHD — repeat K or will the IEP be enough for 1st?

• Why don’t some schools (like CPS) allow redshirting?
• Is it allowed in every school district? Is it really up to parents?
• NYC with a Dec 31 cutoff — is that developmentally inappropriate?

• I’m holding my son back (Aug 17) and sending him to TK — tips for avoiding regression?
• We’re redshirting KG but likely going to 1st — what should we focus on?
• Should we repeat kinder in a multi-age class (K/1) or switch to a different class?
• When would you do it?

• I already did it. How do I explain it to him?
• How common is this?
• Did it — bad idea. Had to fight to skip ahead due to immature classmates.
• My answers as a principal were easier than as a parent.

For more support visit bigcityreaders.com

The Psychology Behind Competitive Kids (and What Helps)

If your child is the kindest kid on the block… until they lose a game and suddenly you’re dealing with a rage monster - this episode is for you. Competitive kids often have big hearts and even bigger feelings. In this quick pep talk, I’ll walk you through what’s really going on beneath that explosive reaction, how to support emotional growth without crushing their drive, and my go-to book list that helps kids build resilience and empathy.

You’ll learn:

• Why competitive kids sometimes struggle with losing
• Simple strategies to talk about frustration and fairness
• How to create a home culture that balances effort and empathy
• My favorite children’s books that build emotional vocabulary and self-regulation

📚 Shop the book list here: 👉 ⁠Miss Beth’s Amazon Storefront – Competitive Kid Book List⁠

💌 Want more like this? Follow⁠ @bigcityreaders⁠ on Instagram for daily tips, free book recs, and support for raising strong, kind readers.

Ever find yourself standing in a daycare hallway thinking, “Wait… what exactly am I supposed to ask on this tour?” Same.

In this episode, Miss Beth is breaking it all down Big Sister style—whether you’re looking for daycare, preschool, or kindergarten. Inspired by a recent conversation from Alex Bennett on Two Parents and a Podcast, Beth is sharing real, practical tips to help you figure out what you actually want for your child (and what matters on a tour).

From the toddler room snack tables to the kindergarten playground, Miss Beth is giving you my insider advice on:

• What to look for (spoiler: it’s not the fancy toys)
• What to ask the staff
• How to trust your gut
• Why “socialization” might not be as crucial as you think for babies
• And how to tell if the vibe is right for your family

Whether you’re a first-time parent or looking for your next school, this episode will help you feel more confident and less overwhelmed.

⁠Follow along on Instagram @bigcityreaders⁠ 

View more of  ⁠Miss Beth’s Tips⁠