The first time my grandson asked me how to spell a word, I answered so fast you would have thought I was competing in a spelling bee. I thought I was helping by correcting every mistake.

If he wrote “frend” instead of “friend,” I pointed out the missing letter. If he wrote “sed” instead of “said,” I quickly showed him the correct spelling.

My intentions were good, but soon I noticed a problem. Instead of trying a word independently, he began stopping and asking, “Is this right?” Sometimes he waited for me to spell the entire word before he wrote anything.

My help was making him less confident.

Have you ever told a child you were “all ears” and watched them immediately inspect the sides of your head?

I have, and that is exactly why I love idioms.

Idioms are expressions that mean something different from the actual words being used. Adults understand that “butterflies in your stomach” means feeling nervous or excited. A 4-year-old may picture tiny butterflies fluttering around near their belly button.

Honestly, that sounds much more interesting.

Between the ages of 4 and 5, children are entering an exciting stage of language development.

Longer days. Popsicles dripping down little fingers. Fireflies at dusk. Road trips. Pool towels drying in the sun. And somewhere between all the summer fun, there’s an incredible opportunity for grandparents to help children fall even more in love with reading.

Last winter, I tried to be the “perfect grand.” I arrived with a bag of books, a reward chart, and a 20-minute plan. What could possibly go wrong? Well… everything. My grandson wriggled, I rushed the pages, and by night three, everyone dreaded “Carma’s reading time.” I could feel it—the sigh before I sat down, the way he slid off the couch, the tight smile I put on anyway. So, I scrapped the plan and asked myself, What am I actually trying to build here? Love of reading, of course.