Q: My holiday tradition is to give my grandkids books as stocking stuffers. Now most of them have tablets. Is the pleasure of choosing and wrapping books for them over? Please give me guidance on selecting e-books. How does the transaction work?

A: What a wonderful tradition! Studies by Clemson University reading expert Linda Gambrell show that having access to books outside of school and owning books both increase children's motivation to read.

You don't need to give up your tradition, says Carl Harvey, library media specialist at North Elementary School in Noblesville, Ind. "If there are early readers on your list, you can't go wrong choosing a classic print book. Most love a great picture book or chapter book. While they certainly enjoy digital/e-books, there still is something about having a book in your hand."

As young readers grow, they like to choose their leisure reading. "It's motivating to select books based on their interests or a series that really hooks them," says Harvey. If you want to add titles to their tablets, "know that devices are designed for individual use, so it is hard to buy for another user. The best route is gift cards. They allow the child or parent to load them onto the device and purchase as needed."

Before purchasing, learn what type of device your grandkids have, says Harvey. For example, iPads use the iBooks app, so books can be purchased through Apple's iTunes store. If your grandchild has a Nook, books can be purchased through Barnes and Noble. For a Kindle, they can be purchased through Amazon.

"Often gift cards work for other purchases on the device, such as games and other apps. If you want to focus on reading, make sure to let the child -- and parents -- know that you'd prefer it be used for books," suggests Harvey.

What makes e-books especially appealing to children is the ability to enjoy rich content. "Both Android and Apple iOS devices also have apps you can download for various books that expand the content. They have added features such as links, read-alouds and games. Again, gift cards allow children to buy the ones they want."

Annual publications, such as almanacs and atlases, are also available in e-book format. "It really is a personal preference whether to buy a print or an online version," says Harvey. "Come January, some children love to tote to school the almanac Santa brought. Others love the added features of the e-book, such as interactive maps and graphs and search functions that might make the online version preferable over the print."

When it comes to price, most e-books are the same or a little cheaper than print books.

If your grandkids are nearby, suggests Harvey, take them to a bookstore and browse together. "Family members don't realize that kids want the gift of your time. If they aren't nearby, arrange a Skype or FaceTime session where they read to you.

"Both will show your grandkids that you value reading. That's an important gift to give a child."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Our first-grade daughter brings home sight words to practice, so I ordered sight-word flashcards. When I showed the teacher, she said the flashcards were based on a "Dolch" list and preferred that we practice the words she sends home. What's the difference?

A: Sight-word practice is one of the best investments a parent can make in an early reader's progress. Knowing them by heart builds young readers' confidence and frees their brains to decode more challenging words.

"There are a few 'little' words that hold the English language together," says Dr. Marilyn Adams, one of the nation's top literacy experts. "I call them 'glue words.' They are so basic that nothing can be written for or by children without at least some of them.

"The good thing is that most of these words are short. The bad thing is that most are badly spelled."

Adams explains that the influential 220-word Dolch sight-word list, created in 1948, was "compiled during the 'look-say' era of reading, before research established the critical importance of early phonics instruction."

Why does the teacher prefer that you not use Dolch flashcards? "The Dolch list contains lots of decodable words," notes Adams. "Because the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) emphasize phonics instruction, children have tools to decode words such as 'big.' What they struggle with -- and where phonics skills don't help -- are high-utility words that don't follow basic rules, especially articles, prepositions, helping verbs and pronouns, such as the, there, of, to, my, you, is, are, does."

Children have to learn these from memory. "They actually have to 'overlearn' them," says Adams. "The goal is to make sure these words help a young reader, rather than get in the way. If children try to decode the word 'the,' for example, every time they encounter it, they slow down their reading, break their train of thought and become frustrated. Learning high-frequency irregular words by heart propels them forward."

Primary teachers encourage parents to help kids master high-frequency words, says Jessica Kelmon, reading editor at GreatSchools.org.

"Mastery takes practice, and there's no way that teachers can give each child enough practice time during the school day," she says.

Working with California reading specialist Jen Kaufman, GreatSchools editors created "Snap Words" worksheets for preschool through first grade. "We call them 'Snap Words,'" say Kelmon, "because kids have to know them in a snap! Parents love them because they can squeeze in some practice when they have a few extra minutes. All of our Snap Words worksheets are pegged to CCSS for kindergarten and first grade." (GreatSchools.org will soon offer parents Snap Words games to download on their smartphones.)

Don't toss the flashcards. Instead, cover them up and each week write the teacher's word list on them. "And don't forget that children need help using these words, too," says Adams. "Have fun, for example, with rebus play, such as 'the mouse is in/on/by the house.'

"Emphasize the words when you use them in sentences, so children see their role in our language."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My fourth-grader, Karina, has way more homework this year than last year. She works hard on it, but despite the time spent, doesn't always remember what she studies. Any suggestions?

A: Schools focus on the content that students should learn, but very little on cognitive skills such as time management and study strategies to make sure that the learning "sticks."

Data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that teaching cognitive strategies works. Students who use cognitive skills the most "to understand and remember what they read, such as underlining important parts of the texts or discussing what they read with other people, perform at least 73 points higher in the PISA assessment -- that is, one full proficiency level or nearly two full school years -- than students who use these strategies the least," the group's report stated.

Unfortunately, "we don't often teach helpful 'cerebral' strategies, such as visualizing time, taking notes and sequencing events," says Donna Goldberg, a learning coach and author of "The Organized Student" (Fireside, 2005).

Ask yourself what key cerebral strategies Karina can learn, and which she might already be using. Does she use what she already knows about a topic to learn new material? Ask herself questions as she reads? Draw pictures or diagrams to develop understanding? Discuss the subject with others to clarify new concepts? Practice material several times to build understanding? Make notes on things she doesn't understand to ask the teacher? Review an assignment before moving on? Organize her time to be most efficient?

Does Karina see the big picture in what she's studying? "Some teachers fail to tell students what they'll be learning during the year," says Goldberg. "They tell how they'll grade and what the class rules are, but don't say, 'This year we'll study ancient history: We'll start with Mesopotamia, then Egypt, Greece and Rome.' Teachers who explain the game plan, and with each lesson place the topic in the context of the curriculum's broader goal, really help students retain the material much more effectively. You can help reinforce the big picture with Karina."

Another thing to check is her understanding of time. "Parents assume that because kids can tell time that they can manage it," says Goldberg. "Kids can tell you, for example, that it's 12:30 -- lunchtime -- but can't gauge how long it will take to eat or the time left before next class or until study period."

Goldberg recommends students use a paper planner to manage time. "The tool makes time visible," she says. "It captures activities, assignments and deadlines in one place. It allows a student to block out both study and personal time; keep track of immediate deadlines and pace long-term projects; gauge how long things take and calculate time needed to complete a project."

The Time Timer (timetimer.com) can help make time real for some students, says Goldberg. Another good tool is the My-Time Kid's Planner (mytimekidsplanner.com), a large magnetic, dry-erase scheduling board.

If Karina doesn't grasp these strategies immediately, don't worry, says Goldberg. "What's important is that you've started a dialogue. Reinforce (the techniques) with her, by doing things such as checking the planner. Soon, she'll see their benefits and start using them."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)