Inhabit Spencer Russell

Watch the latest episode of “The Inhabit Interview” here. And if you prefer audio only, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Growing up, I loved reading. The magic and mystery from Louis Sachar books. The worldbuilding in the “Artemis Fowl” series.

So when it came time to teach my daughter to read, I felt I would be giving her access to one of life’s most valuable skills. There was one problem: I thought the process would be excruciating.

Enter: Spencer Russell.

Spencer is the man behind Toddlers CAN Read, a program that equips parents with the skills they need to teach their kids to read. His approach is practical, accessible, and quite frankly: it works.

But there’s one thing that makes his program extra special: it’s connecting.

My daughter and I started with a few minutes each day. We reviewed letter sounds and blending — the two foundational skills in learning to read. We added tricky sounds. But we did it through games, and books that built confidence.

When we started at age 4, my daughter was convinced she would never learn to read. By the time we were done (before she turned 5), she could read chapter books. It was an unequivocal success. But when it was over, we both missed reading practice, and had to search for new routines to find quality time together.

Spencer Russell has charted this path not just for my family but for countless others (millions of parents follow his accounts across social media platforms). And he’s done it all while maintaining guardrails to keep the internet from intruding into his life.

I asked Spencer about what it looks like to build a habit of reading practice with our children, and for his perspective on screen time for kids and adults. Here are some takeaways:

• Energy matters. We often focus on what to teach our kids, but devote little attention to how. Spencer is an award-winning educator who understands how to help kids focus, and play off their energy to make it happen. He shares those tips here.

• Find the win. Spencer believes that confidence fuels motivation—so we have to help kids find wins to keep going. Skilled educators don’t often need extrinsic rewards to help kids enjoy lessons. For the rest of us, there’s no shame in an extrinsic reward.

• Get off social media. Spencer’s account is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, wildly successful. So he has little incentive to do what he did in this conversation: encourage parents to get off social media, unfollow his page, unfollow everyone, and spend more time with their loved ones.

Spencer has redefined the field of early literacy and expanded what everyone believed was possible, settling the debate: toddlers can read.

Through it, he created a life for himself and his family that prioritizes connection. He’s built an outrageously successful business. And he’s changing the course of literacy in the US.

Grab your whiteboard. And an Expo marker. Get ready to take some notes.

The lesson’s about to begin.

Watch the 7th episode of “The Inhabit Interview” here.

And if you prefer audio only, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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