The one ritual to protect
Same chair, ten to twelve minutes, every day you can. Afternoon on school days, morning on weekends is fine; what matters is that it happens before anything else she wants to do on the laptop, not after. The clock in the corner turns the session into a game she can finish, and tells you both when the Academy closes.
How to sit with her
- Sit beside, not behind. Behind feels like being watched.
- Your job is her eyes, not her hands. When she looks down at the keys, say "runes are on the screen" and nothing else.
- Let her read the story aloud. It is written for her voice. Let her do the character voices.
She quits when it is too easy. Use that.
- The duel in drill 4 is a race she may lose the first time. That is intentional. Losing to Vex is what brings her back tomorrow.
- If she sails through at 97%+, say "Vex thinks you got lucky" and let her play the stage game again for a higher combo. Do not add new keys yourself; next week's floor is already built.
When she gets frustrated
- Say: "Finger on the bump, then cast." The bumps on F and J fix most slips.
- Say: "Slow spells are stronger." Slow is the goal this month, not fast.
- If she is cross, stop at the end of that drill. Progress saves. Ending on a good note beats finishing cross.
Never say
- "Faster." Speed arrives on its own around week six if accuracy stays high.
- "Wrong." The Academy never shows her a mistake count. Neither should you.
- "Use the right finger" for ; and A if her pinky cannot reach yet. Hands at nine are small; a neighbour finger is fine until they grow.
What to watch for
Open this desk after each session. If a key stays under 85% for three days, do one extra round of the drill that uses it and nothing else.