Your Child’s Reading Struggles Are Not Their Future

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Does your child struggle with reading? In this article, you will learn how those struggles do not have to stay with your child and how they can still have a bright reading future. We share tips and resources on how to support your child to build confidence and learn to enjoy reading.

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Reading opens doors to new worlds, ignites creativity, and enhances understanding, making it a powerful tool to encourage lifelong learning and personal growth. However, if you have a child that is struggling to read it can feel extremely frustrating and discouraging at times. 

The good news is there are plenty of resources and tools to support you and your child as you navigate this challenge. It is important to remind yourself and your child that they won’t always struggle and that they still have a bright and hopeful future.

Tips to Support Your Struggling Reader

Reading Horizons

Reading Horizons At-Home solutions provides a simple program to help your reader succeed.

This has been proven to help:

• Struggling readers
• Readers with dyslexia
• Reading tutors
• Homeschooling parents
• English language learners

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Remember that every child learns differently and it is important to find the strategies that work best for your child. If they are continually getting frustrated with the same activity, it may be time to try something new. Don’t hesitate to try a variety of strategies to see which ones work best for your child. Then you can go deeper with what works and your child will gain confidence as they see their own success in action. 

As your child grows and matures, different strategies may work better at different times. These tips and resources use a variety of different tools and strategies to support struggling readers and help give them the confidence and desire to persevere when things get hard. 

Tip #1: Find A Strong Reading Resource 

With so many different resources available for struggling readers, it can get a little tricky to find the right fit for your child and their individual needs. We recommend using Reading Horizons as it is one of the most effective resources at teaching students phonics which is the foundation for reading and now, our readers get to enjoy a discount of 15% with discount code “Reading15”.

Reading Horizons uses a variety of approaches including multi-sensory activities to help support struggling readers. They use a specific marking system that kids can easily understand as they are practicing the different lessons. Using this engaging and effective resource can help your struggling reader become confident and fluent as they build their reading knowledge. 

Tip #2: Expose Your Child to A Variety of Reading Materials 

When your child is struggling to read, you can easily get bogged down with one type of book or genre trying to master it. But remember a large part of the buy-in for improved reading skills is interest. Make a list of topics your child is interested in and spend some time at your local library looking for texts on those topics. If your child likes comics, try graphic novels. If they enjoy history, try a historical fiction or nonfiction book with images. 

Magazines can also be great reading material because the shorter articles are less intimidating. Remember it is important to make sure that whatever your child is reading is on their reading level so they feel capable instead of frustrated.  

Tip #3: Remember That Learning New Skills Takes Time

Sitting down with your child day after day and watching them struggle to read can be disheartening, to say the least. However, it is important to remember that any time a new skill is being learned it takes time, patience, practice, and intention. Many children struggle to read for years and then once it clicks they become avid readers for life. 

One of your jobs as a parent is to remind your child to focus on their progress and be their biggest cheerleader. Positive reinforcement can go a long way in giving children the confidence they need to build their reading skills. Celebrate both small and big achievements and set goals when there are setbacks. A positive learning environment can make a significant difference in the learning process when a child is struggling. 

Tip #4: Use Games To Help Make Reading Fun

If a child is struggling to read, seeing a book set out for a lesson can feel overwhelming even before they begin. Instead, if they know that their reading lesson for that day involves playing a game they will feel less intimidated and overwhelmed. You can use numerous activities to make reading fun and mix it up. 

A favorite activity for many kids is vocabulary bingo. This can be helpful for kids to learn both new vocabulary and sight words and tends to keep them more engaged than a worksheet. There are also reading board games you can create on your own. And now, with a 15% discount for our readers (enter code “Reading15”), the Reading Horizons program contains games and stories that are read to your child, allowing your child to focus on comprehension as they listen. Turning your reading lessons into engaging activities can help your reluctant reader feel calm while practicing a subject that can be a struggle for them. 

Tip #5: Find Audiobooks on Their Reading Level

Audiobooks are a go-to reading strategy for struggling readers as they immediately take the pressure off of the child from having to read on their own. Instead of panicking trying to decode words as they begin to read, students can listen to the story and focus on the content which increases their comprehension skills. Using the Reading Horizons program where stories are read aloud to your child is a great tool to use to get started with audiobooks. 

With audiobooks, make sure your child has a hard copy of the book and is following along. Don’t forget to pause and discuss any questions your child may have while reading as well as any new vocabulary words. It can be helpful if you have a copy of the book as well so they feel even more supported. Using audiobooks helps build reading fluency and comprehension and removes the stress from the fear of struggling to read. 

Final Thoughts for Struggling Readers

Keep in mind that the best way to support your struggling reader is to have resources to support you as their homeschool teacher. With a 15% discount (code “Reading15”), Reading Horizons becomes an even more valuable tool to have on board to help your child feel confident while learning the foundations of reading. It also has instructional manuals to support you as well as you are teaching.

 Don’t forget that mixing things up with different genres and texts can help as well as audiobooks and playing games during reading lessons. Building reading skills and confidence takes time, so remember to be patient if it is taking a while to see growth and progress.  And most of all, keeping a positive attitude will help encourage both you and your child that their reading struggles won’t last forever.