If you are the parent of a struggling reader and have experienced worry and frustration, you are not alone. More than 40 percent of children struggle with reading. The good news is that there are steps you can take to ease those feelings and to help your child experience reading as an enjoyable activity.
Individual Variations
Reading does follow a developmental trajectory, and there are certain benchmarks that successful readers should reach at each age and grade level. However, there can be many individual variations in reading development. Some children may experience leaps and plateaus at certain points, instead of a slow and steady upward climb. It can be common for one sibling to find reading to be easy while another finds it challenging. It is important to avoid comparing your children. Just as they may have different personalities and interests, they may also have different needs when it comes to reading.
Motivation Is Key
Motivation is essential for reading success. If reading is a challenging task for a child, he or she will often not be motivated to read.
How do you increase your child’s motivation? For younger children — and even some older children — one of the best ways to enhance motivation is to read to them daily. Even if your child has begun to read independently, continuing to read books that he or she would not be able to read alone will expose him or her to new vocabulary, interesting storylines, and a variety of text structures. Make reading aloud to your child meaningful by engaging in rich discussions about what you are reading and by connecting what you are reading to real-life experiences.
Playing reading games can also be motivating. For instance, make cards with your child’s spelling words or sounds that he or she is learning and play a game of Go Fish. Games For Reading by Peggy Kaye is a wonderful resource for fun ideas.
For older children, choice is critical in ensuring that motivation remains high. Allowing your child to choose a variety of reading materials that he or she enjoys is important, even if the material seems less than ideal. If your child completes his or her school-required reading, he or she should be rewarded with a mountain of enjoyable reading.
Book series are also highly motivating for older children; getting into a series encourages them to become invested in characters and continue to pick up book after book. There are many wonderful series at all different reading levels. Ask your child’s teacher for recommendations, or do some browsing at booksource.com.
One final motivating activity for older children is to form a book club. This can be done with family members or peers. In a book club, everyone reads the same book and then discusses it over delicious food.
Be Mindful of Your Own Stress
Often in conferences with parents of struggling readers, I can feel and hear the frustration and anxiety radiating off of them. These feelings are perfectly natural. However, it is important to stay calm, take deep breaths, and keep your body language relaxed. Children pick up on our nonverbal cues. If you convey a message of anxiety, it will make reading more stressful for your child. If your child is a struggling reader, it is important that he or she knows that you are a source of support. If a reading session has become too stressful for both of you, take a break and come back to it. If you have moments in which your anxiety shows and you become frustrated, do not beat yourself up. Remind your child that things get easier when we practice and work hard, even when it feels difficult.
When Outside Help Is Necessary
If your child’s struggles in school begin to take a toll on your relationship, or if your child begins to fall far behind in school, it may be time to seek outside help. Ensuring that your child’s confidence remains high and that you provide the appropriate emotional support is the most important thing you can do as the parent of a struggling reader. Sometimes it’s best to have a reading expert step in to provide the skill support and intervention. While private tutoring can be a hefty investment, there are also low-cost tutoring services that are available. Ask your child’s teacher or reading specialist what external resources they can recommend.
Remember, if you are the parent of a struggling reader, it is important to keep your child’s motivation high and your anxiety low, and to know when to ask for help. Positive experiences are crucial for struggling readers.