As a book lover, it breaks my heart to see a child who doesn’t enjoy reading, and who also struggles with it. If only all the children in the world could enjoy the wonders of magical worlds, endless adventures, and transcendent experiences through books!
The good news is that, even if a child is struggling to read, it doesn’t mean they can’t get better. Teachers all over the world are making every effort to help struggling readers improve.
Top 7 Tips for Helping a Struggling Reader
Here are some of the time-tested reading strategies to improve a child’s reading skill:
1. Use interesting stories.
One of the best ways to encourage a struggling reader to read is to use interesting books for early readers.
Sometimes, we think that a child who has difficulty reading needs to practice distinguishing sounds and we let them read boring sentences like, “The cat sat on the mat,” “The rat sat on the mat with the cat,” and all the other “-at” words.
While reading CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) is good practice when a child is just beginning to read, when used too frequently, they can get confusing and also result in a boring, nonsense story.
Instead, consider using books that have an engaging story. Examples include Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad books and C.H. Anderson’s Billy and Blaze horse stories.
When you use readers that have a logical, exciting story in it, you can also stir up interest before the reading lesson by pausing to recall what you have read previously. Curiosity can help encourage the child to make their best effort at reading.
2. Set them up for success.
One of the reasons that a child can struggle with reading is when they’re given something too difficult too soon, which leads to frustration. Observe what words your child is capable of reading, and choose readers that are appropriate for their reading level.
Another way of setting them up for success is to use books with appropriate-sized fonts that match the child’s capability. Most beginning readers are printed in larger fonts with larger spaces in between lines.
3. Scaffold with shared reading.
In construction, a scaffold is used for construction workers to climb on to get to another level. In reading, one way of scaffolding is to do shared reading: for example, the child can read one page, and then you as the parent or teacher can read the next page, and so on.
You might also do this with partner reading in a classroom context, where a stronger reader is paired with a weaker one, and they alternate turns reading in pages.
This does at least three things:
- It helps your child’s eyes rest in between pages while enjoying the story;
- It lets him build more vocabulary;
- It makes the reading experience pleasurable, which encourages more reading.
4. Use visual guides.
Struggling readers usually have trouble tracking the words from left to right, or accidentally skip lines when moving from top to bottom.
You can get around this by using visual guides: it can start with you pointing to the words as they read, then progressing to their using their own finger to point to each word. Eventually, they can progress to using a ruler or index card placed under the lines while they read.
5. Supplement with ear reading.
In this digital age, we have the benefit of audiobooks within our reach. You can use audiobooks for your struggling reader to listen to while following the words on the page.
According to a 2010 study, students diagnosed with dyslexia showed improvement in reading after spending time listening to audiobooks.
Of course, this does not replace phonics instruction, but instead helps them connect with engaging stories and also recognize words on the page as they read along.
6. Practice sight words.
Another area that children can struggle in is sight words, especially since they don’t follow the usual phonics rules.
You can help them memorize sight words by practicing them regularly. You can introduce one or two sight words at a time, and practice seeing it printed in different ways: for example, it can be on an index card, in writing paper, on a cereal box, and so on.
Note: if the child is able to recognize a word in one format and struggles in another, it may be a sign of dyslexia. Keep observing, and if the problem persists, consider getting a professional to diagnose if that’s the case.
If it turns out your child does have dyslexia, don’t despair. This tip will be even more helpful in that case, because someone who has dyslexia needs to see a word about 30 times more than someone who doesn’t, so the more you practice, the greater the chances that you can help them ingrain the word into his memory.
7. Try word building activities.
Reading and writing are an apt pair. Some struggling readers are able to decode sounds better when they are able to manipulate the letters to form the words.
For students who aren’t strong in writing, you can use letter tiles. Encourage the child to arrange the letters as they see them in the word while sounding them out.
Help for Struggling Readers
Remember, every child develops at a different pace, including in how quickly they learn to read and become fluent.
But if you feel that your child or student is improving at an alarmingly slow rate, consider getting a diagnosis for dyslexia. Once you get a confirmation that a struggling reader has dyslexia, you can be more intentional in using strategies that are helpful for students with dyslexia.
On the other hand, if the child doesn’t have dyslexia but continues to struggle, try to have patience and continue using these tips as regularly and as consistently as possible.
When done properly and with encouragement, you will soon reap the benefit of seeing a former struggling reader soar and enjoy reading in their free time!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 6 Online Word Games for Kids to Build Reading Skills
- 6 Word Games to Play with Kids for Improved Literacy
- 9 Beverly Cleary Books Kids Shouldn’t Miss
- 15 Fun and Meaningful Graphic Novels for Kids
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
