How can you help my child to get better at reading? They struggle so much at school.

Answer 1

I see a lot of great answers! All of it is correct. I am more than confident that I can support both you and your learner experience success with an abundant amount of targeted knowledge and strategy in phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, critical thinking, and engagement.

However, in my experience, the following factors proved to be the most important factors that lead to strong, engaged readers:

1. Learners feel like they can be successful.
2. Learners see and celebrate their successes.
3. Learners enjoy what they are reading.

In short, keeping students engaged and motivated. This takes a talented teacher! I can definitely help.

YES: Assess areas needing improvement and strengths

YES: High-interest, low difficulty text

YES: Implement targeted practice that engages the child and builds their skills.

BUT AGAIN, most importantly, implement engaging ways for your students to experience success and build a sense of competency. None of what we do matters if the learner does not experience growth in both their skill and autonomy. The biggest is the learner knowing she can do it. This way, any future reading challenge the learner confronts, she will have the grit, courage, and enthusiasm to work through it.

I'd love to help you and the learning community! Hope to speak soon.

Answer 2

The first thing is to do an assessment. I would have the student read some text. From that I can determine if they are having problems with recognizing words. If so, some instruction in phonics would help. Then we would read a brand new story and I would ask the student some questions about images in the story that show their ability to interpret information. I would include some fun learning activities of course.

Answer 3

Reading struggles are more common than most parents realize, and the good news is that with the right support, children can make fast and lasting progress. I focus on building reading confidence through personalized instruction that targets your child’s specific needs — whether that’s phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, or fluency.

My lessons combine proven strategies in literacy development with encouragement and patience to help students rediscover the joy of reading. I also teach students how to recognize word patterns, improve decoding skills, and develop strategies for understanding meaning rather than just “sounding out” words.

Every child learns differently, so I always adapt my approach to match their pace, strengths, and interests. With consistent practice and positive reinforcement, your child will begin reading more fluently — and start to feel proud of their progress.

Answer 4

I can definitely help with that — and I’m really glad you reached out. Reading struggles are common, and with the right mix of strategies, practice, and encouragement, most children make major progress.

Here’s a structured plan I can create and work through with your child:

🌱 1. Find Out What’s Causing the Struggle

Before jumping into lessons, I can help you identify where the challenge is:

1. Phonics: Trouble sounding out words or recognizing letter patterns.
2. Fluency: Reading too slowly or without expression.
3. Comprehension: Reading words correctly but not understanding what they mean.
4. Confidence/Anxiety: Avoiding reading because they feel frustrated or embarrassed.

I can guide you through a few quick, informal reading checks to pinpoint which area(s) need attention.

📘 2. Create a Personalized Reading Plan

Once we know the challenge, I can design a weekly plan that includes:

1. Short daily reading sessions (10–20 minutes)
2. Targeted skill activities — for example:
3. Fun phonics games for decoding practice
4. “Echo reading” or “paired reading” for fluency
5. Short comprehension questions for meaning
6. Tracking progress with a simple chart so your child sees improvement over time.

🎯 3. Use High-Interest, Low-Difficulty Books

Kids improve faster when they actually like what they’re reading.

I can recommend books that:

1. Match your child’s reading level and age
2. Feature topics they enjoy (e.g., animals, space, adventures)
3. Have strong visual support and predictable text patterns

💬 4. Practice Together With Support

I can model step-by-step techniques you can use at home, such as:

1. Echo reading: You read a sentence; your child repeats it.
2. Choral reading: Read together at the same time.
3. Preview and predict: Talk about what might happen next to build comprehension.

🧠 5. Build Confidence and Motivation

Kids who struggle often start believing “I’m just bad at reading.”

I can help design a reward system or mini-goals that keep it positive — for example:

1. Stickers or points for completing books
2. Celebrating each milestone (“You just read 100 pages this month!”)

Answer 5

I’d love to help your child with reading. The best place to start is by building their confidence. I usually work on phonics (helping them connect letters and sounds), fluency (reading short passages over again until they feel smooth), and comprehension (talking about what the story means). I also use books and topics they enjoy, so it feels fun instead of frustrating. Even just 10–15 minutes a day of reading together can make a big difference. I can also share some simple practice activities and book ideas that match their level.

Answer 6

I know people who have had this same issue. They used video games that had no dialogue to help encourage their child get better at reading while using something they are interested in.

I would suggest getting them books on subjects that they are most interested in. Golden Books has books out now about Taylor Swift, Wicked and many other current celebrities and films. Your local librarian will have an idea of popular book titles for her age.

Just remember that the reading and will come with patient and hard work. I was the same way when I was in Elementary school too. My past teachers said that one day it all just clicked and I began reading like crazy. They figured I wanted to read Disney books. The reading will click for your child too.

Can you talk to your child's teacher about testing for dyslexia if that has not come up? Many dyslexics can learn to read it is just harder and many struggle. Dyslexia is when the letters are jumbled up and mixed up to create tomato soup instead of a word. I have known Dyslexics who were huge readers so don't give up if that is the case.

Answer 7

Helping your child get better at reading starts with breaking it into small, fun steps so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Focus on phonics first by practicing the sounds letters make, then blend those sounds into words. Use simple, colorful books and let your child read with you—take turns reading sentences so they feel supported. If they get stuck, don’t rush them; gently guide them to sound out the word. Make reading part of daily life by labeling things around the house, playing word games, or letting them pick stories they enjoy. Since they struggle in school, extra encouragement and praise at home can build their confidence. For ESL/ESOL learners, connect words to pictures and real-life actions so they understand the meaning as well as the sound. The key is patience, consistency, and making reading feel like a fun discovery instead of a chore.

Answer 8

How can you help my child to get better at reading? They struggle so much at school.

School can be hard. Teachers have multiple children to serve. That means multiple learning styles, multiple backgrounds, multiple achievement levels, multiple interests. That’s hard - both for the teacher & also for the student.

A tutor has one child to serve. That means getting to know one child, one learning style, one background, one achievement level, & one set of interests. Understanding all these things & approaching the child individually, at that child’s pace, can make a huge difference! An experienced, well-trained reading tutor has the flexibility & time to design, & re-design, ways to meet your child’s needs.

I always start with the student, lead him/her into an appropriate book at the right reading level & most importantly at the right interest level, then use the book as the springboard for all reading skills that need improvement & bring this all back to the student’s life & interests.

This approach makes reading about the child. There is a reason the student wants to get better at phonics, learn more vocabulary words, improve comprehension: because it’s fun, interesting & relevant.

Answer 9

Virtually all children struggling in school, including the brightest children, suffer from slightly too-slow processing speed for language. Just 30 milliseconds too slow—(it takes 100 milliseconds to blink your eye)— means children cannot reliably detect tiny elements in speech such as the difference between the CH sound and the SH sound, tangling up their grasp of directions and explanations. This has nothing to do with intelligence.

Many extremely bright children struggle with this “hidden handicap.”

These children may not be clear whether the teacher said “wash your hands“ or “watch your hands.“. These children often need directions repeated and may have trouble with complex instructions. Just one critical element – faster language processing in the brain — can resolve the problem.

In reading, these children may sound out words slowly and with frequent mistakes. Phonics instruction has not eliminated their problems because phonics does not address the underlying problem. These children may still reverse sounds and say “trap“ instead of “tarp,” or add sounds and say “started out the window“ instead of “stared out the window.“. This means that they won’t understand the story, and they won’t be able to tell you why they don’t. And they will suffer from disappointing you. And they will feel stupid, which they’re not.

All this can be corrected by using patented neuroscience exercises (“ games”) to raise processing speed for language. The correction usually takes two to three months of closely guided practice. Let me urge you to lay this foundation before you use standard phonics approaches such as OG.

For research, you can look up the work of Dr. Michael Merzenich or Dr. Paula Tallal, the neuroscientists behind this amazing approach to helping kids read. Research at Harvard, Yale, and the University of California shows dramatic results.

Our first consultation will be free. Please bring the results of any testing you’ve already had done.

Answer 10

Thank you so much for sharing about your child. I completely understand how discouraging it can feel when reading is a struggle at school. My approach is to first get to know your child—their current strengths, what feels hard, and even what they enjoy outside of school. From there, I tailor lessons to meet them right where they are, rather than expecting them to fit into a one-size-fits-all program.

When I work with elementary readers, I use a mix of phonics-based instruction, hands-on activities, and interactive games that make reading both meaningful and fun. I also weave in research and evidence based strategies to improve comprehension and confidence, so your child learns not only how to read words, but also how to understand and enjoy what they’re reading.

Because our sessions will be online, I incorporate engaging tools and visuals to keep learning lively and interactive—never just another worksheet. Most importantly, I create a supportive environment where mistakes are seen as part of the learning process. That way, your child can take risks, build skills step by step, and experience success each session.

My goal is to help your child feel proud of themselves as a reader—not just to catch up, but to gain the confidence and skills they need to thrive.

Answer 11

Here’s how I’d approach helping your child improve reading skills:

1. Assess strengths and challenges – I start by identifying exactly where your child struggles, whether it’s decoding words, understanding vocabulary, or comprehending text.
2. Build phonics and word recognition – Using targeted exercises, we focus on letter-sound relationships, sight words, and decoding strategies, so reading becomes less frustrating and more automatic.
3. Expand vocabulary – I introduce new words in meaningful contexts and practice using them in sentences, which helps with both reading comprehension and writing.
4. Improve comprehension skills – We practice summarizing, predicting, and asking questions about the text, helping your child understand and remember what they read.
5. Make reading engaging and confidence-building – I choose age-appropriate, interesting materials and celebrate small successes to boost confidence and motivation.

Answer 12

How can I help your child get better at reading?

As a certified K–8 teacher with a literacy endorsement 📚 and over 25 years of classroom experience, I specialize in helping students who struggle with reading—whether it’s phonics, fluency, comprehension, or confidence.

I use up-to-date, research-backed methods grounded in the Science of Reading 🧠. Unlike speaking, which is a natural process the brain is wired for, reading is not an innate skill—it must be explicitly taught and practiced step by step. That’s where I come in. I use structured, phonics-based lessons to build strong decoding skills and help your child master the building blocks of reading.

📖 Reading comprehension is another area where many students get stuck. I teach proven strategies like visualization, making connections, asking questions, summarizing, and identifying main ideas and supporting details. We work together to build the mental "toolbox" students need to understand and remember what they read—whether it's fiction, textbooks, or word problems in math.

But it’s not just about the method—it’s also about the relationship. I work hard to build trust 🤝 and help students feel safe, supported, and capable. Once your child starts experiencing small wins and sees that reading is something they can do, their confidence grows—and that’s when real progress begins.

Most students I work with show measurable growth within weeks, and many move up a full grade level in just a few months! 🌟

If your child is falling behind or frustrated with reading, don’t wait. I’d love to partner with you to turn things around. Message me, Michele W., today to schedule a free consultation and take the first step toward helping your child thrive. Scroll to the bottom of the profile page to find the message me button. ✨📩