A Parent's Guide to Supporting Your Struggling Reader

Knowing how to support your child’s reading development at home can be overwhelming. And let’s face it, most parents aren’t equipped with the training, research, and tools to help their child learn to read. Add to that a child who is struggling, and you may really feel in over your head.

In this blog post, we're going to be sharing something we like to call the "3P's" for parents to remember when working with their struggling reader at home!

We've also put together a free guide called, "A Parent's Guide to Supporting Your Struggling Reader." If you'd like to download a free copy, click on the image below and enter your email address. We'll send it over right away!

In the guide, we share simple and practical ideas for busy families who want to support their struggling reader at home! PLUS, there are links to other free resources, so don't miss out!

Okay, so what do the "3P's" stand for?

Patience, Praise, and Progress (not Perfection!) Remembering these 3 things will be 🗝️"KEY"🗝️ to supporting your struggling reader at home. Let's dive into each one!

Patience

If your child is a struggling reader, practicing at home can be especially challenging (not only for your child but also for you!) It is easy to get frustrated, especially when your child is resisting, feeling down on themselves, or continues to make the same mistake over and over.

This is where you're going to have to dig deep. Remind yourself that it takes a tremendous amount of effort for a struggling reader to learn how to read. Every child WANTS to be able to read, even if they say otherwise 😉

Before sitting down to practice with your reader, take a deep breath and commit to being patient. This will make a huge difference for your child!

And, if it feels like your child has to practice the same word, sentence, or book over and over again, it’s okay! Repetition is so incredibly important for struggling readers. Take a look at the image below for how many repetitions different types of readers require:

Depending on whether your child is a struggling reader, or has dyslexia or a learning disability, they may need 14-200 (200!!!) repetitions before something becomes automatic.

To further drive this home, think back to a time when you were learning how to do something challenging. Something that required a lot of concentration. Maybe it was learning how to sew, or how to drive a stick shift, or maybe even learning how to play an instrument. Now, think back to who was teaching you. Were they patient? How did that affect the experience for you? Were they impatient and frustrated with you? How did that go? 

Muster up all of the patience you can, and it will pay off for both you and your reader!

Praise

Encouragement and praise are powerful tools when helping your child learn to read. Your child is highly motivated by your words, and they take them to heart. I love this quote– “The words you speak to your child become their inner voice.” It’s so true! 

One thing to remember when praising your struggling reader is to focus on your child’s EFFORT, not ABILITY. 

Scholastic has a really great article about this, so I wanted to share an excerpt:

"Be sure to focus on students’ reading effort rather than the end result or final product. By doing that—and offering comments such as, “I can see you are giving this your best effort!”—you help children develop a growth mindset (Dweck, 2008). With a growth mindset, children believe that they can stretch beyond their current abilities. They learn through praise that their effort and practice empower them to move beyond their current “selves” and grow as learners.

“You are a great reader!” is an example of fixed-mindset praise (Dweck, 2008), and can be unnerving for children. It implies that if things change, they could become a terrible reader. But by offering growth comments, you reassure and encourage the child to keep trying. The child can accept that kind of growth mindset praise without fear or doubt.

Keep your focus on the reading journey and appreciate what students accomplish. Praising them along the way helps them realize that everything takes time, effort, and concentration."

Here are a few examples of praise that you can use with your child:

• “You are working SO hard!”
• “I’m proud of you for not giving up.”
• “I like how you used different strategies to figure out that word.”
• “You should be so proud of your effort! I’m proud of you too.”
  
  

Progress (not Perfection!)

Your struggling reader is going to make a lot of mistakes, and that’s okay! Help your child to focus on the progress they’re making, and remind them that it’s not about reading perfectly. 

Also, as a parent, it is easy to get discouraged when you find out how behind your child is during parent-teacher conferences or IEP meetings. This “progress, not perfection” mantra is a good reminder for parents as well!  Ask your child’s teachers about the progress they’re making at school. Even if your child isn’t hitting the grade level benchmarks for different points during the year, the most important thing is that you are seeing adequate progress.

Here are a few questions you can ask your child’s teacher about his/her progress:

• What were my child’s scores at the beginning of the year in reading? (assessments may include phonics screeners, oral reading fluency measures, or other diagnostic tools)
• What are my child’s scores now? 
• Do you believe my child is making adequate progress?
• Is my child being monitored weekly or biweekly to track progress? What assessment are you using to measure their progress?
• If my child isn’t making adequate progress, what other supports are in place? What supports are available?
  
  

Remember, you are your child’s best advocate and it’s completely okay to ask these questions. After learning about the progress your child is making at school, be sure to praise your child with specific examples of how they’ve grown as a reader! And, if they’re not making progress, don’t be afraid to push for additional supports. Early intervention is key to making sure your child is successful!

We hope you've enjoyed these 3 important reminders for working with your struggling reader at home! If you’d like a copy of the “3 P’s” poster, it is included in “A Parent’s Guide for Supporting Your Struggling Reader.” Just click on the image below, enter your email address, and we’ll send you the parent guide with the “3 P’s” poster! I would recommend hanging it somewhere you will see it when working with your child 😊 Enjoy!