Parenting an Early Reader: What not to do if your child is struggling to read

Recently in my local Ontario Facebook mom group, there were over a hundred comments in response to a parent who was concerned her child was struggling in reading. She was worried he wasn’t progressing as he should, and she didn’t know what kind of tutor would be right for her child. She needed cost-effective options with a high rate of return. Because of her child’s reading difficulties, this parent felt guilty sending them to school everyday because his confidence was plummeting.

Based on the high number of comments, a child’s reading difficulties was clearly an emotional topic with which many Ontario parents had experience. These parents wanted to offer words of support because they had firsthand experience about the feelings of concern when a child struggles with reading.

The well-meaning parents wanted to put the poster’s mind at ease.

Repeatedly, the parent was encouraged to:

     – “wait and see, your child will ‘get it’ eventually.”

     – “my child struggled until fifth grade and then one day reading just clicked”

     – “kids learn at different rates”

And while this could be true, it is spectacularly bad advice. In waiting for reading to ‘click’, children could internalize other messages that could negatively impact not only their academic success, but also their self-esteem. 

Learning to read is done publicly

Reading is unique in that it is a skill that overarches all other subject areas in school. Success in those subjects in dependent on a child’s ability to read and comprehend text accurately and efficiently. Even more significant, learning to read is done publicly, and the students who are slower to read words will inevitably compare themselves everyday to the students who are quick to read words automatically. There is research on this – kids notice a difference in reading ability as early as Grade 1. For children, it can feel embarrassing to make mistakes and misread easy words in front of others… and kids can be cruel.

Trust Your Gut

So, if you are feeling uneasy about your child’s reading progress, trust that instinct. Although most kids dislike completing academic work with their parents, there are many fun activities designed to promote bonding and reading progress. Finally, getting advice from a reading specialist will help you form an impactful action plan for your child.
If you would like to discuss how to get your child reading on grade level, get in touch here: https://forms.gle/4sxVy1EdRswyKHvZ9