You can usually tell when reading starts feeling heavy for a child. The sigh before opening the book. The way their eyes drift over the page but never quite land. Sometimes they even try to bargain their way out of it — five more minutes, a different book, literally anything else.
And honestly, it’s tough to watch because you can feel their frustration almost as if it’s your own. You want to help, but you don’t want to push so hard that reading becomes the enemy.
Still, this sweet middle ground is where things change. And if you know what to look for and how to respond, you can turn the whole experience around.
Lucky for you, we’ll share some practical, realistic ways to help at home — ways that feel doable even on tired evenings. So, stay with me.
1. First, Understand What’s Actually Happening
Reading struggles aren’t usually about laziness. They’re about processing. About decoding. About the brain needing a bit more structure, or time, or just a different approach.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NAEP) reports that 40% of fourth graders read below the NAEP basic level in the U.S. That’s a significant number of kids quietly battling words that don’t behave the way they expect. And dyslexia, which affects an estimated 1 in 5 people, often sits at the center of this.
Sometimes children describe words that look like they’re drifting or bouncing. Others say the letters flip or scramble. Carescribe breaks down these experiences clearly, showing how readers with reading difficulties with dyslexia often fight to match sounds and symbols — a mismatch that can make even simple sentences exhausting.
That understanding alone softens everything.
You stop seeing “won’t try” and start seeing “can’t decode yet.” It’s strangely comforting when you finally see that it’s not a motivation problem. It never was.
2. Make Reading Feel Casual Again
Before diving into structured help, it’s worth letting reading breathe. Maybe you read on the couch instead of at the dining table. Maybe the dog wanders around. Maybe your child picks the book, even if it’s slightly too easy or filled with silly cartoons.
That shift alone can soften resistance.
I’ve seen kids who wouldn’t read at all suddenly engage because the “rules” were removed. Kind of wild how the atmosphere changes everything.
3. Use Tools That Support How Their Brain Works
After the emotional climate warms up a bit, you can layer in actual techniques. Not rigid ones — just things that help unlock stuck doors.
Lean on Phonics (The Right Kind)
There’s overwhelming evidence that structured phonics helps struggling readers. The National Reading Panel found that explicit phonics instruction significantly improves decoding and word recognition, especially for children with reading difficulties.
But don’t picture drills with flashcards flying everywhere.
Sometimes it’s tracing letters in sand. Or tapping out sounds on the table. Or breaking words into chunks so they stop looking like impossible cliffs.
Bring in Audio When Eyes Get Tired
Audiobooks are a lifeline — not cheating, not shortcuts. Studies from the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy show that audiobook use boosts comprehension and vocabulary, especially when kids follow along in the printed text.
And they love it. There’s this glow you see when a child realizes they can “read” big stories without fear. It reshapes their relationship to books.
4. Work With the School, Even If It Feels Awkward
You don’t have to do this alone. Parents sometimes hesitate to speak up, but you’re actually doing teachers a favor when you share what you’re seeing at home.
Ask for Screening Early
A huge study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that kids who aren’t proficient readers by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. That stat hits hard. It also shows why early support matters.
If you suspect a learning difference, request a formal evaluation. Schools are required to respond. And once you have data, you’ll know whether your child needs targeted interventions or adjustments like extra time or reading accommodations.
5. Focus on Progress, Not Pressure
One of the hardest parts? Fighting the urge to “fix” reading overnight.
Progress doesn’t look linear. Some days, your child will surprise you and read an entire page without hesitation. The next night, they may barely get through a sentence. It’s maddening, but totally normal. Try this instead:
- Celebrate effort, not speed
- Point out what they did well (“You stuck with that tough word — that was brave”)
- Keep reading sessions short, then quit before frustration hits
End on a win. Their brain remembers the ending more than the middle.
Final Thoughts
Supporting a struggling reader is slow work — the kind where you sometimes don’t see progress until one random Tuesday when they surprise you. And that’s the moment that stays.
The real gift you’re giving them isn’t just reading. It’s patience. It’s a belief. It’s someone sitting beside them, saying without words: You can learn this. I’m not going anywhere. And that feeling… it lingers longer than any story ever could.