• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Big Books, Little Ears

Reading chapter books to toddlers, preschoolers, and beyond

  • Books to Read Aloud
  • Tips for Reading Together
  • Book Activities
  • Books for Moms
  • About
  • Contact Me
You are here: Home / Book Activities / 14 Ways to Help a Child With Reading Difficulties

14 Ways to Help a Child With Reading Difficulties

October 8 by Kristin Wynalda

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on X (Twitter) Share on Pinterest Share on Email

It can be hard to know what to do when your child is having difficulty reading. Maybe you’ve even been told by the elementary school that you have a child reading below grade level. It can be difficult to figure out what it means when you find out that your child is reading below grade level, but it could have left you feeling like you let your child down somehow. Please don’t feel that way! There’s a lot you can do to help your child having difficulty reading.

This article is by author Sandy Brannan, an English teacher with years of experience helping children with reading difficulties.

How to help my child read?

You need to know that there’s no way to predict the exact age a child will be when he reads at a certain level. If your child is having difficulty reading, what you want is for your child to make progress. Sometimes that means you need to go back to the basics to help your child read.

Remember, you don’t want to cause your child who is struggling with reading to feel any pressure at all because reading should be enjoyable. That’s a challenge when, in school, your child connects reading with tests and associates tests with his personal worth. Ouch! No wonder an elementary child reading below grade level is stressed out about reading. He doesn’t have to stay that way, you can get your child’s reading level up!

While you try to figure out how to help your child read better, they may seem indifferent about reading. This is normal for a child having difficulty reading. If you have a child reading below grade level, he may even tell you he doesn’t like to read. That’s normal. Use this time of helping him with the fundamental skills of reading to also help him discover the joy of reading.

There are a few simple steps you can take to get your child’s reading level up. It might be appropriate for you to go back to one of these steps to help your child catch up. However, it’s important for you to not consider your work done when your child begins to read at grade level. Your role, as a parent, doesn’t stop there, because reading comprehension and enjoyment is a lifelong journey!

If you click on a book title it will take you to the Amazon page to purchase the book. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It does not cost you extra to purchase through my links.

How to get my child’s reading level up?

  1. Model reading as a positive experience.

Let your child catch you in the act, then talk about books as the absolute treasures that they are. Share what you’re reading with your child. Let him learn something new about you by observing the type of reading material you enjoy.

  1. Give him the choice to read what he enjoys, too.

This one can be a bit tricky because you first need to expose him to a wide variety of reading material. If you don’t have a huge book collection at home, that’s okay. Visit the public library. Download the app offered by your public library and browse the enormous selection of free ebooks and audiobooks.

Take a trip to a bookstore just to look at the covers and read the backs of whatever books your child gravitates toward. Spend time with your child as he does this so you can get an idea about his reading interests. Then use this knowledge to compile a wish list for books for him to receive as gifts. When someone asks what he wants for his birthday or for Christmas, you will have the title of a book handy. Help your child to associate reading as a gift, something to enjoy, and something he doesn’t have to earn.

Related: 5 Tips you HAVEN’T Heard Before if you Have a Reluctant Reader

  1. Make reading a part of your everyday life as a family.

Driving in the car? Listen to an audiobook together. Having quiet time at home? Use this as an opportunity to snuggle on the couch with a stack of books. Be creative. Have book tasting days where you set the table with books, allowing each member of the family enough time to read the first few pages before sharing with everyone else about what they read. If time permits, turn this into a game of musical chairs. There are so many ways you can present reading as a fun activity instead of something your child may be associating with boredom or even fear of failure.

Related: You Don’t Have to Homeschool to be a Read Aloud Family!

  1. Don’t feel rushed to get your child’s reading level up.

As you work with your child at home, follow his lead. Don’t feel like you’re in a race against time to get your child caught up with others his age. He will develop at his own pace if you simply make the proper resources available to him and then guide him through the necessary skills.

Related: Why you should IGNORE publisher’s suggested reading level

  1. Read aloud to your child who is struggling with reading.

This is absolutely the best way to help a child with reading difficulties. This lets him hear everything you’re trying to teach him. He hears those phonemes. He’s aware of your cadence which helps him understand fluency. As you stop and mention something that was funny or that surprised you, he’s picking up on clues that will help him with comprehension. Your child is never too old for you to read to him. Read slowly. Let him enjoy the pictures. Allow him to ask questions, but don’t overwhelm him with too many of your own. Let him relax into reading.

Related: The Best Short Illustrated Read Aloud Chapter Books

Most importantly, see this time together as an opportunity to grow closer to your child as you help him with one of the most important skills he will ever learn. You’re giving him a gift as you figure out how to help a child with reading difficulties.

How to help my child read?

So, those were five general steps you can take to help your child reading below grade level. But what if you want to get more specific? Read on for nine crucial educational steps that every child with reading difficulties must progress through in order to become a better reader.

How to help a child with reading difficulties?

  1. Go back to the basics.

Depending on the age of your child, you may have to go all the way back to the alphabet because that’s where reading starts. Your child first must recognize the alphabet, understanding the names of each letter, before he can move on as a reader. 

  1. Connect the sound to the letter.

Once he has mastered the alphabet, a child who is a struggling reader needs to make the connection between the sounds each letter makes and what he sees in writing. This is called phonemic awareness and is imperative to reading. Words Their Way is one of the best resources for practicing phonemic awareness, but there are many more resources readily available to teach this skill.

  1. After that, a struggling reader is ready to tackle phonics.

Phonics is understanding how the sounds of letters work together. Your local librarian or your child’s teacher will both know good free resources that will be age appropriate for your child learning to read. (Also check out these free apps for elementary ages, as a few of them might help.) Make this fun. Keep written records so you will know what your child has mastered and what he needs more help with.

  1. Once your child has mastered these basic skills, you’re ready to introduce CVC words.

The sounds of consonant, vowel, consonant coming together to form a word is the first reading experience for children. He will feel a tremendous sense of success once he can sound out words and read early readers, books designed for those who are just learning to read.

  1. This is also a great time to introduce sight words to help raise your child’s reading level.

You can post these all over your home using index cards. Talk about them as you see the cards. Make sure your child that is having difficulties reading talks about them over and over because these are words which don’t follow the rules and, therefore, must be memorized. You can make a game out of this. Flashlight tag is one fun example, just shine a light at the word and have your child read it.

Related: These are the Pokemon themed sight word readers my older reluctant reader liked.

  1. Introduce the “rules.”

After your child gains confidence as a reader, start introducing rules such as short vowel versus long vowel words. Always practice your lessons, but don’t ever feel like just because he has repeated it back correctly, he has completely mastered the skill or that means he is reading at grade level. The truth is you will need to practice these skills a lot. Your child learns through repetition.

  1. Focus on reading, not worksheets, for actual improvement in reading at grade level.

While worksheets can be a useful tool for teaching certain reading skills, don’t use them in a way that your child may perceive as punishment or boring busy work. Your goal should not be for your child to simply learn to put sounds together and read words in isolation. You’re trying to raise a reader, someone who enjoys reading. You’re giving him the tools to make this happen.

Related: What to look for in a preschool alphabet workbook

  1. As your child practices you will see an improvement in his fluency.

Don’t worry if this takes time. It’s normal for new or struggling readers to read in a choppy manner. It’s all part of the learning process and how you help your child to read. Be patient, and don’t shy away from helping him when he gets stuck on a word. 

  1. Don’t forget about comprehension.

An excellent way to practice this important skill for a child with reading difficulties may seem counter-productive at first: get your child a wordless picture book, like The Farmer and the Monkey or Journey.

Let him look at the pictures and tell you the story. This is going to help a child with reading difficulties as he starts working with skills such as making inferences and predicting. This is also a great time to let your child write about what he sees in these wordless books. His spelling will probably be inventive spelling at this point because he hasn’t mastered all the rules yet. Letting your child use art to express his comprehension is another way to encourage this type of early reading. The goal is to help him to learn to think critically about reading. This includes accessing his prior knowledge as well as discussing what he is currently learning from his reading material.

Related: These simple and HYSTERICAL graphic novels are great for practicing comprehension!

If you keep a written record as you work with your child, you will have valuable data to share with his teacher. It will be helpful as you both work together to continue assessing your child’s strengths as well as his deficiencies.

Through consistent effort and encouragement, you can help your child read!

About the Author Helping You Up Your Child’s Reading Level

Sandy Brannan, author of Becoming Invisible, So Much Stays Hidden, Masquerade, and Frozen in Time, teaches middle and high school English. A regular contributing writer for Calla Press, she also writes for The Real Deal of Parenting and Her View From Home. You can read more of her work on her blog at sandybrannan.com. Follow Sandy on Facebook, Instagram and Amazon Author.

PIN for how to help my child with reading difficulties

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on X (Twitter) Share on Pinterest Share on Email

Filed Under: Book Activities

More stuff to help you…

EASY Steps to Break Your iPhone Addiction

Picture Book Scavenger Hunt

Unstuffed Cover - One of the best books about minimalism

5 Books That FORCED Me To Embrace Minimalism

Primary Sidebar

Hello! I’m Kristin.

It can be hard to find good Christian books, so I do the work for you through thorough Christian book reviews! That doesn’t mean I only look at Christian books – it means that I review all types of kids’ books through the lens of my faith. Let’s find you something to read aloud!
  • Join the conversation on Facebook!
  • Follow me on Instagram!

There's more to read!

Join the newsletter list to receive the latest content from Big Books, Little Ears. Get tips, book suggestions, and deals that are only sent out in my newsletters!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

I won't send you spam, and I'd never sell your information. You can unsubscribe at any time. Powered by Kit

Looking for something?

More articles you might like:

  • Interview with Clean YA Author, Carol Baldwin
  • CLEAN Fantasy Novel Authors for TEENS
  • Four Reasons to Sing Prayers With our Children (Plus Four Ideas to Get You Started!)

Footer

Legal Stuff

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Website Disclaimer and Disclosures

Copyright Big Books, Little Ears© 2025

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT