When your child struggles with their reading skills, they can suffer in many other areas as well. It is harder for them to excel at any subject in school when they have difficulty reading the lessons. They may also shy away from some extracurricular activities because they are self-conscious about their reading skills.
Many children are not even really aware that it is reading that they are struggling with at school. They become frustrated and decide that they hate school altogether. You can help your child overcome this entire problem by discovering what is causing them to struggle with reading and making a plan of action.
Discovering What Causes The Reading Struggle
The first thing that you may want to do is have your child’s eyes checked. Too many reading problems are not the child’s fault but a result of not being able to see the words clearly. It is important to discover if your child needs glasses so that they can practice their reading skills.
The next thing that you will want to check is your child’s reading level. You should be able to establish this by using information from their teacher. When you know what their reading level is, you and your child can find interesting books at that level to practice with at home.
Take turns with your child reading out loud from the books you have chosen. This gives your child a chance to hear the words before they read the words. This helps build word recognition and helps comprehension. Working together like this will also help establish a nice bond between you and your child for reading time.
It is crucial to remember that it takes time to build good reading skills. Have patience with your child as they develop their skills. Your patience will be one of the factors of their success.
Working With A Reading Tutor
Sometimes the challenge of helping your children build better reading skills is overwhelming for a parent. If this is the case, you and your child will benefit from working with a reading tutor.
A reading tutor can work as a teacher with your child but on a one-on-one basis. Sometimes a child will respond better to a teacher-student relationship. There is a certain expectation between both parties when it is teacher-student that encourages your child to excel.
A reading tutor can evaluate your child’s strengths and help them build on skills they may be behind for their age level. With just a few hours a week, you will begin to see significant improvement in your child’s reading skills.
Reading Skills Matter In All Areas of Life
Building good reading skills is essential for every part of your life. Your child will take these skills with them when they go to college and enter their careers. Being able to read and comprehend what they are reading will help them achieve the success they desire. If your child struggles with reading, helping them now will help them for the rest of their lives.