Bookstaken pairs kids with caring mentors who turn reading into engaging conversations, inspiring them to eventually write their own stories.
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A child who struggles with reading is often working harder than anyone else in the class. When home reading turns into tears, the natural instinct is to push harder: more practice, longer sessions, stricter timers.
Pressure tends to make it worse. Practice that feels like failure is practice a child avoids. Here is what to check first, when to ask for help, and how to support your child at home in a way that keeps them trying.
In short
Check the basics first: eyesight, hearing, and the signs of a reading difficulty such as dyslexia.
Talk to the school early. Help with reading works best when it starts early.
Practise little and often, with books your child can read.
Keep stories coming by ear, so their vocabulary and love of books keep growing.
Protect their confidence. Their reading level is not their worth.
What to check first
Eyesight. Blurry or tiring vision can look like a reading problem. An eye test is quick and worth doing.
Hearing. Repeated ear infections or hearing loss can make it hard to tell sounds apart, which affects learning to read.
Then look for the signs of a reading difficulty. Talk to the teacher if your child:
reads much more slowly than classmates, with a lot of effort,
finds it hard to link letters with their sounds,
guesses words from the first letter or the pictures,
reads the same word differently on one page,
spells far below their reading level,
is exhausted after even short reading, or
has a parent or sibling with dyslexia.
Dyslexia is common, and it has nothing to do with intelligence. Many children with dyslexia are confident, curious thinkers who need a different route to the words.
When to ask for help
Start with your child's teacher. Ask what they see in class, how your child compares with others, and what support the school can offer. If the signs above sound familiar, ask about an assessment by a qualified specialist, such as an educational or clinical psychologist.
Don't wait for your child to grow out of it. Systematic phonics teaching helps children who struggle with the words, and it does most good when it starts early (National Reading Panel, 2000). If you are worried at any age, it is worth asking.
How to help at home, without the pressure
Little and often. Ten calm minutes most days does more than an hour of struggle at the weekend. Stop before frustration sets in.
Use books they can read. Choose books where they know almost every word. For older children, hi-lo books (high interest, low reading level) and graphic novels give them grown-up stories without the struggle.
Share the reading. You read a page, they read a page. If that's too much, you read a paragraph and they read one sentence.
Practise the way school teaches. Ask the teacher which phonics approach they use and how they sound words out, so you practise the same way and don't confuse your child.
Let them reread. Reading the same passage a few times, with gentle feedback, builds fluency and comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000).
Drop the timer at home. Read to a natural stopping point, like the end of a chapter, instead of watching the clock.
Keep stories coming by ear
Children who find reading hard can usually understand far more than they can read. A ten-year-old may love a story they can't yet read alone.
Read aloud to them, and use audiobooks, ideally with the printed book to follow along. This isn't cheating. It keeps their vocabulary growing, gives them stories at their own age level, and reminds them why the hard work of reading is worth it.
Protect their confidence
Struggling readers often decide early that they are "bad at reading", and that belief makes everything harder.
Praise effort and strategies, like sounding a word out or going back to fix a mistake, not just getting it right.
Never compare them with siblings or classmates.
Notice their other strengths, and tell them that many people find reading hard at first and get better with the right help.
Keep books a pleasure, not only practice. Bedtime stories should never depend on how well they read that day.
Our 1:1 online reading classes work with children who can already read. If your child is still learning letter sounds, or needs dyslexia support, a phonics teacher or a dyslexia specialist is the right choice.
Once your child reads on their own, keen or reluctant, every session means reading a real book picked for their interests, talking it through with a trained college mentor, giving their own verdict and writing their own story. For ages 6–14; the first session is free.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my child is struggling or just not interested?
If reading the words is slow, effortful and full of guesses, it may be a difficulty worth checking. If your child reads well but chooses not to, interest is more likely the issue. Our guide to why children don't like reading covers that side.
At what age should I worry about my child's reading?
There's no single cut-off, and children learn at different speeds. But if your child still finds it hard to link letters and sounds after a year or two of school, or reads far more slowly than classmates, talk to their teacher. Early help works best.
How do I know if it's dyslexia?
Only a qualified assessment can tell. Signs include difficulty linking letters and sounds, very slow and effortful reading, poor spelling and a family history of dyslexia. Talk to the school and ask about an assessment.
Should I make my child read more to catch up?
More practice helps only if it's the right kind and doesn't become a battle. Short, regular sessions with books they can read, plus specialist help if they need it, work better than long, forced ones.
Are audiobooks cheating for a struggling reader?
No. They build vocabulary and a love of stories while your child's reading catches up. Pair them with reading practice, and let your child follow along in the printed book when they can.
Can a child who struggles with reading still love books?
Yes. Many children who find reading hard love stories, especially when they're read aloud, chosen around their interests, and kept free of pressure.
