Parents? How to Help Your Struggling Reader at Home

“How can I help support my child at home with his reading development?” is one of the most common questions I receive to begin the school year. Without going too deeply into details, I offer a list of approaches that will help at home. 

1.       Be vigilant when it comes to required and independent. It’s too easy to assume your daughter has read something because she was in her room “reading” quietly for a period of time. Regarding this lapse, I am a bit of an expert, as more than once over the years I’ve fallen into the trap of letting what I saw be the measure of what one of my boys read.  Only by asking direct questions can you gain some sense of proof that the reading was done. 

2.       Read what your child reads. Your child has been given several chapters of a Gary Paulsen book to read for the following week. Take a few minutes to read those chapters too. This is -hands down- the best way in which to gauge how well your child understood the chapters because now you know them well. And, who knows? You might find yourself enjoying the book too. 

3.       Purchase a second copy of an assigned book. I have tremendous difficulty with reading any book I don’t own. The reason for this is that I am constantly writing marginal notes and underlining passages that catch my attention. When you have a book your child can mark up, then there’s nothing to asking your child to underline significant events in the text, or circle the confusing passages.

4.       Pick a moment to demand a written account of the reading. This is always painful for all parties involved. I know my boys do not like to write –it’s not like they’re in any kind of special club either. Almost no one likes to write. However, writing is where the rubber always meets the road. If your child cannot express his understanding in writing, then he doesn’t have a good enough hold on the reading. This is a particularly effective activity to use following non-fiction reading. E.g. after reading about a scientific process (photosynthesis), or the events leading up to country conflict (causes of the Civil War), or the steps in a solving a math problem. 

Any one of these approaches will help improve your child’s reading and understanding at home. The key is to use them often enough that an occasional lapse doesn’t become a lingering problem. Once your struggling reader realizes you’re no longer holding him accountable for the reading, well… you know how that goes.