As a parent, you want the very best for your child. You want to see them thrive, feel confident, and enjoy learning. So when your child is struggling with reading, it can be painful to watch and lead to uncertainty about how to best support them.
If you’re unsure what to do next, you’re not alone and you’re not doing anything wrong. Learning to read is a complex process, and some kids need more support to get there.
Here’s the good news: With the right instruction and support, children can catch up in reading.
Let’s walk through what that instruction and support can look like and how Sure Start Reading can help.
Reading Gaps Don’t Close on Their Own
It’s natural to hope that with time and encouragement, things will click. Sometimes, they do. But for many children, reading difficulties will persist without additional targeted support. Without it, the gap between them and their peers can quietly grow wider.
That doesn’t mean something is “wrong” with your child. It just means they need a more intentional, structured approach to reading. Research from the Science of Reading continues to show us that kids don’t just need more time with books. They don’t just need to be read to more often. They DO need explicit instruction in the foundational phonics skills that support fluent, confident reading.
The earlier we begin, the easier it is to change the trajectory. It’s never too late to start.
Ways To Help Your Struggling Reader at Home
If you’re ready to help your child move forward, here are four simple steps you can start right away.
1. Focus on the Right Skills, in the Right Order
When a child is behind in reading, it’s tempting to try “more of everything.” However, the most effective way to help them catch up is to teach the right skills in the right sequence and ensure that nothing gets skipped along the way.
Reading builds like a staircase. If your child has missed a step, like blending sounds, recognizing vowel patterns, or decoding multi-syllable words, it can make everything above that step feel unsteady.
That’s why systematic phonics instruction is so powerful. It introduces reading skills in a research-backed sequence, moving from simple to more complex, and ensures that children don’t move on without mastering what they’ve already learned.
The goal isn’t to rush through phonics instruction. It’s to build a strong foundation that will support all future reading success.
Not sure what skills your child needs next? That’s exactly what Sure Start Reading is here to help with.
Take our quick placement quiz and find out exactly which Sure Start Reading level is the best fit for your child. Once you complete the quiz, we’ll send free resources to your inbox so you can begin right away. 🎉
👉 Take the Sure Start Reading Placement Quiz
2. Read with Your Child, Not Just to Them
Reading aloud with your child is a wonderful habit and one you should absolutely keep! But children who are working to catch up on their reading need lots of opportunities to apply the skills they have been taught. Application is how skills stick!
You might:
- Try reading side-by-side in a way that feels low-pressure and supportive.
- Take turns by page or sentence (“You read this page, I’ll read the next”)
- Use echo reading, where you read a sentence with expression and your child echoes it back
- Choral read together, reading in unison like a team
These shared-reading routines help your child apply decoding strategies, build fluency, and grow more confident reading aloud. And because they’re reading with you, the experience feels safe and enjoyable.
When choosing a book for your child to read aloud, you’ll want to pick a decodable text. Decodable texts are a special type of early reading book that uses only the phonics skills and high-frequency words your child has already been explicitly taught.
For example,
If your child has been learning short vowel sounds, such as “a” in “map,” the decodable text will include words that match that pattern, as well as patterns they were previously taught, along with some high-frequency words. It’s designed to let your child sound out (or decode) the words on the page using their new skills.
3. Keep Practice Short and Consistent
You don’t need an hour every evening to help your child become a stronger reader. In fact, shorter, focused sessions are often more effective, especially for kids who are still building confidence.
Just 10 to 15 minutes a day of intentional practice can make a real difference. The other important key is doing it consistently.
Think of it like brushing teeth. A few minutes, done daily, builds lasting habits and healthy outcomes. Reading is the same. A little bit of targeted practice, done regularly, is much more impactful than an occasional cram session.
Children thrive with predictable routines. So whether it’s practicing each day right after breakfast, doing a phonics game before dinner, or cuddling up with a decodable book before bed, choose a time that works for your family and stick with it.
These repeated small bits of time are how skills grow, and will help your child become a more confident reader!
How Sure Start Reading Can Help Your Struggling Reader
If you’re looking for more guidance on how to support your child at home most effectively, Sure Start Reading is here.
We created our program specifically for parents who want to help their child catch up on their reading skills.
With Sure Start Reading, you and your child will get:
✅ A clear, step-by-step path to reading that is built on the Science of Reading
✅ Explicit instruction in phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension
✅ Easy-to-use, engaging phonics lessons and activities, decodable texts, and printable games
✅ Tools designed to help you support your child in their reading
It’s everything your child needs to build strong reading skills, without the overwhelm and stress.
Each day, Sure Start Reading gives your child a short, teacher-led video lesson, and then practice with fun, hands-on reading activities that make learning stick. You’ll feel confident knowing you have a simple parent guide and ongoing support whenever you need it.
Helping your child catch up in reading might feel daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone.
With the right support and structure, a little time and a lot of encouragement, your child will catch up.
We’re cheering you on every step of the way. 💛