The power of family help for the struggling reader
The power of family help for the struggling reader
Learning to read is exciting, but it can be a bumpy journey. Just like learning to ride a bike, some little ones pick it up quickly and effortlessly, while others need extra support to fly. We celebrate that some children pick up reading quickly, but at Let’s Fly we put our efforts and focus into those who need that extra helping hand, such as children with dyslexia. We feel that’s where we can help most. There is one other particularly important source of support for growing readers, though - parents and carers! In this post we want to share our top ways that families can support struggling readers, and parental involvement in education is incredibly worthwhile.
Read to your child
Often the first focus we think of when supporting little ones who need that extra help is focusing on set curriculums and interventions. Naturally, these play a pivotal role in helping children fill the gaps and build confidence, but one often overlooked activity you can do with your child is simply reading to them! This is key for children of all ages - not just those that would typically be independent readers. It helps to build vocabulary, sentence structure and creativity. Read widely with your child - read books they have chosen, and books they have never heard of. Read child friendly newspapers (First News is a great example), read menus, signs - everything! Remind your child of the wonders that being able to read can unlock, and ensure that even if they aren’t able to access particular texts yet, they can still enjoy them through sharing together. Parental involvement in reading is incredibly powerful.
Play literacy based games
Alongside reminding children that reading for pleasure is a magic activity, we can help them by playing lots of literacy based games. We have several games specifically designed for struggling readers in the Let’s Fly curriculum, but don’t let that stop you coming up with more ideas! Simple activities like scrabble, boggle and crossword puzzles are fantastic for older children, while lots of hands-on literacy word building activities will work well with younger children. Try making magnetic words on your fridge, or making a word fishing game in the bath with letter magnets, string and a strong large magnet tied on - though always under supervision. Adding plastic or wooden letters in a sand tray and going on a sound hunt can be fun, as can encouraging children to write words as part of their role play, like creating train tickets or writing a menu for a cafe. By getting stuck into these activities with your child, you’ll show how valuable reading and writing can be as part of social interactions.
Dedicate set time to interventions provided by your child’s school - or supplementary materials like Let’s Fly
We would be remiss to mention this one! Literacy based games and joint reading are wonderful activities to incorporate into your everyday life, but one of the most effective ways to improve your child’s literacy skills when they require additional support is through a dedicated, research based reading program like Let’s Fly. Following a systematic approach that builds on children’s skills is vital to plugging those gaps and building up confident readers - regardless of whether you child has taken a formal dyslexia test or not. Your child may be following a system at school already - so make sure you chat to their teachers if you are considering introducing a new program like Let’s Fly. We think they’ll love it!
