4 Steps to Help Your Child Read Better: A Parent’s Action Plan

lucas398q3
Nov 25
3 min read

When your child is struggling with reading, it's easy to feel unsure about the next step. The path forward becomes much clearer when you break things down into a simple sequence you can follow without pressure or guesswork. Here are four steps to help you understand what's going on, get answers, and choose a plan that actually works.

Step 1: Start by Talking to Your Child’s Teacher

Your child’s teacher can share what they are seeing during reading instruction. Ask about the specific skills your child finds difficult and whether your child is having trouble with decoding, fluency, or spelling. The goal of this conversation is to uncover whether your child might need more support in particular areas of reading instruction.

It helps to ask what methods are being used in the classroom. What program or methods is the teacher using to teach phonological skills? Phonics? Which phonics patterns is your child struggling with? This first step is not about finding a label. It is about gathering information that helps you make decisions with confidence.

Step 2: Get an Evaluation If You Need More Clarity

Beginning, middle and end-of-year testing schools do with early elementary school students can provide valuable information. If your child is older or the regular school testing doesn't provide the answers you're looking for, an additional evaluation can reveal which foundational reading skills and other skills are strong and which ones need attention. You can request testing through your school or seek a private evaluation. Testing can provide you a lot of information about your child's phonological awareness, decoding, memory, processing speed and more.

Most struggling readers can catch up quickly once instruction directly targets the skills they need to learn. An evaluation helps you uncover what those skills are.

Step 3: Choose the Right Reading Method or Tutor

Once you understand your child’s skill profile, you can look for a reading program or tutor that aligns with what they truly need. The most effective approaches use the Science of Reading and provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and phonics. For many students, this includes Orton-Gillingham based phonics paired with a strong phonological program such as Kilpatrick or Heggerty.

If you decide on tutoring, look for someone who provides high-intensity 1-on-1 instruction with multiple sessions per week, and tailors lessons specifically to your child’s needs. This combination helps students make fast, meaningful progress.

This is where Kids Up Reading Tutors can help. Our one-on-one reading instruction uses evidence-based methods grounded in the Science of Reading and includes both Orton-Gillingham phonics and targeted phonological training. Each lesson is customized to your student's needs. With multiple sessions per week, most kids catch up to their peers in months, not years. Parents get weekly progress updates so you always know how your child is progressing.

Step 4: Reinforce Skills at Home in a Supportive Way

Once a plan is in place, your role at home is to keep reading low-pressure and consistent. Short, playful phonological games like blending sounds or identifying rhyming words build confidence without feeling like homework. As your child begins to decode more independently, have them read short sections aloud to you in decodable texts recommended by your teacher or tutor.

Just as important, allow lots of short breaks. Many struggling readers work hard to stay focused, and brief pauses help them stay engaged rather than overwhelmed. A few minutes to stretch, sip water, or move around can make reading time feel manageable and positive.

Don't forget to read age-appropriate material to your child! It might be a while before your child can read grade-level text. While they're learning those skills, continue to read stories, articles, books, recipes, music lyrics and other material to them that they cannot yet read themselves. You'll be doing the hard work of decoding for them, but they'll still be learning about our language, grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, the world around them and so much more!

With a clear plan and the right support, your child can become a confident reader.

What Sets Kids Up Reading Tutors Apart?

Evidence-based instruction with Orton-Gillingham+
- Based on the Science of Reading
- Data-driven systematic, explicit instruction
- For all learners, with or without dyslexia/dysgraphia
Kids & teens get caught up ASAP
- Customized, 1-on-1 sessions with a dedicated tutor
- High-intensity tutoring (2-5x/week) via Zoom
- Focused, with an end in sight (not endless tutoring & investment)
Flexible scheduling
- 45/60 minute sessions
- Daytime/evenings/weekends/summer
- Team of tutors; switch tutors if needed for schedule changes