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Reading Tips for Parents (in Multiple Languages)

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Reading Tips for Parents (in Multiple Languages)

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Reading Tips for Parents (in Multiple Languages)

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A child’s success as a reader begins much earlier than the first day of school. Reading, and a love for reading, begins at home. Our one-page parent tips offer easy ways for parents to help kids become successful readers. Although we’ve divided these tips by age, many of them can be used with childr…

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"Thank you for implementing a website/program that not only teaches young readers phonics but also incorporates lessons to assist with phonemic awareness and fluency skills-which are so critical for them."

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Children's Reading Resource | Pre-K - 3rd Grade | Home Reading Helper

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Home Reading Helper is a children's reading resource for Pre-K through 3rd grade to help parents at home. Provided by Read Charlotte.

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Did you know: newborn babies have about 100 billion neurons? By the time they are 3 years old, babies have about 1,000 trillion connections between those neurons. The first three years of a child's life are the most critical for speech and language development because this critical growth stage is when their brain is best able to absorb language.

Research shows that reading, talking, and singing with children are the most important activities that families and early educators can do to support children's early literacy skills. When it comes to reading to our little ones, just 15 minutes daily, starting at birth, can make a big difference! As babies learn language skills best through interactions, families and caregivers play a key role in a child's brain development in these first years of life.
Throughout our tip this month, we'll highlight ways that you can support families, both in person and virtually, to build early literacy practices into their day-to-day interactions with their children at home.
Strengthening Families Protective Factor: Supporting Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development Via Early Literacy Knowledge

As we work in partnership with families, we serve as a trusted source of information on what to expect for their child's development and how to parent accordingly. As early educators, we can help strengthen families' understanding of what early literacy milestones to expect and what is developmentally appropriate. See below for some common milestones:

Age Range Learning and Communicative Behaviors

Babies: Birthday
to 12 Months

Show what they think and feel by using their sounds, facial expressions, and body movements

Learn to be good communicators when their caregivers respond to their sounds and actions

Learn by playing!

Learn to love books and reading when their caregivers read to them often

Young Toddlers:
12-24 Months

Use more sounds and actions to let us know what they think and feel

Learn to say many new words

Benefit from hearing stories that help them learn the meaning of words and develop a love of reading.

Can put together a few words, like "Mama, up?"

Older Toddlers:
24-36 Months

Learn how to pretend; this is an important skill, particularly in building their imagination and thinking skills

Can put words together to share their thoughts and feelings

Learn how ideas are connected. This is the reason they ask "Why?" all the time!

Preschoolers: 3-5
Years

Begin to understand that words are for sharing ideas and information

Understand stories with plots. They can also tell us stories with a beginning, middle, and end.

Imitate adult writing by scribbling, including making lines, squiggles, and circles

Are figuring out how sounds make up works. They are also learning the names and shapes of letters.

For more detailed information on how to help children become confident readers and writers from birth by age categories, check out Zero To Three's guide here
Each child is different and develops on their own timelines within the ranges above. If you have any concerns about the development of a child in your care, please contact your local resource center or visit First 5 LA's site.

Remember, teaching children between the ages of 0-5 yrs to read is not developmentally appropriate. According to Zero To Three's research, it's most important that children learn early literacy skills through enjoyment of books, literacy-rich experiences, and positive interactions with adults related to reading. In fact, formally teaching young children to read when they aren't ready yet is counterproductive and may create negative associations between reading and books and failure.

Let's Discuss: Interview with a Children's Librarian

Ahead we have a 10-minute video interview with Joanna Fabicon, a Children's Librarian with the Los Angeles Public Library. Joanna brings her expertise and experience to this video as she shares some common early literacy myths, family-friendly early literacy strategies, and how to make reading fun!

Want more tips from your local librarians? Check out the Los Angeles Public Library's Birth to 5 website for great early literacy programs, online books, physical book bundles to go, virtual pre-school events, booklists, fun games and more! All of these are free of charge with a Los Angeles Public Library card! These are great resources to use in both early education programs and for families at home.

Early Literacy Habits: Talk, Read, Sing, Write, Play

As Joanna shared in the video, Talk, Read, Sing, Write, Play are 5 key early learning habits that help prepare our children for reading and learning; they are "bridges" to literacy. Let's break these habits down, based on this article:

Sing: Singing is a great way to learn about language. When we sing, the sounds that make up words become clearer.

Talk: Children need to receive and create language to learn it.

Read: Share books together! More detail is shared in the next section.

Write: Scribble, draw, and make tactile art. Scribbles come before adult writing!

Play: Children experience the world through play, which in turns builds their fine and gross motor skills, cognition, language and social skills.

How Can We Share These Best Practices with Families:
Read this creative article Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play: Building Early Literacy Skills for great in-depth examples for each type of activity that are suitable for children of all abilities!

No matter which method we use to engage families in at-home early literacy activities, we must always make sure that resources are culturally responsive, reflective of the families we serve and as much as possible, available in the home languages of our families. See the resources at the end of this tip for some great on-line resources to support your efforts!
In Person (following health and safety COVID 19 procedures):

E-mail or text links to age appropriate Read-Alouds that families can enjoy together

Share early literacy resources, such as First 5 CA's

Create a video of an early educator at your program sharing tips for reading aloud to young children (i.e. using fun voices, stopping to ask questions or look at pictures, explaining new vocabulary, etc.) and send it to families

Host a virtual family meeting focused on age appropriate early literacy activities (i.e. serve return for infants/toddlers, sound scavenger hunts for preschoolers, singing songs, telling stories, and the importance of reading aloud for 15 minutes every day) . For information on how to host virtual events for families, check out our Family Engagement Webinar YouTube video on the matter!

Share information about virtual story-times and activities from local libraries

Create a lending library: As not all families can afford books, allow families to borrow books each week

Send home a flyer or newsletter with family literacy activities or read-aloud tips

Print out a story for families to take home along with a craft to accompany the story (i.e. a short book and a puppet cutout or related craft)

We can also support families by modeling these behaviors through everyday actions, intentional programming, and connecting them to accessible resources.

For more direct approaches, we can speak with families at end-of-day check-in or during family conferences.

(Post COVID) Host in-person workshops on early literacy topics, with hands on activities and resources

Talking Points for Families: The Importance of Reading at Home

As early educators, we understand the importance of reading to children from birth, but we cannot assume that everyone has that knowledge. Thus, it is important that we explain to our families, why early literacy skills and reading aloud (even for infants) is an essential habit that can have a huge effect on their child's development. Below are some of the key "Why"s of at-home reading that we can share with our families:

Language Development: The number of words children know upon entering kindergarten is a key predictor of success.

Instilling a Love of Reading: A family's example demonstrates that reading is important, pleasurable, and valued.

Knowledge Gained and Shared: Books are informative; families can learn with their children as they read, showing that learning is a family value

Literacy Skill Building: Reading aloud builds vocabulary, phonics (the relationship between sounds and letters), and grammar skills, helps children become familiar with printed texts, develops storytelling, imagination and comprehension skills

Brain Development: Children develop critical language skills from birth to age 3, so it's important to take advantage of their brain's incredible growth and connection-building during this period.

Bonding: Sharing a story, cuddling, and connecting over newfound knowledge through reading further strengthens a family's bond with their child.

Most importantly, we need to support and build the confidence of our families in their role of being their child's first and most valuable teacher. Through the strong, supportive relationships that we build with families, we can create a home-school connection that benefits both the family and the child in developing life-long skills.
How Can We Support Families of Dual Language Learners with Early Literacy at Home?
Literacy and Dual-Language Learners

Many of our programs serve diverse families who speak languages other than English at home. It's important to consider what we know about a family's language usage at home and how we can support their child's language development in English as well as in their home language(s). Some facts about supporting the early literacy development of dual language learning that are worth noting:

1. Exposure to both languages daily: Dual language learners benefit most when they similar amounts of exposure to high-quality input in each language everyday - speaking and listening. Children will often learn foundational skills in one language which makes it easier to transfer them to a second.

2. Grammar takes time: Children learning two languages might use words from both languages in the same sentence or confuse grammar rules. This is a normal part of Being a dual language learner. Children often learn their home language grammar first and then their second language.

3. Speaking in two languages is difficult: Some children may not talk much when they start using a second language. This "silent period" can last for several months. This is normal and will evolve as the child feels more comfortable in both languages.

4. Children can successfully learn two languages: Learning more than one language at the same time is not confusing to young children. Rather, it helps them develop multiple, but inter-related, language systems. It also increases their brain function. Switching between languages gives children an increased ability to monitor their environment more efficiently.

In working with families, we should encourage them to speak their home language at home with the comfort of knowing we will incorporate supports for the home language in our early education programs as well. Some ways families and early educators help children develop dual-language skills include:

Reading books in different languages.

Listening to music in different languages. Listening to songs over and over again helps children learn and understand words.

Pointing and describing the world around children in multiple languages. Programs can label items in more than one language including toys, animals, colors, etc.

Inviting children to share their expertise and share how to say a new word in their home language.

Allowing children to discuss a topic or learn a new skill in whichever language they prefer, while supporting their development of new vocabulary and content understanding in their second language.

Dig Deep: Consider checking out the ECE Competencies video on Dual-Language Development for more information and inspiration; some topics include: dual-language program models and strategies, development of the home language and of English, and relationships with families of dual-language learners.

Early Literacy Resources

Check out these ready-to-use resources for early education programs and family homes!

Check out the wide variety of QSLA's Early Literacy Resources, offered in English and Spanish; including an Early Literacy Toolkit with guidance on how to create reading routines, bring in fun, create a book nook, & storytelling!

QSLA also offers a variety of themed booklists on topics including culture, traditions, feelings, holidays, and history - in English & Spanish!

QSLA has 2 Reading Strategies from Classroom to Home infographics - with guidance for early educators and families in both English and Spanish!

LA County Public Library offers story time (virtually for the time being), parent-child workshops, and a rich variety of virtual resources through Tumblebook Library!

Colorín Colorado shares resources for families and early educators - including guides, links to other resources by state, reading tips and English Language Learner information, all in Spanish and English!

Reading Rocket's Preschool page has great informational resources for reading and writing reading readiness including articles, developmentally-appropriate activities, booklists, developmental milestones, and more - great for both early educators and families seeking understanding and guidance!

ReadAloud.org - 15 Read Aloud Tips for Babies and Toddlers. Check out their downloads page for tips, posters, infographics, bookmarks, parent handouts, and more!

Looking for a read aloud videos? Check out Storytime with Ryan & Craig and ONSCR!

As we already incorporate reading and early literacy in our work as early educators, this is a pivotal chance to intentionally engage families as part of each child's education team. On that note, there are some great opportunities coming up where we can tie in early literacy skills with our family engagement programming including:
Check out our other Family Engagement Tips!
Let's keep building young children's early literacy skills through teamwork and creativity alongside their families!

Cristina Espinoza
Family Education Coordinator, Quality Start Los Angeles

Cristina Espinoza has worked as a family and youth development professional for 5 years, including having served as a Peace Corps Volunteer as a youth development promoter in Costa Rica. In conjunction with Quality Start Los Angeles, Cristina is passionate about supporting families to feel empowered in the changing landscape of their surroundings with their children's wellbeing at the forefront. She is a champion of strengths-based systems and services that build resilient families and youth.

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Enhancing Early Literacy Through Family Engagement - Quality Start Los Angeles

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Did you know: newborn babies have about 100 billion neurons? By the time they are 3 years old, babies have about 1,000 trillion connections between those neurons. The first three years of a child's life are the most critical for speech and language development because this critical growth stage is when their brain is best [...]

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Discover how to support your child’s growth as a young reader and writer. Here you’ll find our Reading 101 for Families guide, bilingual parent tips, ideas for building your child’s knowledge about the world, Q&A with experts, guidance on how to help a child who struggles, and ways to connect with y…

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Discover how to support your child’s growth as a young reader and writer. Here you’ll find our Reading 101 for Families guide, bilingual parent tips, ideas for building your child’s knowledge about the world, Q&A with experts, guidance on how to help a child who struggles, and ways to connect with y…

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Literacy Activities to Do at Home // literacy ideas for kindergarten and first grade

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Starfall Education: Kids Games, Movies, Books & Music for K-5 and above

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At Starfall, children have fun while they learn - specializing in reading, phonics & math - educational games, movies, books, songs, and more for children K-5 and above.

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Language and Literacy Development in Early Childhood

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PBS KIDS parent resources to help your kid learn and grow their language and literacy skills.

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Teach Your Monster: Free Phonics, Reading and Mathematics Games

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Help children learn with our free, award-winning reading, mathematics and phonics games.

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Storyberries - Fairy Tales, Bedtime Stories and Kids Poems!

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Read the BIGGEST collection of free fairy tales, bedtime stories, nursery rhymes, poems for kids, and short stories for kids. Free kids books and baby books online!

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Discover Summer: find programs in your regional area

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Discover Summer: find programs in your regional area

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Welcome to Discover Summer, an online destination from the National Summer Learning Association. Our goal is to help your child discover the joy of summer and prepare for a great school year ahead.

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Summer Learning Help children maintain or improve their school readiness during the summer.
Home / Youth Services / Summer LearningSummer Library Program Manuals arrive!Meet with library director and summer programs staff to determine outcomes, set output goals,

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Narrator: On the outskirts of the nation's capital, summer vacation is in full swing.
And while it might look like it's all fun and games, the summer plays a vital role in children's learning.
Which makes parents like Wendy Bostic determined to make the most of it.
She's discovering that there's a lot she can do to keep four-year-old C.J. and six-year-old Ashley learning while school is out.

Wendy Bostic: So if they're inside of the cocoon, or the chrysalis, then what happens?

Narrator: This weekend, the discussion and activities focus on butterflies and plants as they prepare for a trip to a local garden.

Wendy: Children are sponges. So they're constantly learning and constantly wanting to learn 'cause they wanna know well why, well who, well how, well when.

Narrator: But raising a reader can be a daunting task, even for a parent like Wendy, who knows the importance of summer learning. When she first thought about filling her kids' days with education and enrichment, she was overwhelmed.

Wendy: I cried for about a week or two weeks straight because I was like, "Well, what am I going to do with them all day?" Ashley has been stimulated being in school. What am I going to do to keep her learning? I can only sing the ABC song.

Narrator: She knows that helping her kids maintain the skills and knowledge they learned in school will have a big impact when they return to class in September.

Ron Fairchild: Much like we would expect an athlete or a musician's performance to suffer if they didn't practice regularly, the same thing is true for young people when it comes to reading performance.

Narrator: Letting kids' brains languish during the summer can mean more than just playing catch-up when they get back to the classroom; it can have serious, long-term consequences for a child.
Earl Martin Phalen has been dedicated to children's summer education for over twenty years.
Earl Martin Phalen: Reading during the summer time and early school success is so so important. It's predictable that if you're not able to read and write proficiently by the end of third grade, the likelihood of dropping out, the likelihood of engaging in negative behaviors is 68% higher... so the summer is a critically important opportunity.

Narrator: And a formal program isn't the only way to keep kids' brains in gear.
Parents are a child's first teachers, and there is a lot they can do every day to help their children build and maintain literacy skills.
Wendy: This is smooth and this is rough, so what do you think this is?

Narrator: Conversations, field trips, and reading together are all important - and fun - steps.

Phalen: All the research says children lose anywhere from one to three months reading, writing, and math skills during the summertime. So keeping children engaged, keeping them reading, keeping their minds stimulated during the summer months is so important to helping the short and long terms success both in school and in life.

Narrator: Wendy tackled the challenge by reading books, finding information online, and getting support from other moms.

Erica: Welcome to Mocha Moms! I guess we'll get started.

Narrator: Mocha Moms is a national organization for mothers and Wendy's chapter meets regularly at the library.
While the children play, the group comes together to discuss their kids and share their experiences. Today's topic - summer learning, of course!
Kendra: We did a lot of her re-writing my grocery lists. We did a lot of signs as we're driving down the street, like what does the stop sign say?

Wendy: I make my kids find the number of the exit when I'm going places.

Sheila: There are word families like 'at.' There's at and you teach them that sound. Then you add an 's.' Sat. Bat. Rat. I would make it where he had to run and get the letter that made the 'sss' sound.

Carol: When it looks like the party's over, they don't want to do that anymore... stop and do something else. I think as long as you approach it that way, it won't, you know, make them resistant.

Narrator: Another great resource for Wendy is the local public library - a place her kids can't get enough of.

Fairchild: The single most important activity for kids to do during the summer months to prevent losses from happening is reading. Build into your family life the opportunity for reading. Regular trips the library.

Wendy: Awesome! This looks like it's going to be a good book.

Dr. Jennifer Turner: Libraries are such a wonderful resource for parents... and for communities as a whole. Librarians can play such an important role in helping children... to select books and to actually become successful readers.

Librarian: Can I help you?

Wendy: Yes, ma'am. I have a four-year-old and a six-year-old who'd like to see if you had any suggestions of good books for them to read this summer.

Narrator: While access to books is important, finding the ones that match a child's reading level and interests, like butterflies for Ashley is key to creating a successful reader.

Wendy: They have a sense of independence because they're picking out their own books, their own world.

Narrator: The bottom line - if they aren't interested in the topic, why would they read about it? And if the book is too hard, they'll struggle with the words, which means frustration instead of comprehension.
Now, with a stack of books and their library agenda complete... ...the Bostics take learning on the road.
Wendy: We are getting ready to go on a field trip!

Ashley: We're going to a garden.

Wendy: And in the garden there's gonna be... pigs?

Ashley: Flowers, butterflies...

Fairchild: It's essential for parents to have active conversations with their kids, to turn off the radio in the car, to actually be an active listener and to ask a lot of questions.

Wendy: What's next? What's next? 3, 2, ...

Kids: 1!

Narrator: Fun games and engaging conversations will help kids learn new vocabulary, build their listening and speaking skills, and encourage them to think and ask questions about their world.

Turner: Having conversations with your child helps them to think about what other people are saying and to listen, but it also helps them to express themselves and to develop new skills. And it gives a sense of what's going on in their head and what's important to them, what matters to them.

Wendy: Let's see what's up here, guys!

Narrator: Wendy has brought Ashley and C.J. to Brookside Gardens, a local community park that's free to the public.
Here, they can learn more about the butterflies and plants they've been reading about.
Fairchild: Exposure to high quality enrichment opportunities are absolutely essential to build the background knowledge that kids need to be successful readers.

Volunteer: It's called the Tiger Swallowtail because of its stripes.

Narrator: And since Wendy knows there is always more to learn, the whole family listens closely to a butterfly expert.

Volunteer: The cool thing about caterpillars is that once they decided, "Hey. I've eaten enough food. I am ready. I am strong. I'm going to change in to a butterfly."

Narrator: Every field trip means more opportunities for conversations and questions.

Wendy: Get out of town and call somebody! What are they eating.

CJ: They're eating fruit.

Wendy: They're eating fruit.

Wendy: Summer's really supposed to be somewhat of a break from the everyday going to school, sitting in the classroom, having to do, you know, your spelling and your writing. So you have to find new ways to keep them engaged. There's learning everywhere. And just remember that they've never seen the world before. They've never encountered anything. Show them what you know. You'll find out you'll learn some other stuff, too.

Wendy: Let's see... He might be black and yellow...

Narrator: Funding for "Adventures in Summer Learning" is provided by the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.

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Summer is a welcome break from the pace of the school year. But it's important to keep the learning going! Here are some ideas about how to make summer a great time for reading, writing, exploring, thinking, creating, and learning with your kids.

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You are welcome to print copies for non-commercial use, or a limited number for educational purposes, as long as credit is given to Reading Rockets and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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10 Weeks of Summer Reading Adventures for You and Your Kids

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It's not hard to help your children keep their interest in reading and learning during the summer break. Here are ten weeks of suggestions to encourage your children to open books even after school doors close.

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Go on a "bees" reading adventure! Teachers can support reading together at home with our reading adventure packs - designed to encourage hands-on fun and learning centered around paired fiction and nonfiction books. (Level: Third Grade)

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Join the Boise Public Library from May 20 - August 15 for this year's summer reading program! The theme for 2023 is "All Together Now" and, in keeping with the theme, we invite everyone to participate - from children to adults. Earn prizes as you complete your reading log:

Sign up - Get a book!

25 days - 2nd book

50 days - Pick a prize!

75 days - 3rd book

How to Register and Participate

Registration opens on May 20, at the Summer Reading & Learning Celebration, all Library locations, and online on Beanstack. We will have options to track your reading online on Beanstack or on paper reading logs.

Summer Reading & Learning Celebration

Boise Public Library, in partnership with Ada Community Library, is hosting our 2 nd annual Summer Reading & Learning Celebration to showcase the variety of programs available for youth throughout Boise. Entertainment for the event will include storytelling, music, scavenger hunts, door prizes, and more. Come down to JUMP to have some fun and sign up for Summer Reading!

Date of Event: Saturday, May 20

Location: JUMP, Jack's Urban Meeting Place

Time of Event: 10 am - 2 p.m.

Summer Reading Kickoff Parties

Each Boise Public Library location will be hosting their own party to kickoff the start of Summer Reading (activities will vary by location). Don't forget to pick up your first Prize Book just for signing up!

Thursday, May 25, 2023:

Reading Recommendations

Need some help figuring out what to read? We're happy to help! Visit our Recommendations and For You webpages for inspiration, or reach out to us at askalibrarian@cityofboise.org or 208-972-8255.

Our Sponsors

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Join the Boise Public Library from May 20 - August 15 for this year's summer reading program! The theme for 2023 is "All Together Now" and, in keeping with the theme, we invite everyone to participate - from children to adults. Earn prizes as you complete your reading log: Sign up - Get a book!

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Educate: Dyslexia Is not rare. In fact, dyslexia affects one in five students in our classrooms.

Legislate: Decoding Dyslexia's grassroots efforts and strategic advocacy have resulted in dyslexia & literacy-related legislation being introduced, passed, and enacted around the country. It's time for Idaho to move in this direction and DDID is actively working toward this change.

Advocate: Decoding Dyslexia empowers families with information and resources to support children with dyslexia and to work with educators and professionals at local, state, and national levels.

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Educate: Dyslexia Is not rare. In fact, dyslexia affects one in five students in our classrooms. Legislate: Decoding Dyslexia's grassroots efforts and strategic advocacy have resulted in dyslexia & literacy-related legislation being introduced, passed, and enacted around the country. It's time for Idaho to move in this direction and DDID is actively working toward this change.

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As a parent, it's easy to feel alone when you're struggling to get the support your dyslexic child ...

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Lo sentimos, la página que usted busca no se ha podido encontrar. Puede intentar su búsqueda de nuevo o visitar la lista de temas populares.

Kids learn to read at different paces, and it's normal for them to struggle at some point. But if your child seems particularly frustrated with reading and writing over an extended period of time, there's a chance he may have a learning disorder called dyslexia.

Dyslexia might best be described as an unexpected difficulty learning to read. Children with dyslexia struggle with phonology, or the recognition and manipulation of sounds in language. Dyslexia affects a child's ability to decode words - to break them down into constituent sounds, or phonemes, and then to sound out novel words. That makes it hard to recognize words, to retrieve words, to read, to write and to spell. Some children with dyslexia just have problems quickly retrieving words.

The result is a discrepancy between ability and achievement: a child who is struggling with reading despite having the intelligence to be a much better reader. A dyslexic child isn't lacking in intelligence, and isn't necessarily failing in school, since some kids with dyslexia, by putting in a great deal more effort than their peers, are able to keep up with their work, at least in the first few grades. However, it often becomes impossible for them to keep up by about third grade, when they are expected to be able to read fluently - quickly, easily and automatically.

While they may learn to read and compensate for reading weakness in other ways, children do not outgrow dyslexia.

Dr. Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, estimates that 80 to 90 percent of children who struggle with learning disorders have dyslexia - as many as one in five children. Many dyslexic children go undiagnosed, she argues, and school failure that is attributed to environmental factors or intelligence is often undiagnosed dyslexia. Experts used to think that dyslexia was more common in boys than girls, but current research shows that it affects girls and boys equally.

A young child with dyslexia may:

Have trouble learning simple rhymes

Be speech delayed

Have a hard time following directions

Have difficulty with short words; repeat or leave out words like and, the, but

Have trouble differentiating left from right

In school, kids with dyslexia are likely to:

Have significant difficulty learning to read, including trouble sounding out new words and counting the number of syllables in words

Continue to reverse letters and numbers when reading (read bear as dees, for example) after most kids have stopped doing that, around the age of 8

Struggle with taking notes and copying down words from the board

Have difficulty rhyming, associating sounds with letters, and sequencing and ordering sounds

Have trouble correctly spelling even familiar words; they will often spell them phonetically (cmpt instead of camped)

Lack fluency in reading, continuing to read slowly when other kids are speeding ahead

Avoid reading out loud in class

Show signs of fatigue from reading with great effort

The impact of dyslexia doesn't stop when class ends. The disorder can also affect kids outside of school. Children with dyslexia might also:

Have trouble understanding logos and signs

Have difficulty learning the rules to games

Struggle to remember multi-step directions

Have trouble reading clocks and telling time

Have a particularly hard time learning a new language

Have emotional outbursts as a result of frustration

Social and Emotional Impacts of Dyslexia

While we tend to think of dyslexia as a reading disorder, it also has an effect on a child's social and communication skills. Since it can interfere with being able to retrieve words quickly, dyslexia can hinder a child's ability to interact with peers in a typical way, and respond appropriately in social situations. "A dyslexic person who has word-finding difficulties can have trouble with their expressive language," explains Scott Bezsylko, the executive director of Winston Preparatory School, which specializes in teaching kids with learning disorders. "That has a social impact, in addition to your difficulties with reading and writing, that make you feel not so good about yourself."

Children who are dyslexic, at least until they are diagnosed, often become frustrated and ashamed at their inability to learn to read, and the implication that they are either lazy or stupid. "A lot of our work with dyslexic kids is to help them rediscover that they are smart and capable," notes Beszylko, "because they've stopped believing in themselves."

How Is Dyslexia Diagnosed?

Dyslexia is diagnosed through an evaluation that determines a deficit in reading ability and rules out other possible causes for the deficit, such as hearing problems, or social, environmental or cognitive factors. Usually kids must wait until they are school-aged (or have had significant early reading instruction) to get an accurate assessment.

If you are concerned that your child is not meeting benchmarks for reading skills, you can request that your school district do an evaluation and then review the results with you. The evaluation will measure your child's intellectual capacity and reading skills, to determine if there is an achievement gap.

If your child falls below average in skills like decoding, comprehension, word recognition, word retrieval and reading fluency, your school district should recommend a plan to help bolster those skills.

If you aren't satisfied with the caliber of the evaluation, you are free to seek out a private evaluation by a psychologist, a neuropsychologist, a reading specialist, a speech and language therapist, an educational evaluator or a school psychologist. The professional who does the evaluation should provide you with a report explaining the results and making specific recommendations for your child.

This outside evaluation can be used to make the case to your school district for support or accommodations for your child.

Can Your Child's Teacher Help?

Teachers can be valuable sources of information on how well your child is progressing in reading, notes Dr. Matthew Cruger, director of the Learning and Development Center at the Child Mind Institute. Teachers are familiar with benchmarks and expectations for each age, and may have test results that highlight problems. But even teachers who recognize a lag in reading skills may be reluctant to share that information with parents.

Teachers often are focused on solving reading problems, but identifying or diagnosing a condition like dyslexia is out of the scope of their training. Therefore, in many settings, they are even formally forbidden to suggest that parents explore an evaluation for dyslexia.

Dr. Cruger also notes that if a child isn't meeting benchmarks, parents should assess how much support there is for reading at home: How often do you read to and with your child? Are there books available that suit his reading level? Is reading treated as a fun and important part of your family life?

When Should a Child Be Evaluated?

Some signs of dyslexia are evident in preschool-age children. Preschool evaluations can focus on phonological awareness and word retrieval. However, Dr. Cruger recommends waiting until children are around six years old to pursue an evaluation, when they have received formal reading instruction. If at that point a child is still struggling to recognize rhymes, common letter clusters or simple words, she should be checked out.

It's typical for parents to be told, when kids are struggling in first or second grade, that no intervention is necessary until the third grade, when kids are expected to be fluent readers. But Dr. Shaywitz points to research that shows that for children who are dyslexic, the gap between intelligence and reading ability is already clear in first grade, and the sooner children get help the easier it is for them to close the gap.

Dr. Shaywitz argues that a diagnosis that identifies a child's strengths as well as weaknesses can be a big boost to a child's self-image, since in first grade kids are already comparing themselves to their peers and worrying that there's something wrong with them. A diagnosis also opens the door to help and accommodations that can make a huge difference.

How to Help Kids With Dyslexia

Fortunately, there are evidence-based supports to help children with dyslexia improve their reading skills. A program appropriate to a child with dyslexia might include these features, says Dr. Cruger:

Multi-sensory instruction in decoding skills

Repetition and review of skills

Intensity of intervention-that is, more than being pulled out of class once a week for extra help

Small group or individual instruction

Teaching phonological skills

Drilling sight words

Teaching comprehension strategies, to help kids derive meaning from what they're reading

Dr. Cruger adds that an important part of supporting kids with dyslexia is finding ways to decrease their discomfort about reading, and to make learning to read enjoyable, not humiliating. That means minimizing the amount of time you spend correcting the child, and maximizing encouragement of even small gains.

Reading programs that have been shown to be effective for kids with dyslexia include:

What doesn't help? Simple tutoring in a conventional learning center that is not focused on remediation, or building missing skills, can backfire if it's an unpleasant experience. Practicing reading helps typical readers get better, but can be a source of distress for dyslexic readers. "If the child hates the experience of reading help, it's not helpful," Dr. Cruger notes. "And it's not treating the source of the problem, the phonological weakness."

Accommodations for Kids With Dyslexia

Children who have dyslexia are entitled to accommodations that enable them to learn - and demonstrate their learning - despite their reading challenges. Dr. Shaywitz notes that students with dyslexia often have to fight to get extra time on things like tests, but they shouldn't. "Dyslexia robs a person of time," she says, "and accommodations give the time back to her." Accommodations can include:

Extra time on tests

A quiet space to work

The option to record lectures

The option to give verbal, rather than written, answers (when appropriate)

Elimination of oral reading in class

Exemption from foreign language learning

Other Ways to Support a Child With Dyslexia

For any child who is struggling, it is particularly important to encourage the things he enjoys and excels at, so that he feels confident in some areas. This could be sports, theater, art, science, debate team or anything else that makes him feel good at something.

Sharing stories of successful individuals with dyslexia might also help reinforce that it has nothing to do with intelligence.

Supportive tools and technology can help your child navigate difficult problems:

Audio books can be a great alternative to reading

Typing on a computer or tablet instead of writing

Apps that can help make learning fun by turning phonological awareness into a game

Old-fashioned rulers can help kids with dyslexia read in a straight line, which might help keep them focused

Like most learning disabilities, dyslexia often has hidden costs. If your child has dyslexia he may feel frustrated or embarrassed if asked to do things - like reading out loud - that are difficult for him, especially during class or when other students are present. But the problems can often go beyond school. Dyslexia's impact on day-to-day activities - playing board games, following directions or even reading clocks accurately - can cause kids to feel self-conscious and avoidant.

Helping your child understand her learning disorder can give her the tools she needs to manage her dyslexia - both academically and emotionally.

Talk to her about the difficulties dyslexia can cause and be specific: "You know how you have a hard time reading signs, or copying notes from the board? That's dyslexia."

Acknowledge her struggles and praise hard work - even if the results aren't perfect: "I understand how challenging that reading assignment was. I was so proud of how hard you worked on it."

Help her identify specific strengths: "That drawing you made of our family had such vivid colors and details. You're a great artist."

Combat negative self-talk: If your child starts saying things like "I'm just stupid," don't ignore it. Instead, check out these ideas for helping kids who are too hard on themselves.

This guide was last reviewed or updated on February 23, 2023.

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Lo sentimos, la página que usted busca no se ha podido encontrar. Puede intentar su búsqueda de nuevo o visitar la lista de temas populares. Kids learn to read at different paces, and it's normal for them to struggle at some point.

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Dyslexia is a common learning disability in reading. It doesn’t go away. But there are teaching strategies, tools, and tips for building skills. Discover resources to help with dyslexia.

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Does your child have dyslexia, or do you think your child might be dyslexic? Explore this guide to dyslexia for parents and caregivers.

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Understanding Dyslexia: A Free Guide for Parents

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Helping kids with dyslexia: Tips, tools and resources for parents.