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There are millions of children who struggle with reading. These struggles might be related to phonemic/phonetic awareness, fluency, reading comprehension or combination of these literacy skills. Some children might read slightly below grade level, while others lag far behind their peers.
Helping a child with reading and working with them to hit grade-level benchmarks requires understanding a child’s specific struggle and finding the best tools and resources that aid these difficulties. For some parents, these tools might seem inaccessible. However, many resources are available online or via apps; these are the best resources for struggling readers:
- Wordless Books
- High/Low Books
- Phonemic-focused apps
- Phonics apps or worksheets
- Professional organizations that specialize in learning disorders
- Literacy tools like graphic organizers and reading comprehension bookmarks
- Audiobooks
- Lesson-based reading apps
Using Reading Resources at Home
Parents who need to help their child with reading at home can integrate different materials to help guide their child. Many resources are available for free online or even at public libraries. When choosing materials, parents need to focus on their child’s particular struggles.
A child’s particular learning style also can guide the choice of resources. For example, some children are auditory learners; resources that provide vocal instruction could work best and help them gain mastery.
Wordless Books
Wordless books are books that are designed only with pictures. They are—as the name implies—without words. How do these books help struggling readers, though?
Wordless books can be used to help children better understand the parts of a story. With wordless books, children need to create their own story using the pictures as a visual prompt. Children need to name the characters, create a plot and also wrap up the story with a succinct ending.
These unique books can include different stories every time a child reads them. They also can help children think deeper about how to create and tell a story.
High/Low Books
Children who are reading below grade-level might feel embarrassed about not being able to read the same books as their friends. Just because a child doesn’t read as well as their friends doesn’t mean they need to read books that are designed for a younger child.
To encourage the reading habit and to help children who struggle with literacy to enjoy reading, parents can introduce high/low books. These books feature topics that are of ‘high interest’ to children but are still written at a lower reading level.
High/low books can feature famous sports figures, science topics, historical figures and even fantasy adventures. The site We are Teachers includes a round-up of the best high/low books for different age groups. Parents can find many of these books at their public library.
Phonemic-Focused Apps
‘Phonemics’ refers to the sounds of words. Some children struggle to understand the different sounds of a word. To help children who struggle with this skill, parents can download apps that provide auditory guidance.
Both the App Store (for Apple devices) and Google Play (for Android) offer numerous apps that can help children work on this literacy fundamental. Some apps are designed as games. Others include charts to help boost phonemic understanding.
Many apps are free, and parents might download several to find the best resource for their child. Some apps might offer in-app purchases, and parents can disable this feature on their phone or device to ensure they don’t incur any unexpected charges.
Phonics Apps and Worksheets
While phonemics focus on the sounds of words, phonics is focused on letters and their relationship with sounds. There are many free apps available that can help children master their letter identification and work on their phonics skills.
Again, some of these apps may be designed as games. Parents can try out different phonics apps to find the best resource for their child.
In addition, parents also can download worksheets online that focus on phonics skills. These can be used to help children gain mastery and provide enrichment at home. Parents also could reach out to teachers for any additional phonics enrichment worksheets.
Nonprofit Organizations Can be a Beneficial Resource
If a child was diagnosed with a particular learning or reading disorder, parents can research non-profit or educational organizations that are established to help children with a particular learning struggle or disorder.
These organizations can be vital resources for helping parents find additional help for their child. They also could offer suggestions related to IEPs and working with the school. Many organizations offer links to local groups or educational resources, too.
Organizations that could be beneficial to children with reading struggles include:
Graphic Organizers and Reading Comprehension Bookmarks
Children who struggle with reading comprehension could benefit from using visual resources like graphic organizers and reading comprehension bookmarks. These tools can help children organize parts of the story or remind children on the aspects of the story on which they need to focus their attention.
Graphic organizers are often used in classrooms to help guide understanding of specific literary concepts. Organizers can focus on plot, characters or even serve to help outline the main points of the story. Graphic organizers are worksheets that offer specific topics or prompts with a space for children to make notes or include explanations.
Reading comprehension bookmarks are designed to provide children with a visual prompt to use as they read. Parents can print out reading comprehension bookmarks online, or they can help children design their own bookmarks. These tools for younger readers might simply include the ‘w/h’ questions of comprehension (who, what, where, when, why and how), while bookmarks for older children might include a space to take notes.
Children also can flip bookmarks horizontally to help them focus on specific sections of text and to guide reading.
Audiobooks
Some children are auditory learners and they might benefit from listening to a story as they follow along. Parents can use audiobooks to help children better identify a character’s emotions and intentions.
When children hear a story narrated, they might catch details they miss in the text. Parents can find audiobooks at public libraries or download these books via ereader tools or even apps like Audible. Prices for audiobooks may vary, and Audible requires a subscription.
Audiobooks also can be used if parents don’t have time to read to children. However, parents might be sure that the child also has a printed copy of the book to follow along and see any illustrations that can help children to visualize the story and its characters.
Lesson-Based Reading Apps
Children who struggle to read at grade-level and who might have difficulty with multiple areas of literacy could benefit from using a lesson-based reading app. Readability is appropriate for children in preschool through fifth grade; the program adjusts to the child’s reading level to ensure that books are matched to their ability.
Parents can set their child’s reading level, or Readability can determine the child’s reading level. Books are read aloud in Readability, but the lessons are always guided. Readability includes a built-in AI tutor that learns each child’s voice; when a child has trouble pronouncing words, the tutor understands the child’s struggle and provides verbal guidance.
Stories in Readability are leveled for each child’s ability, but libraries in the program include high/low books to ensure that older children can read books that interest them. At the end of each book, the tutor asks children questions about what they read; this is how the program measures a child’s comprehension.
If a child incorrectly answers a question, the AI tutor will show them the text from the book that helps them answer the question and the tutor also will read the text aloud. Children will then have another opportunity to answer the question. Readability helps children understand that it’s ok to re-read sections of a book that could be confusing.
Readability also helps children improve their vocabulary; every book includes a vocabulary list. In addition, children can tap any word in a book to hear its meaning or listen to it used in a sentence. All these discovered words are added into a child’s word bank; they can review and listen to all their vocabulary words again and again.
For parents, understanding a child’s reading progress can be difficult. Have they increased their reading level? Are they understanding what they are reading? Readability helps parents understand their child’s reading progress by providing parents with a private portal called the Parent Dashboard.
This parent-only portal includes all the reading data for each child. Parents can review their child’s fluency (measured in words read per minute), comprehension, reading level and see how long their child reads each day. This information also can be compiled into a report that can be sent via email to the child’s teacher.
The Best Reading Resources for Struggling Readers
Parents who have discovered that their child is reading below grade-level expectations can access many resources to aid their child’s struggles. Wordless books, high/low books and audiobooks all can be found at a local library.
Children struggling with phonics or phonemic awareness could use apps that help them master these literacy skills in a fun and immersive format. Apps could be designed as games that keep children engaged in their lessons.
In addition, parents might determine that a more formalized approach to reading instruction is the best option for their child. Lesson-based apps like Readability can help children who struggle with multiple aspects of the reading journey. Parents who are interested in exploring the program can sign up for a free seven-day trial to better understand if Readability is an effective resource for their child.