How to Help a 1st Grader Struggling with Reading

No parent likes to see their child struggle when learning how to read. We question ourselves as teachers when we see our 1st grader struggling with reading. We often immediately jump to the conclusion of a learning disability when that’s not always the case. It’s true that some first graders will ultimately end up being diagnosed with some type of reading disorder. But, often times reading struggles can simply be chalked up to age and development.

Did you know that it is normal for children to not be fluent readers until third grade? When we talk about fluency in reading, we are referring to the ability to see words and automatically recognize them without having to sound them out or use other decoding skills. This fluency comes after the foundational skills have fully developed, which most often occurs with time and exposure. 

In this article, you will find some tips for helping your child boost their reading fluency. I will also share my favorite reading program that has helped tremendously with teaching my own kids how to read.

*This post contains affiliate links. When a purchase is made through an affiliate link, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support!* See Disclaimer for more information.

Why is my first grader struggling to read?

Often times, what we perceive as “struggling to read” is simply a first grade student still developing letter sounds and phonemic awareness. When people say “it finally just clicked”, what really happened is all those connections the brain has been trying to make between letters and sounds and putting them altogether has finally happened. This “clicking” moment usually occurs around the ages of 7 to 8 years old. 

Another reason your child may appear to be struggling with reading is that they are not developmentally ready to begin reading quite yet. This is why it’s so important not to compare one child’s learning progress to another. Some students will have the “aha” moment much earlier than others simply because they were developmentally ready for it. Just as our physical bodies develop at different paces, so do our minds. 

We must be careful not to push a child to read before they are developmentally ready. This can cause frustration and fear with learning to read. Rather, we should encourage and lead our child in developmentally appropriate learning activities and games to help nurture those skills. Then, when they are ready, they will have the foundation needed to become fluent readers at the appropriate time for them.

How do I help my first grader develop reading skills?

As your child is learning to read fluently, there are many important skills you can work on daily to help them along. Sharpening pre-reading skills, such as letter recognition, vocabulary, and fostering a love of reading, is an important daily activity. Repetition in these areas will help the brain to make stronger connections much faster. Introducing new reading strategies and building confidence in reading will also help your child work toward those reading fluency goals.

My favorite pre-reading activities to teach a child to read

1. Letter flashcards. 

You probably remember playing with flashcards as a child yourself. There is a reason these have been around for many, many years: they work! Running through a set of uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet each day, while having the child identify the letter and its sound, is an effective way to develop the necessary pre-reading skills they need to become fluent readers. 

*An important note on choosing flashcards: try to find a set that separates the lowercase letter from the uppercase, instead of putting them both on the same card. Many times, kids can quickly identify either the upper or the lowercase letter, but not both. Having them on separate cards makes them work for each and every letter possibility!

2. Read lots of books!

This one seems far too simple, but get some books! Whether you fill your home with picture books from the store or the library, hand-me-downs, freebies, or brand sparkling new, just read. Even if all you can muster is simply reciting your favorite nursery rhymes from memory, you are doing wonders for your child’s learning-to-read journey. 

Daily exposure to reading from birth is the absolute best way you can teach your child. Even if you feel silly reading aloud to a newborn who has no clue what’s going on, just know that his little brain is certainly soaking in every single word, nuance, and tone coming from your mouth. Multiply this exposure by 5, 6, 7 or 8 years! You can’t even imagine all the reading skills your child has already begun to develop. 

3. Use Magnetic letters or letter tiles

Playing with magnetic tiles on a cookie sheet is one of my kids’ favorite games. Anytime you can get physical with letters and words (ie touching the letters and building words), you are giving your child something concrete to form a connection to. They can physically move letters around to make the individual letters form into simple words. It is a fun way to expose your child to letters, sounds, and words. And, you are building those essential skills needed to become a fluent reader.

Other ideas for getting physical with letters include: writing letters in the dirt or sand, forming letters with playdough, or playing with letter/word puzzles.

4. Online games

There are a few really great online programs that make learning to read so much fun! In fact, I have used one of these programs for all 3 of my reading-age children so far. The program I have had the most success with is Reading Eggs. The reason this online program is so successful is because it develops readers through the use of games and repetition. As the child progresses through a level, they are exposed to a letter sound or word over and over, until they are able to recognize it automatically. 

Reading Eggs focuses a great deal on helping children develop phonemic and phonological awareness. It is also great for having them learn sight words through constant repetition. Your child cannot progress to the next level until they are able to pass a quiz. So, they cannot just quickly move through the game without actually learning anything. Using a program like Reading Eggs is pretty hands-off for the parent, fun for the child, and effective at building independent readers.

​5. Sight Word Games

No matter how much you practice speech sounds, your child may still struggle with those pesky sight words that don’t follow the rules. A great way to help your child recognize and learn these new words is to play as many sight word games as you can. Exposure, modeling, and repetition is really the best way to teach these high-frequency words that kids struggle with.

There are many games on the market that help develop your child’s ability to recognize these words automatically. You may have to try a few different ones before seeing your child make progress. But, the more resources you are able to provide and the more time spent in those resources, the faster your child will accomplish those reading goals.

Favorite Books to Help a 1st Grader Struggling with Reading

When you have a young learner who maybe doesn’t love reading as much as you’d like, it’s important not to put books in front of him that are way above his grade level. That’s why it’s important to do your research and find the best books for building reading confidence.

Some of my favorite books and resources for struggling readers include:

1. Bob Books
2. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
3. Explode the Code Workbooks
4. The Good and the Beautiful Beginner Books Sets
5. Pete the Cat Phonics Fun Books
6. My First I Can Read Books

The Role of the Parents of Children Struggling to Read

When you have a 1st grader struggling with reading, you feel an enormous amount of pressure to ensure that your child becomes a good reader. But, what does that mean exactly? Are they a good reader because they learn to sound out three-letter words when they’re only 4 years old? Or is it when they can pass reading comprehension skills tests without a single wrong answer? Maybe it’s when your second grader is reading chapter books way above her grade level that you finally declare she’s a “good reader.”

We live in a competitive world, and our children often becomes victims of that leader-of-the-pack mentality as well. Sometimes, we push and push because we don’t want our child to fall behind the others.

My viewpoint when evaluating each of my children has to be that of not only a parent, but also as my child’s teacher. This is so difficult because of the level of emotion that is associated with a parent and their struggling reader. Of course we want our child to become a successful reader with as little reading intervention as possible. We may feel so passionate about this, in fact, that our own emotions actually get in the way of our child’s progress.

When you’re a homeschooling parent, you must be careful to not become so emotional about your child’s reading progress that you add unnecessary stress to the reading journey. If you hold an expectation that your child will be a fluent reader by the end of 1st grade, you will likely push that goal a little too hard even if your child is not developmentally ready. Your child will pick up on your frustration and impatience, which will inevitably cause them to hate reading. By contrast, playing games, reading stories everyday, and picking out some easy first books for your 1st grader struggling with reading will go much further in growing your child’s literacy skills.

How Can I Build My Child’s Reading Confidence?

Reading confidence is an essential component of your child learning to read. If we are told repeatedly that we are not good at something, we are going to give up. Why keep trying when your best just isn’t good enough?

Reading confidence is the key to turning your child into a life-long reader. As we build that confidence with encouragement rather than constant correction, you will see your child develop a love of reading. Rather than giving up because they are struggling, they will see that they are making progress toward becoming a strong reader.

So, how exactly can we build our child’s reading confidence? Here are a few tips:

1. Create a reading goal chart. Make several short-term, attainable goals that your child can reach relatively quickly. Let them track their goals with stickers each time they successfully complete one. Seeing the progress on the chart and receiving small awards along the way will build confidence that they are making great progress toward becoming a fluent reader.
2. Be Patient– If you are in the middle of a reading activity with your child and either of you begins to show signs of frustration, pause the activity and try again a different day. It is okay to step away and leave a book, game, or activity unfinished if it is not being well received. Your child isn’t going to learn well if they are upset or unfocused anyway. Once you get to the point of frustration, your child’s reading confidence begins to drop quickly.
3. Provide lots of skill-appropriate reading materials. If your child is just beginning to develop basic sounds, you aren’t going to put a book in front of them and expect them to read it. This would be a good way to demolish their reading confidence. Instead, choose materials that are appropriate to their reading level. Give them some materials that may even be below their ability to build confidence. Check out this post on the Best Series Books for 2nd Graders-Homeschool Approved for a list of first series books.

Helping a 1st Grader Struggling with Reading

Before you panic about your 1st grader struggling with reading, the first step is to work on the pre-reading strategies listed above. If your child is still not reading fluently by the age of 8, or if they have any warning signs of a reading disorder, then you should pursue other reading interventions. But until then, staying consistent in the use of these reading strategies will result in leaps and bounds for your child’s reading abilities.

I know from first-hand experience how intimidating it can be to ensure you are properly teaching your child to read, especially as a homeschooling parent. Remembering that each child develops at different paces and in their own time, helps me to stay patient and consistent with my methods. Then, when the “clicking moment” finally happens, it is so worth all the time spent in those activities.

As you can see, there are many strategies to help your struggling reader. And, they are so easy for you to do! Simply reading books everyday and exposing your children to a variety of print options can help develop those early reading skills. Being patient, encouraging, and light-hearted can also go a long way in building your child’s reading confidence. All of these strategies are essential in building strong, fluent readers who become life-long readers.