12 STRATEGIES TO HELP STRUGGLING READERS

IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION

1. Find books they’ll like

Sometimes, low reading comprehension comes down to the fact that a

student just isn’t interested in what he or she is reading. In fact, 73% of

students say they would read more if they could find books they

liked. The secret to becoming a better reader is practise—something that

is much easier when your child actually likes what he or she is reading.

2. Read aloud

Hearing the words out loud helps many students gain a better

understanding of what they are reading than they are able to get while

reading in their head. Encourage your child to read aloud if he or she is

struggling with a certain part of a book or a particular word.

3. Skim the headings of the text

Quickly skimming the headings of a book gives students a high-level

overview of what they are reading. Your child can use the headings to

quickly understand what the reading is about and the main points before

he or she actually starts reading.

4. Re-read sections that are confusing

 Revisiting the parts that were confusing for your child (or or that might

simply need a quick refresher) can help your child gain a more complete

picture of what he or she is learning. This also helps ensure your child is

able to understand upcoming material in the text.

5. Use a ruler or finger to follow along

If your child has trouble keeping his or her place while reading, use a

ruler or finger to make following along easier. This trick can also help

students who have dyslexia and struggle with separating lines of text and

sentences while reading.

6. Write down words you don’t know

As your child makes his or her way through the reading material, have

him or her write down unfamiliar words. Encourage your child to look

these words up in a dictionary to learn what they mean. Then, find ways

to use them in a sentence that your child makes up him or herself.

7. Discuss what your child has just read

When your child has finished reading, talk about what he or she just read

together. Ask your child what he or she learned and his or her thoughts.

For longer reading materials, like novels for book reports, make
 discussion questions you and your child can talk about together after

each reading session.

8. Recap and summarize the main points

When talking about the material with your child, ask him or her to recap

and summarize the main points. Explaining what your child learned in

his or her own words helps ensure your child understands what was read.

It also helps relate the material to what he or she already knows.

9. Write down questions about what you don’t

understand

Have your child make notes about what he or she doesn’t understand

while reading. When your child has a question, encourage him or her to

pause and reflect on what he or she has read. If your child still has

unanswered questions, have him or her take these to the teacher for extra

help.

10. Use different formats

Some students just aren’t natural readers—they learn better when they

see, hear, or write things. If your student struggles with reading, find a

format that works better and incorporate that into reading sessions. This

could include writing down the main points as he or she reads or

 visualizing the material by drawing what your child is reading (for older

students, this could be a mind map).

11. Identify reading problems

If your child is struggling with reading on an ongoing basis, watch for

red flags that he or she may have a reading difficulty. Dyslexia is

relatively common, with up to 5 students in a classroom suffering from

some form of this reading difficulty. If your child seems to struggle with

reading without any improvement, it’s important to identify whether he

or she has a reading problem so you can take steps to solve it.

12. Get a reading tutor

Improving your child’s reading skills and comprehension is something

that you can do at home each day. For students who need an extra boost,

a reading tutor can help improve these skills even more.

For more tips on how to help your child become a better reader, read our

blog post on how to encourage good reading habits in kids.

If your child still needs help, the reading tutors at Oxford Learning can

help! Find your nearest location and learn how we can help.