How Parents Can Support Struggling Readers at Home

As the school years winds up,  many parents may be headed into tackling homework, and parent-teacher conferences. Maintaining their child’s reading skills at home takes time and support. This is especially vital for parents of struggling readers. 

The good news is that you do not need to be a literacy expert to help. Anyone can help a child improve their reading comprehension and fluency by using just a few of these simple strategies.

Create a Consistent Reading Habit

Reading is similar to learning other skills. The more a child practices, the better they get. And the best way to make practice consistent is to form a habit. Establishing a daily reading habit—no matter how small—can help struggling readers build fluency and confidence.

Here are some ideas to build a reading habit:

• Pick a consistent time of day. Reading after breakfast, before bed, or during a quiet moment can make it easier to remember and stick with.
• Start small and stay consistent. Even five minutes a day matters. What’s important is the routine, not the length.
• Set up a designated reading space. A cozy corner or a special chair helps signal that it’s time to read.
• Use a visual tracker or sticker chart. These simple tools can motivate kids and show how much they’ve accomplished.
• Add small rewards for encouragement. They keep children motivated to continue reading.
• Sit with your child. Assess when to guide or not guide the reading process.

To help build the habit, ReadWorks developed the Article-A-Day™ routine. Each day, children read one short, high-interest nonfiction article and briefly reflect on it. These articles are designed to take just 10 minutes a day, making it quick and easy for parents and their children.

Try It: Start a daily Article-A-Day routine with ReadWorks to build vocabulary and comprehension. ReadWorks is completely free and you can choose to assign the article to them for access on their computer or device, or to print the article. 

Use Scaffolding to Support Reading Growth

Scaffolding is an instructional approach where you offer support as your child learns a new skill, then gradually step back as they gain confidence. When it comes to reading, scaffolding helps struggling readers tackle challenging texts without becoming overwhelmed.

At home, scaffolding might look like:

• Preview the text together before reading. Taking a moment to look at titles, headings, or pictures can help set the stage for comprehension.
• Ask guiding questions while reading. Prompts like “What do you think will happen next?” keep your child thinking and engaged.
• Explain unfamiliar words or ideas. Clarifying tricky vocabulary builds confidence and reduces frustration.
• Summarize small sections as you go. Pausing to reflect after a paragraph helps your child retain and understand what they read.
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ReadWorks supports scaffolding at home by offering question sets that guide readers step-by-step through a passage. These help parents provide structure before, during, and after reading while giving the tools they need to support comprehension in manageable ways.

Try It: ​Use ReadWorks question sets and reading comprehension worksheets to guide comprehension.

Focus on Sight Words to Build Fluency

Many readers benefit from strengthening their recognition of common sight words—words that often can’t be sounded out easily and appear frequently in texts. Mastering these words can make reading smoother and more automatic.
Here’s a short breakdown of common sight words, which are grouped by type:

• High-Frequency Words: the, was, said, have
• Pronouns: you, they, she
• Function Words: are, from, by

ReadWorks reinforces this learning through vocabulary tools. Much of ReadWorks' content incorporates sight words, particularly in materials created for beginner readers. This ensures that students get repeated exposure to these essential words in meaningful contexts.
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Try It: Explore ReadWorks' full library of content for younger readers.

Let Children Choose What They Read

Giving students the chance to choose something that truly interests them—whether it's sports, fantasy, or science—can make a big difference in how they approach reading. What matters most is that they’re engaged with texts that feel enjoyable and accessible.
All that leads to one question. What does your child like reading?
Here are a few ideas to figure that out:

• Ask about their interests. Topics like animals, space, sports, or mystery stories can spark enthusiasm.
• Reflect on what they watch or play. Movies, shows, and games can point to genres or themes they’d love in books.
• Offer different formats. Graphic novels, short articles, audiobooks, or magazines might appeal more than traditional chapter books.
• Try a few samples. Read the first page or back cover of a few books together and see which one excites them.

Full chapter books can be overwhelming, but when a child finds one that they love, it's helpful to keep reading about similar topics. That’s why ReadWorks created Book Studies. These collections feature articles aligned to popular novels that are often used in classrooms. Each book is thoughtfully paired with ReadWorks nonfiction articles that expand on its themes or topics, giving readers new ways to explore and connect with the material.
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Try It: Try ReadWorks Reading Mindset Snapshot. It's a quick survey for students to complete that helps you choose what they might like to read from our library! 

Supporting your child's reading at home this summer doesn't have to be complicated. A few simple strategies can make a big difference. Even short, consistent efforts can help struggling readers build confidence and make steady progress.