Help with Reading: Why We Need to Chill Out

Does your child need help with reading? Maybe you’re concerned that your student could become one of the tens of millions of US adults who don’t have basic literacy skills.  

For many children, traditional reading instruction strategies are effective.  
On the other hand, those same reading strategies are just as ineffective for others.

Today let’s discuss the problem of a one-size-fits-all approach to reading and why we need to chill out.

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Same Old Methods Don’t Always Help with Reading

Insisting on using the same teaching methods for all as a matter of convenience, sets up many children for reading failure. Kids who learn differently can easily believe that they are inherently bad students when they need help with reading. 

Specifically, I’m referring to kids with the following learning differences.

• Dyslexia
• ADHD
• Autism
• Speech
• Language processing challenges

In the end, learning style needs to be taken into account when planning reading instruction. If not, many students give up due to frustration.

Who wants to repetitively engage in an activity that causes tears, anxiety, and failure? I know, I don’t. Of course, the last thing we want is for kids to hate to read simply because they learn differently.   

The Value of Reading

As parents and teachers, we know the value and importance of reading. However, we often hit a wall when nothing seems to click with our students.

Fortunately, as a society, we espouse the importance of literacy for all children.  That statement is true on the surface. When we dig deeper into how we equip children to read, many begin to think differently. 

It is not uncommon in our educational culture, homeschool or otherwise, to determine that a child is “behind” in reading at ages as early as 6 or 7.

Urgency To Read Can Backfire Big Time

This message is communicated to Mom or Dad with an urgency to get their kid help with reading ASAP. Ultimately, this is motivated by being “ready for the next grade level.”  

Arguably, we stand on a dangerous precipice when we pressure kids to read with urgency. This is especially true when the child is taught with one reading strategy not conducive to their learning style.  

We must begin to view effective reading instruction with the child’s “wiring” in mind.

Adults Who Hate to Read

If we think about how many kids say they “hate reading”, it’s no wonder why. 

I mean, think about the sheer number of adults who won’t even think of picking up a book. 

We don’t need a study to tell us that adults often struggle with reading in large numbers as well.  

When we dig deeper, it is often because they think they hate reading.  Many adults explain that they were never good at reading when they were in school.

Honestly, I argue that these adults were likely not equipped in a way that they could process and understand. 

If we want to prevent the next generation from falling into the reading is the enemy trap, then we must be willing to think outside the box.

Unchecked Expectations Lead to Struggling Readers

One side-effect of educational benchmarks is the inherent message that all kids should fit into a box.  

When kids don’t respond to the traditional teaching approach and on benchmark timelines, trouble ensues.

Parents are under so much pressure to make their children read just like everyone else.  

When mom or dad aren’t informed about optional teaching approaches and learning styles, they lean in harder.  

Children struggle with reading even more when pushed to use strategies that inherently conflict with the way they learn.

Trying to Keep Up with The Student Joneses

Additionally, parents stress out in a desperate attempt to keep up with the student Joneses.

• Running their kiddos to various academic interventions
• Engaging in fights with their struggling reader as they push for them to read more and faster

Unfortunately, when this occurs early in a child’s education or becomes the pattern, kids learn the wrong thing. 

Teaching Kids That They’re Not Smart

These kids learn to hate learning. Even worse, they begin to believe that they’re not smart. 
Consequently, the idea of picking up a book causes tears, anxiety, and frustration for the child (and mom or dad).

Very few adults can fight an uphill battle every day. So why do we force kids to learn such a crucial life skill in a way that oftentimes conflicts with the way they learn?

Help with Reading in the Homeschool

Perspective is everything, Friend. No two people are the same. Forcing children to push through reading material based on grade-level benchmarks is not good.

It often leads them to an unintended detour of a lifetime of reading aversion. By taking this detour, kids miss the basic foundational skills of reading in the name of “keeping on grade level.” 

Sadly, learned helplessness is a real force that creates its own set of mental health issues.  When it all comes down to it, this costs far more than whether a child reads on grade level at age 7,8, or even 10.

Neurodiversity: Different Minds Learn Differently

Our brains, like our bodies, develop differently and at varying times.

• Would we ever shame a young 14-year-old girl because her body isn’t as developed as other girls her age?
• Would we tell a young man that he is not achieving his potential if his voice was still an octave higher than his peers?

Of course not. Why do this to children when it comes to brain development and its impact on their reading skills? When kids don’t pick up reading right away, it’s important to chill out.

What’s the Best Way to Teach a Child to Read?

The following resources will guide you in choosing the best approach for your child’s reading instruction. Hope this helps! After digging in, if you still have questions, comment below.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a nominal fee from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. See my disclosure policy for more info.