You don’t need to be a reading specialist to make a real difference at home. In fact, some of the most powerful things you can do have nothing to do with drills. Here are seven that help.
1. Read aloud to them — a lot
Reading to your child, even older kids, builds vocabulary, background knowledge, and a love of stories — without the stress of decoding. It keeps them connected to rich language while their reading skills catch up.
2. Take turns and share the load
Try “you read a line, I read a line.” It keeps reading from feeling like an endless uphill climb and lets your child stay in books that interest them.
3. Protect their confidence
Never correct every error or push them to read aloud in front of others if it causes anxiety. Praise effort and persistence, not just accuracy. Emotional safety is the soil good reading grows in.
4. Lean into audiobooks
Audiobooks aren’t cheating — they’re a bridge. They keep your child engaged with grade-level stories and ideas, feeding comprehension and vocabulary while decoding develops separately.
5. Make it playful
Rhyming games, word play, and sound games in the car all strengthen the language skills underneath reading — and they feel like fun, not work.
6. Keep practice short and consistent
Ten focused, calm minutes beats an hour of frustration. Consistency matters far more than length, and a positive ending keeps them willing to come back tomorrow.
7. Talk about dyslexia openly
Help your child understand that their brain just learns reading a different way — and that many successful people are dyslexic. Naming it, kindly, lifts shame and builds resilience.
Your job at home isn’t to be the teacher — it’s to keep reading positive and keep your child believing it’s possible.
Pair that supportive home environment with structured, specialized instruction, and you give your reader the best of both worlds.