Reading Still a Struggle, What Does That Mean to a Soon-to-Be Second Grader
Not every child will fluently read after being instructed in class or at home. National Centers for Learning Disabilities report indicates that one in every five children in the US struggle with learning-related issues that include reading struggles. However, children with reading issues are as bright as other kids, only requiring the proper support to succeed. By the end of the first grade, your child should have fluency in reading, better understand the meaning behind words, and spell most sight words.
Reading among late first graders varies greatly. Most will read quite smoothly and, from time to time, will need to stop after every few words when they come across unfamiliar or challenging words. However, a struggling reader will still find it difficult to read whole words and entire sentences fluently. Most children with reading struggles by the end of first grade need one-on-one support to take them into second grade successfully.
READING STRUGGLE: Checkout for these Signs:
The child’s reading capabilities may be below expectation based on their age. Such children may also have issues understanding and processing what they hear. Another sign of a reading struggle is the inability to find the right words to answer a question and remember the order of things. In addition, you may notice that the child has trouble finding differences and similarities in words and letters. A child may also struggle to pronounce unfamiliar words or find it hard to spell some words.
1. Lack of Fluency
If your soon-to-be second grader child has reading problems, they will manage to read words separately but will have a problem reading them fluently in a sentence. Their reading may sound choppy, causing their reading comprehension to be poor.
2. Delayed Decoding Skills
Phonics awareness is part of the first-grade curriculum and early childhood education. A soon-to-be second who’s a struggling reader will exhibit labored reading and hesitate a lot between words, especially when there is an over-emphasization of phonics. Your child may fail to master sounds and letters despite regularly practicing them in school and at home.
3. Inability to Sound-out Words
You may notice that your child cannot sound out words correctly. A child with this problem fails to decode words regardless of being phonetically correct. They mostly omit or add sounds in words when reading. For example, they may read the word ‘stream’ as ‘steam.’ Your child may also exhibit stress and frustration whenever asked to read out aloud.
4. Trouble with Rhyming
Inability to rhyme words can be a sign of a reading struggle among your soon-to-be second-grader. You may realize that your child does not appreciate rhymes and avoids reading them out loud. Your child may testify that it is hard to read the rhymes and may show anger when forced.
5. Sight Words and Reading Problems
If your child has reading problems, she may have trouble understanding sight words. These words can be challenging with kids since they don’t follow ordinary spelling rules; hence they are not decodable. In addition, when sight words appear so often in a sentence, they can significantly hinder fluency. A child with a reading problem is unable to recall sight words even after repeatedly practicing them.
6. Other signs of reading problems
The child may mention words that don’t exist on the page they are reading. In some cases, your child may hate to read and reject any form of practice. Reading problems in your soon-to-be second-grader may also be manifested in their writing. For example, the child may write words to match the sounds of the real words. For instance, she may write “Kxtsi” to mean ‘cats.’
At Kids On The Yard: We Got Your Back!
We understand that second grade is an exciting period for any learner, both socially and academically. However, this level can also be a great anxiety for your child and you if they enter second grade as a struggling reader. Kids on the Yard has excellent reading programs that provide instructional time for your child to help them achieve their literacy goals and facilitate success in reading. In addition, you can trust our skill-building tutors to grow your child’s reading comprehension and phonics awareness.
There is a great difference between supportive and being a critic. Criticism causes discouragement, which can significantly reduce a child’s love for reading.
Reading is a crucial life skill. However, developing the joy of reading requires a lot of patience and time.
Sarah Katrina Maruani (Founder, Kids on the Yard) is passionate about equipping your child with reading abilities, for she also struggled with reading during her childhood. Part of our organization’s tutoring sessions is to examine the current reading level of your child before designing personalized lessons to strengthen or improve their existing skills. We understand that your child’s reading level can also vary depending on the preparation and reading exposure. Reading is practice, and practice is not to be perfect but skilled!
