How to Help Your Child Reading Below Grade Level

At Night Zookeeper, we believe that learning to read should be fantastically fun, and full of wonder. ​​Every child’s development journey is completely different and children learn at their own pace. It’s not a race - we believe that any reading is a step in the right direction. Helping a child who’s reading below grade level doesn’t mean pushing them to catch up overnight. It means guiding them toward a lifelong love of reading through support and encouragement. The main thing is helping them discover the joy and purpose of reading in everyday life.

Night Zookeeper's Education Director & Co-Founder Paul Hutson, who brings over 20 years of experience in the education sector, has gathered some useful tips to help you support your child.

Spotting the challenges

The first step in helping your child is understanding what might be getting in the way. It could be that they simply haven’t found a story that gets their imagination going, reading just hasn’t clicked yet, or they don't have an understanding of its importance. Sometimes, the challenge might come from something deeper like dyslexia, a visual processing issue, or a form of neurodivergence such as ADHD.

Take some time to observe your child when they’re trying to read - do they get tired quickly? Mix up letters? Struggle to get going? These clues can help you figure out where to lend extra support.

No matter the reason, it’s important to approach their learning with patience and positivity. Your encouragement is one of the most powerful tools they have to build their confidence.

Pick the right reads

At this stage, it really doesn’t matter what your child is reading, as long as they’re enjoying it. Let their interests lead the way - whether it’s video games, space, fairies, or dinosaurs, there’s a book (or comic, or article, or poem!) out there that will spark their imagination.

Reading “level” doesn’t always match reading love. If a book is too difficult, it can feel discouraging and deflating. Instead, find texts that match their current skill level and make them feel accomplished. If they’re finding a book too tricky, put it away and find something more suitable. Graphic novels, manga, and illustrated chapter books are great choices - they combine visual storytelling with manageable text to keep the reader excited and engaged. They’ll also help your child to associate words with what is shown in the images and gradually build up their vocabulary. 

Try mixing things up with short poems, recipes, instruction manuals, or nonfiction texts about their hobbies. Reading is reading, no matter the format!

Sneak reading into daily life

You don’t need to carve out a big block of time to build reading habits - little moments count too! Reading in regular and short bursts can make reading feel less intimidating, and much more comfortable. Try to incorporate reading into your child’s daily routine:

• Ask your child to read the menu with you when you're out for dinner
• Let them help choose a recipe and read the ingredients aloud
• Get them to read brand names or product labels at the store
• When picking a film, let them read the movie descriptions aloud

Children are much more likely to understand the value of reading when they see it in action. As their role model, it’s good practice to make a habit of letting them catch you reading your favorite book, newspaper, or a magazine. It sends the message that reading is important and very much part of day to day life.

Reading and bonding time

Reading with your child is one of the most powerful things you can do to support them in their learning journey. Not only will it build their skills and confidence, but this quality time will also create magical memories! Here are some simple ways to boost reading time together:

• Take turns reading pages or sentences
• Pause to ask, “What do you think will happen next?” or “How do you think the character felt?”
• Read aloud to them 
• Celebrate their efforts with praise or little rewards
• Visit the library together and let them choose their own books

Try making a reward chart for completing reading goals or finishing a book, so that they can visually see their achievements. You’d be surprised and how motivating it is when they see their progress stack up!

Activities that go hand in hand with reading

Reading doesn’t have to be a stand alone activity. It connects perfectly with different activities and forms of learning to make it more exciting and interactive.

Here are a few fun ideas to complement your child's reading journey:

• Get your child to listen to the audiobook while following along in the book, so that they can be guided through their reading adventure
• Play their favourite film with the subtitles on - eventually you could build up to turning the audio off so they’re just watching with captions
• Encourage them to write short stories, make comics, or draw scenes from books they’ve read
• Get them to act out what they have read - you could set up a puppet show for family and friends to encourage your child to showcase their learning
• Karaoke! Singing is a fun way to build rhyme and rhythm into reading, so grab them a microphone (and yourself some earplugs!)

It’s important to remember that reading is much more than just recognizing words on a page. It’s about understanding their meaning and building a strong and vibrant vocabulary. These playful connections will keep your child entertained while helping them to develop comprehension skills in creative ways.

Embracing the power of repetition

Although expanding horizons is great, it's also really useful for kids to reread the same book over and over. Reading the same text again and again helps children become more fluent and feel more confident as it becomes easier for them each time. It’s a really great way of highlighting their progress. Once a book becomes more familiar, they will begin to take in key words and build associations which will boost their vocabulary. 

If they love a certain book, try finding more by the same author. Similar writing styles and characters can create a comfortable and inviting reading experience.

The more they read what they love, the more enthusiastic they’ll become and before you know it they’ll be reaching for their book without being prompted!

Making reading FUN!

We believe learning should feel like an adventure that sparks your child’s curiosity and makes them excited to explore. Games can transform reading from a challenging experience into a joyful one.

Why not try a program like ours?  Inside the magical world of Night Zookeeper, your child can build skills and confidence while having FUN! The program is packed with hundreds of interactive stories, games, and challenges designed to make reading and writing feel like playtime.

With every new character, challenge, and game, your child will be building vital reading and writing skills without even realizing they’re learning!

Get started with a 7-day FREE trial today:

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