How phonics helps struggling readers
Unraveling the Magic of Phonics: 5 Simple Reasons Why Phonics Helps Struggling Readers
by Mary Follin
If your child has become one of the growing number of struggling readers, you’re most likely experiencing anxiety about it. Reading is fundamental to every subject in school (and in life!), and as you watch your child struggle, you’re probably telling yourself: “I’ve got to do something about this before it’s too late. But what?”
I would encourage you to start with a physical checkup—eyes, ability to focus, learning challenges, and overall health. But once that’s all clear, the next thing to do is make sure your child has been taught to read with a direct-instruction, phonics-based approach.
If your child hasn’t learned how to read with a systematic phonics-based approach, that’s good news. Phonics is easy to teach and easy to learn; even non-reading adults can quickly learn to read once they’ve been taught the code of the English language.
So, what’s the deal with phonics? Read below to get a better understanding as to why it’s easier to teach struggling readers with this seemingly ‘magical’ approach.
Read Mary Follin’s review of 5 of the top phonics reading programs!
Free 2-Step Phonics Starter Guide
You can teach your child to read at home—even if you’ve never taught phonics before. This quick-start guide gives you the first two steps of the program, plus audio samples so you know exactly how to present the lessons to your child.
Your FREE Starter Guide includes:
- Simple instructions for teaching individual letter sounds
- How to help your child blend sounds into real words
- Audio samples to clarify instructions
- Tips for keeping lessons short, fun, and stress-free
With just these 2 simple steps, your child will begin sounding out real words—right away.
STRUGGLING READERS CRACK THE CODE WITH PHONICS
Picture this: you’re faced with a bunch of jumbled letters on a page, and your brain’s like, “What on earth do these mean?!” That’s where phonics comes in. Phonics helps your child crack the code by showing them the secret connection between letters and their sounds. (Tell your child it’s a decoding superpower!)
Once your child understands these letter-sound combos, they can read any word, no matter how strange it looks.
For struggling readers, this is a game-changer. They often get stuck on words and feel like they’re navigating a maze without a map. But with phonics, it’s like they’ve got a treasure map in hand, guiding them through their reading adventure. Instead of guessing or getting frustrated, they become word wizards, confidently unlocking the meaning of each word they encounter.
SMOOTH SAILING WITH READING FLUENCY
Ever noticed how some people read like they’re gliding on a smooth sea while others stumble and fumble over every word? Well, that’s what we call reading fluency. Phonics is the secret ingredient that helps struggling readers sail through the sometimes choppy waters of fluency.
Once your child knows their letter sounds like the back of their hand, reading becomes effortless. They won’t have to pause and ponder over every word. Instead, they can focus on the story and enjoy it! For struggling readers, this is a breath of fresh air; it boosts their confidence and makes reading feel less like a chore and more like a delightful pastime.
THE WORD TREASURE TROVE: VOCABULARY EXPANSION
Imagine you’re in a foreign land, and you only know a handful of words. Tricky, right? Well, that’s how struggling readers feel when they have a limited vocabulary. But here’s the good news: phonics is like a magic potion that expands a child’s treasury of words.
Through phonics, struggling readers learn to analyze words. They start to recognize patterns and understand word meanings based on their sounds. It’s like unlocking the secrets of language.
As they delve deeper into this word wonderland, their vocabulary blooms like a beautiful garden in spring. Suddenly, they have more words at their disposal, and the world of reading becomes much more colorful and exciting.
Teach your child to read with phonics. Try Teach Your Child to Read with a 7-Day Free Trial!
STRUGGLING READERS CAN SPELL LIKE A PRO
Spelling can feel like uncharted territory if you don’t know what you’re doing. But here’s the thing: phonics is like having a spelling cheat code. When struggling readers grasp the relationship between letters and sounds, they learn to spell like pros.
Think about it – if you know how to say a word, you can spell it too! That’s the power of phonics. By breaking down words into their sounds, struggling readers can piece together the right combination of letters. It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, and when you see the complete picture, you feel like you’ve accomplished something.
Phonics makes spelling less of a nightmare and more of a fun challenge to conquer.
BOOSTING CONFIDENCE AND SPARKING MOTIVATION IN STRUGGLING READERS
Imagine you’re climbing a steep mountain and every step feels like a struggle. You’d probably want to give up, right? Well, that’s most likely how your struggling reader often feels—reading is like climbing an insurmountable peak. By introducing phonics, you are offering your child a magical dose of confidence and motivation.
As they learn to read using phonics, struggling readers experience small wins along the way; each word they decode successfully is a victory. And with every triumph, their confidence soars higher. Rather than convincing themselves they’re ‘no good’ at reading, they begin to believe in themselves and their reading abilities.
Phonics is like a superhero that swoops in to help struggling readers conquer the world of reading. Sound like an exxageration? It’s not. Once a struggling reader learns the code, the transformation is often very fast. Try it with your child, and you’ll see what I mean.
Phonics cracks the reading code, smooths out fluency, expands vocabulary, improves spelling, and boosts confidence and motivation. If your child is one of the thousands of struggling readers out there, phonics is like having a reading coach that makes learning a fun and magical adventure.
And to answer your question about what to do if your child is one of the many struggling readers? Teach them phonics!
Photo credits: Pexels
Ten questions (FAQs) parents ask about the benefit of phonics for struggling readers:
1. What is phonics, and why is it important for reading?
Phonics is a method of teaching reading by linking sounds (phonemes) with letters or groups of letters (graphemes). It’s essential because it helps children understand the relationship between letters and sounds, building a foundation for reading fluency.
2. How does phonics improve reading skills in struggling readers?
Phonics helps struggling readers by giving them tools to decode unfamiliar words. With phonics, they learn to sound out words, improving both their accuracy and confidence.
3. Why might a struggling reader benefit more from phonics than other methods?
Phonics provides a systematic, structured approach, which can be particularly beneficial for struggling readers who may find other approaches, like whole language, less accessible or too abstract.
4. How does phonics address reading comprehension for struggling readers?
By teaching readers to decode words more accurately and automatically, phonics allows them to focus their mental energy on comprehension, leading to a better overall understanding of the text.
5. What is the connection between phonics and spelling for struggling readers?
Phonics reinforces spelling because it teaches the predictable patterns between sounds and letters, helping struggling readers recognize and memorize word structures.
6. Does phonics help with dyslexia or other reading disabilities?
Yes, phonics-based programs are highly effective for dyslexic students and those with other reading disabilities, as they provide a structured way to break down language and make reading accessible.
7. How does phonics instruction improve a child’s reading fluency?
Phonics instruction helps build fluency by teaching children to recognize familiar letter-sound patterns quickly, making reading smoother and more efficient over time.
8. Can phonics be helpful for older struggling readers as well as younger ones?
Absolutely. Phonics can be effective for readers of all ages who struggle with decoding, including older children and adults who may have missed these foundational skills in early education.
9. How does phonics help readers with unfamiliar or challenging vocabulary?
Phonics teaches readers strategies for breaking down and sounding out unfamiliar words, making it easier to tackle challenging vocabulary and complex texts.
10. What are the long-term benefits of using phonics for struggling readers?
Phonics helps build a strong foundation in reading skills, leading to improved literacy, better academic performance, and greater confidence, which benefit struggling readers throughout their education and beyond.
Looking for a phonics program for struggling readers?
Teach Your Child to Read is a great program for 1st and 2nd graders who are struggling. And if you want to avoid the struggle, start as early as age three. Try it free for 7 days!
Founder and creator Mary Follin started her career as a systems engineer with IBM. In that capacity, she wrote software manuals to help make complex systems easy to understand and use. Over the course of her career, she has worked in product development, product innovation, market research, and marketing consulting.
Beyond creating Teach Your Child to Read, she is also the author of Ethyr, winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award and the Gertrude Warner Book Award, and a regular contributor to DailyMom.com on the subject of children’s literacy.
Mary also writes, along with Erika Guerrero, a feature column in Fredericksburg Parent & Family. Titled ASK MOM, the column offers parenting advice and was recognized by the Parenting Media Association with a 2021 award.
