Some children have problems because they have a learning disorder. This should not be your first assumption, but you should know it might be a possibility. There are often tests that can be done either at school or by your doctor to let you know if reading difficulties in children in your home are because of a learning disability. You want to know this early so that they can get help. The earlier they get assistance the better they are going to do all throughout their schooling career and on into adulthood. Learning disabilities do not have to define your children forever.
If your children do not have learning disabilities, you have to find out what else is causing reading difficulties in children. One simple thing is that they simply do not enjoy reading. This causes them to think of reading as a chore, and they are only going to do it when absolutely necessary. This means less practice and slower reading. As a parent, you should find out what your children are most interested in reading about and offer stories and books based on those things. No matter how much you might like trains, your child that could not care less won't be interested in reading. Go with what they love and they will start to enjoy reading more.
Some children have problems with comprehension. This means that they are reading words but they are not understanding what they are reading. This could be because they do not understand the words and what they mean. To find out if this is a problem, ask them to read out loud to you. Words that cause them to struggle are probably words they do not recognize. Tell them when they come to such a word they should ask for a definition or encourage them to use a dictionary. You can also help buy broadening your vocabulary so they hear all kinds of words in context in every day life.
If you have tried everything, and you still see reading difficulties in children in your family, you may have to accept that they are not naturally going to love reading just yet, but know that this could change in the future. Talk to them about reading and what makes it a chore for them. This may be the area where you are going to have to work with them the most with homework. Some kids have problems with math and some have problems with words. That is just how it is. You can make the difference though, so keep trying and keep encouraging them to find fun in reading.
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