“Can you read this page to me?”

Your child says they are tired. They ask you to read instead. When they do try, they pause at many words, guess from the pictures or become upset.

It can be tempting to wait and hope they grow out of it. It can also be tempting to make them practise until they finish the page. Neither approach tells you what is making reading difficult.

If your child is in Grade 2 in Ontario, start with a calm conversation with their teacher. You can also pay attention to what happens when your child reads at home. Together, those observations can help identify the support they need.

“My child knows the story, so why can’t they read the words?”

Listening to a story and reading it independently involve different skills. A child may understand and enjoy a book when you read it aloud but find it difficult to work out the printed words themselves.

Notice what your child does when they reach an unfamiliar word:

• Do they try to work through its sounds?
• Do they guess a word that fits the picture but not the letters?
• Do they leave out a word or replace it with another?
• Do they read individual words but lose track of the sentence?
• Can they explain the story when you read it to them?

You do not need to decide what these observations mean on your own. Write down one or two examples and share them with the teacher.

Ask about your child’s early reading screening

Ontario’s publicly funded schools conduct early reading screenings for children from Year 2 of Kindergarten through Grade 2. The screening looks at foundational reading skills and helps educators identify students who may need additional instruction. Schools are required to communicate individual results to parents.

If your child attends a publicly funded school, you can ask:

1. What did my child’s screening show?
2. Which reading skills are developing well?
3. Which skills need support?
4. What instruction or additional help will the school provide?
5. When will we review progress?
6. What should we practise at home?

A screening is one piece of information. It does not, by itself, diagnose a reading condition or determine your child’s grade. Your child’s teacher can consider it alongside classroom work and other observations.

If your child attends a private school, ask what reading assessments and supports that school uses.

How to help at home without turning reading into a battle

Keep the time short enough that your child can finish feeling successful. Choose a book or passage their teacher says is suitable for practising the skills they are learning.

You might begin by reading to your child. Let them follow the words and enjoy the story. At another time, invite them to read a manageable section independently.

When they get stuck, give them a moment to look carefully at the word. Follow the approach their teacher is using to teach reading rather than encouraging them to guess solely from the picture. After helping with the word, let them reread the sentence so they can hear it make sense.

End by talking about the story. You might ask, “What happened first?” or “Which part did you like?” Reading should give your child meaning and enjoyment as well as practice with words.

What should you avoid?

Try not to compare your child with a sibling or classmate. Children need to know that a difficult word is something they can learn to read, not proof that they are less capable.

Also, avoid making speed the only goal. Reading quickly is less useful if a child is guessing at words or cannot explain what a sentence means.

Finally, do not carry the concern alone for months. If reading remains consistently difficult, tell the teacher exactly what you see at home and ask what will happen next at school.

When might extra reading support help?

Individual tutoring may help a child practise specific skills that their teacher has identified and gain confidence reading with a patient adult. The tutor should first find out what the child can already do, what instruction they are receiving at school and which skill needs attention.

Tutoring should work alongside communication with the school. If screening results or classroom work suggest your child needs more intensive support, ask the school about its plan and any further assessment it recommends.

For parents, a useful progress update is specific: “Your child read these word patterns more accurately this week” is more helpful than “Reading went well.”

Online Grade 2 reading support for families in Ontario

Glareminds offers live, one-to-one online English support for children in Ontario. We begin with a free academic consultation and diagnostic conversation to learn about your child’s reading experience and the concerns you have noticed.

If your Grade 2 child avoids reading aloud, bring a recent school reading task or teacher feedback to the consultation. If you have received early reading screening results, those can also help you explain the support the school has recommended.

Learn about Glareminds’ online tutoring for families in Canada and book a free consultation to discuss your child’s needs.