As an elementary teacher, one of the most common concerns I hear from parents in the primary years is about reading.

Is my child reading “at level”?

And I completely understand why parents worry about this.

Learning to read is one of the most important academic skills children learn in school. Literacy affects almost everything that comes after it, both in school and in life.

But here's something that's really important to understand:

Children don't simply pick up reading naturally.

Reading is different from spoken language. Our brains need to be taught how to connect the words we hear with the letters and patterns we see on a page.

We actually have to train our brains to read.

It begins with oral language, then learning letters and the sounds they represent, blending those sounds together to read words, and eventually reading increasingly complex text with fluency and understanding.

Because the ultimate goal isn't simply being able to say the words on the page.

It's understanding what those words mean.

But for today, let's talk about some of the reading concerns I hear most often from parents, what might actually be going on, and what you can do at home to help.

Reading instruction has changed

I've been teaching long enough to have watched trends in teaching reading come pretty much full circle.

When I first started teaching, we used programs such as Jolly Phonics alongside Balanced Literacy. We taught phonics, but children were also encouraged to memorize sight words and use strategies like looking at pictures, thinking about what would make sense, or using the first letter to figure out an unfamiliar word.

The idea was that, with enough exposure to books and different reading strategies, kids would eventually “catch on.”

And many did.

But not everyone did.

In 2022, the Ontario Human Rights Commission released its Right to Read inquiry report, which raised serious concerns about the way reading was being taught, particularly for students with reading disabilities.

Since then, Ontario has moved toward more direct, systematic instruction in foundational reading skills.

You'll often hear this called Structured Literacy.

It sounds fancy, but the basic idea really isn't.

Instead of expecting children to figure out the reading code, we teach them the code.

We explicitly teach children the relationship between letters and sounds and how to use those relationships to decode unfamiliar words.

In other words, we're teaching them how to actually read the word instead of guessing what the word might be.

This is a big one.

A child can read a book aloud beautifully. They might read quickly, use great expression and barely stumble over a word.

And we hear that and think:

“Wow. They're a great reader.”

Maybe.

But then ask them to tell you what they just read.

If they can't explain what happened, answer a simple question about the text, or talk about what something in the story meant, that tells us something important.

Because reading isn't just saying the words.

Reading is getting meaning from them.

This is where reading can get confusing for parents.

Some things children do can look like reading, especially when they're little. And sometimes something that looks concerning is actually a perfectly normal part of learning a new skill.

Here are a few things you might notice.

Let's say the sentence says:

The dog ran across the yard.

Your child gets to dog, looks at the picture and says puppy.

It makes perfect sense. There's a puppy in the picture. The sentence still sounds right.

There's just one problem.

They didn't actually read the word.

For years, children were often encouraged to use pictures and context to figure out unfamiliar words. Now, we want children to pay much closer attention to the letters and the sounds they represent.

What can you do?

Instead of saying, “Look at the picture,” bring their attention back to the word.

Try:

“Look at the word. What sounds do you see”

or

“Let's say the letters and say the sounds together.”

Pictures are wonderful for helping children understand a story. They just shouldn't be doing the job of decoding the words.

When should I pay closer attention?

If your child is consistently struggling to remember which sounds go with which letters, I’d bring it up with their teacher. And I’d ask a very simple question: “What would you typically expect a child at this age and point in the school year to know?”

Because parents aren’t expected to know that. You shouldn’t have to figure out which letter sounds, spelling patterns or reading skills are appropriate for your child’s grade. That’s a great question for the teacher.

So the question isn’t, “Does my child know every letter and sound?” It’s, “Is my child’s reading developing roughly as expected for their age and what they’ve been taught so far?”

They very well might have.

Young children are amazing at memorizing familiar books, especially books with repetitive patterns.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Familiar books can build confidence, expression, vocabulary and a love of reading.

But memorizing a book isn't the same thing as being able to decode unfamiliar words.

One easy way to notice the difference is to see what happens when your child comes across the same word somewhere else.

If they can read dog in a familiar book but can't work through dog in a new sentence, they may have been relying more on memory than on the letters themselves.

What can you do?

Keep reading those favourite books! But also give your child opportunities to read unfamiliar words and books that match the skills they're learning at school.

When should I pay closer attention?

If your child can read familiar books quite easily but has much more difficulty when they come across simple words they haven’t seen before, I’d bring it up with their teacher.

That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem. What matters is whether your child can use the reading skills they’ve been taught at a level that’s appropriate for their age and grade. And parents aren’t expected to know exactly what that should look like. Ask the teacher: “At this point, what would you typically expect a child their age to be able to do when they come across an unfamiliar word?” 

Their teacher can help you understand what’s developmentally appropriate, what your child has been taught so far and whether what you’re seeing at home is something worth keeping an eye on.

This one is very common.

Reading is hard work when you're learning, and some kids become very good at recruiting an adult to do the hard part for them!

You don't need to leave them struggling endlessly, but you also don't have to give them the word immediately.

What can you do?

Give them a moment first.

Try:

“Let's look at the word.”

“What sounds do you know?”

“Can you say the sounds and blend them together?”

And please don't feel like you have to turn every bedtime story into a phonics lesson.

Sometimes you should just tell them the word and keep enjoying the story together.

We're simply trying to build the habit of looking closely at the word before looking to someone else for the answer.

When should I pay closer attention?

If your child regularly avoids even trying unfamiliar words, becomes very frustrated by reading, or seems unable to use letter-sound knowledge they’ve already been taught, that’s worth a conversation with their teacher.

Ask whether they’re seeing the same thing at school. They might be, or they might be seeing something completely different. Sometimes a child who works through words at school is simply too tired by bedtime to put that same effort into reading at home. On the other hand, some children work incredibly hard to hold it together or mask their struggles during the school day, and parents see much more frustration once they’re home and comfortable.

Neither observation should be dismissed. Share what you’re seeing at home and ask what the teacher is noticing at school. Comparing the two can give you a much clearer picture of whether your child is struggling with the reading itself, or whether something else might be contributing.

This one can really surprise parents.

A child might sound fluent and confident while reading aloud but still have difficulty understanding what they've read.

Sometimes children are working so hard to decode the words that they don't have much brain power left for understanding the story. As decoding becomes easier and more automatic, comprehension improves too.

Other times, a child can decode beautifully but may struggle with vocabulary, background knowledge or more complex language.

What can you do?

Talk about what you're reading together, but try not to turn it into a quiz.

You might ask:

“What do you think is happening here?”

“Why do you think she did that?”

“What do you think might happen next?”

And please keep reading aloud to your child, even when they're old enough to read independently.

Reading aloud lets children enjoy books that may be more complex than the ones they can read themselves. It builds vocabulary, knowledge and comprehension.

Plus, it's just a really nice thing to do together.

When should I pay closer attention?

If your child consistently reads the words accurately but has difficulty explaining what they’ve read or answering basic questions about it, I’d bring it up with their teacher.

For children whose first language isn’t English, there’s another piece to consider. A child may be able to read the English words accurately but not yet have the vocabulary, background knowledge or language skills in English to fully understand what they’re reading. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have a problem with comprehension.

One helpful thing to try is reading a story aloud in your child’s first language and talking about it together. Can they tell you what happened, explain why something happened, make connections or answer questions about the story? If their comprehension is much stronger in their first language, English language development may be playing a role.

If they’re having similar difficulty understanding stories in their first language too, I’d mention that to the teacher as well. It doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong, but it’s useful information and may be a reason to look a little more closely at what’s getting in the way.

Please don't finish reading this and start testing your child at the dinner table tonight.

Seriously.

Kids have good days and bad days. They get tired. They encounter unfamiliar words. Sometimes they guess. Sometimes they forget something they knew yesterday.

We're looking for patterns, not one-off mistakes.

If something you're seeing consistently concerns you, start with your child's teacher.

And instead of simply asking:

“Are they reading at grade level?”

try asking:

“What happens when my child comes to a word they don't know?”

“How is their reading comprehension?”

“Is their reading progressing the way you would expect at this point in the year?”

Those questions can tell you a lot more than a reading level ever could.

I'll be sharing more about reading over the next few weeks, including what reading struggles can look like, what you can do at home, and when it might be time to ask for more support.

Because you shouldn't need a teaching degree to understand how your child is learning to read.

That's what School, Decoded is here for.

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Talk soon,

Susie

School, Decoded is an independent publication reflecting my own views and experiences as an educator. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by my employer or any school board.