5 Early Signs Your Child Might Struggle with Reading (And What You Can Do)

Worried your child may be showing early signs of reading difficulty? You’re not alone. Many parents begin to sense something’s off when their child resists books, guesses at simple words, or just doesn’t seem to “get it” the way other kids do.

But here’s the good news: the earlier you spot potential reading red flags, the better. Early intervention makes a big difference, especially in kindergarten through second grade, when brains are rapidly building literacy foundations.

In this post, we’ll walk through 5 early warning signs that your child may be struggling with reading, plus what you can do at home to support them, without needing to be a teacher.

🎁 Want a printable version of these red flags plus easy at-home strategies?
Download my FREE Reading Red Flags Guide here →  Reading Red Flags

1. Difficulty Breaking Words Apart (Phonemic Awareness Issues)

What to Look For

Your child has trouble clapping out syllables or pulling apart the sounds in a word. For example, he/she might not be able to break “cat” into /c/ /a/ /t/.

Why It Matters

These are signs of weak phonemic awareness—a foundational skill that helps children blend and decode words. If this skill isn’t strong, everything else in reading becomes more difficult.

What You Can Do

🔹 Mix-and-Match Word Magic: Start with compound words. Try saying the two smaller words aloud (“sun” + “shine”) and model how they combine into “sunshine.” Then hand the reins over to your child and let him/her create his/her own silly combinations!

🔹 Word Puzzles That Click: Puzzles like the Junior Learning Compound Word sets help kids visualize how two words snap together to make a new one.

🔹 Syllable Scoops: Clap out syllables together using your child’s name and names like “Ra-chel” or “Al-ex-an-der.” You can tap them out, march them out, or even scoop them with an imaginary ice cream cone. Then reverse it: give them parts like “but” + “ter” + “fly” and ask them what word they hear.

🔹 Start Simple with Sound Blending: Begin with words that only have two sounds, like “am” or “in.” Stretch them out using continuous sounds—“aaaaammm.”

🔹 Tackle the Trickier Sounds: Once they’re comfortable with continuous sounds, add in stop sounds like /t/ or /b/. Try words that end with stop sounds (“up,” “at”) before trying words that start with them (“top,” “bat”).

🔹 Step It Up with Three-Sound Words: Move into CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words such as “sun” or “man.” Blending becomes smoother with practice and, eventually, the stretching fades into natural reading (“ssssuuunnn” becomes just “sun”).

🔹 Make the Invisible… Visible: Use Elkonin boxes, small coins, or even tapping fingers to show how many sounds are in a word. These tools give kids something to see and touch while they’re learning to hear.

2. Trouble Matching Letters to Sounds

What to Look For

Your child doesn’t consistently remember that “b” says /b/, “t” says /t/, and so on, even after repeated practice.

Why It Matters

This is a sign that your child is struggling with phonics and connecting letters to their sounds.

Early reading struggles can be more than just a phase. Sometimes, they’re important clues. One of the earliest indicators of dyslexia is difficulty connecting sounds to their matching letters. This can show up in ways that are easy to miss:

• 💡 Struggles with Letter Recognition: Your child may have trouble naming or recognizing letters, even after repeated practice.
• 🔁 Sound-Letter Confusion: He/she might not consistently recall which letter makes which sound, making word decoding feel like guesswork.
• 🐢 Slower Than Expected Progress: Despite effort and exposure, reading skills may not click, and your child could start avoiding reading altogether.

What You Can Do

🔡 Explicit Instruction

• Directly teach the relationship between letters and sounds, starting with phonemic awareness.
• Use systematic, structured approaches with consistent routines.
• Incorporate multisensory strategies, like visuals and hands-on practice.
• Regularly monitor progress and provide positive feedback.

✋ Multisensory Instruction

• Engage visual, auditory, and tactile senses in learning.
• Use tracing-and-saying activities with sand, salt, chalkboards, or whiteboards.
• Combine handwriting, sound, and letter formation for stronger retention.
• Incorporate tools (e.g., Eyewords Alpha Code Cards, sand/shaving cream for tracing, magnetic letters or tiles, sound walls with visual cues, and phonics games).

🔁 Phonological Chaining (Word Ladders)

• Strengthens sound manipulation and decoding.
• Step-by-step process:

1. Start with a base word (e.g., cat).
2. Change one letter at a time to form new words.
3. Continue the ladder (e.g., cat → hat → han → can → pan).

• Builds phonemic awareness by focusing on individual phoneme changes.

🌀  Repeated Practice

• Use daily flashcard drills and sound-letter identification games.
• Read aloud together while highlighting sounds and letter patterns.

🌟 Positive Reinforcement

• Celebrate small wins and consistent effort.
• Give praise and small rewards to boost motivation and confidence.

👉 You can find some of my favorite early literacy supports on my Learning Tools page. 

3. Guessing Words Instead of Sounding Them Out

What to Look For

Your child reads “house” as “home” or “cat” as “kitten” based on the picture—or he/she randomly guesses without attempting to sound it out.

Why It Matters

This often means a child is relying on context clues or memorization instead of decoding the letters in the word. It’s a key indicator that foundational reading skills are missing.

What You Can Do

• Cover pictures while reading to focus attention on words.
• Slow down and model blending: “s—u—n…sun.”
• Use decodable books that match your child’s current sound knowledge.
• Use the recommendations from the first two sections.

4. Struggling with Simple CVC Words

What to Look For

Your child gets stuck on basic three-letter words like “map,” “hot,” or “bed,” and can’t blend the sounds together consistently.

Why It Matters

These are CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant)—a first decoding step. Difficulty here suggests he/she needs targeted support in blending and segmenting.

What You Can Do

• Build words using magnetic letters and swap out the first letter: cat → bat → hat.
• Use sound boxes (Elkonin boxes) to tap out each sound.
• Reinforce success with repetition: confidence builds skill.
• Incorporate these skills into daily routines. For example, use snack time to play sound games.
• Use the recommendations from the first two sections.

🔗 Check out my list of recommended tools for struggling readers.

5. Avoiding Reading Altogether

What to Look For

Your child avoids reading, complains it’s too hard, or shows signs of frustration like shutting down, sighing, or melting down when asked to read.

Why It Matters

Avoidance is often a protective behavior—a way to avoid failure. If reading feels too hard or embarrassing, many kids would rather not try at all.

What You Can Do

• Read aloud to your child daily, even if he/she is resistant to reading himself/herself.
• Set small, achievable goals (1 page per night, not 1 book).
• Offer choices: let your child pick the book or topic.
• Use positive reinforcement: celebrate successes to boost motivation.

Questions You Might Have

At what age should I worry if my child isn’t reading?

If your child is in kindergarten or first grade and struggles with letter-sound knowledge or simple decoding, it’s time to take a closer look. Early action is better than waiting.

Can I really help at home without being a teacher?

Yes! You can absolutely make a difference with simple, consistent strategies. That’s why I created the Reading Red Flags Guide—so you’d know exactly what to do next.

Could this mean my child has dyslexia?

It’s possible. Many of these red flags overlap with early signs of dyslexia, but they can also reflect gaps in foundational instruction. A formal evaluation may help clarify what’s going on.

Take the Next Step: Free Reading Red Flags Guide

If you saw your child in any of these signs, don’t panic—you’re already doing the right thing by paying attention. Remember: recognizing red flags doesn’t mean something is wrong; it means you’re in the perfect position to help. Start small, stay consistent, and give yourself grace along the way.

📥 Download my FREE Reading Red Flags Guide to get:

• A printable red flags checklist
• Action steps you can start using right away

👉 Click here to get your free guide →Reading Red Flags

Need tools to get started?
🔗 Browse my Learning Tools page to find parent-friendly reading supports.