Helping struggling readers build confidence

I'd say the key is to make it feel low-pressure and encouraging. Let them choose books they like even if it's not school related (like comics), or topics they love.. this can make a big difference in motivation.

Audiobooks and read-alouds can also help. Listening to a story and following along in print builds fluency without the frustration of decoding every word (epic has an amazing library). Try to break it into shorter sessions, just 5-10 minutes at a time, with breaks in between. This makes the whole process less intimidating... and rereading familiar books is great for building confidence since they already know most of the words.

Remember that even reading one sentence is progress 😊 The goal is to keep reading a positive experience so their confidence grows naturally. Let me know if you’d like some book suggestions, happy to help!