Learning to read is one of the most important—and complex—milestones of early childhood. Between kindergarten and third grade, children move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” When a child struggles to keep up during this critical stage, it can impact confidence, academic performance, and even how they view themselves as learners.
Below are seven research-based reasons children in elementary school may struggle with reading—and what you can do to help.

1. Weak Phonological Awareness and Decoding Skills

Reading begins with the ability to recognize that words are made up of individual sounds and that those sounds connect to letters. This skill—called phonological awareness—is a key predictor of later reading success.¹

Children who struggle in this area often guess at words based on the first letter or context rather than sounding them out. For example, they might read “dog” as “door” or “dig.” This signals a gap in decoding skills.
Research from the National Reading Panel shows that explicit, systematic phonics instruction—teaching letter-sound relationships in a planned sequence—is far more effective than letting children “discover” patterns through exposure.²

Without these foundational decoding skills, comprehension suffers because too much mental energy is spent trying to figure out each word instead of understanding the story.³ Parents can help by playing sound games (“What rhymes with cat?”), practicing letter sounds daily, and reading short decodable books together.

2. Limited Vocabulary and Language Exposure

A child’s reading ability is closely tied to how many words they understand when spoken aloud. If children enter kindergarten with limited vocabulary, it can be hard for them to make sense of written sentences.⁴

Hart and Risley’s groundbreaking study found that children from higher-income households hear tens of millions more words than those from lower-income homes by age four, creating a “word gap.”⁵ For example, a child who frequently hears rich language like “enormous,” “adventure,” or “discovered” will later find these words familiar in print, while another child might not.

Parents can nurture vocabulary through everyday conversation, storytelling, and shared reading. Describe what you’re doing (“Let’s measure the flour!”), ask open-ended questions, and rephrase your child’s responses with new words. The more words they hear, the easier reading comprehension becomes.

3. Inadequate or Misaligned Instruction

Even motivated students can struggle when classroom instruction doesn’t align with the science of how children learn to read.⁶ Many schools still use outdated methods emphasizing “three-cueing”—encouraging children to guess words from pictures or context rather than decoding them.

This approach may seem intuitive, but it can mask underlying decoding issues. A child might appear to read well in early grades but then stall when texts become more complex and pictures disappear.⁷

High-quality reading instruction should balance phonics, fluency, and comprehension, with structured, cumulative lessons. If your child’s school emphasizes guessing over phonics, ask how reading progress is monitored and whether a phonics-based intervention (like Fundations or Letterland) is available.

4. Gaps in Early Identification and Intervention

Early intervention can make or break reading success. Research shows that 88% of first graders who struggle to read continue struggling in fourth grade if not given timely help.⁸

Too often, schools take a “wait and see” approach—hoping children will “catch up.” But waiting delays support during the most crucial developmental window.⁹ Early literacy screenings can detect issues like phonemic deficits, slow fluency, or poor letter recognition before they snowball.

Parents should ask whether their school uses tools like DIBELS or MAP Growth for early literacy screening. If not, outside assessments or tutoring programs focused on phonemic awareness (such as Lindamood-Bell or Barton Reading) can provide targeted help. Early intervention is far more effective—and less frustrating—than remediation later on.

5. Cognitive, Attentional, or Processing Differences

Sometimes reading struggles stem from differences in how a child’s brain processes language, not from poor effort or teaching. Dyslexia, ADHD, or working memory challenges can make decoding and retaining sounds difficult.¹⁰

A dyslexic child, for example, may reverse letters, skip words, or struggle to recall spelling patterns even after practice.¹¹ These differences are neurological, not motivational. Brain imaging studies reveal that children with dyslexia use alternate neural pathways for reading, which means they benefit from structured, repetitive instruction rather than traditional “look and say” methods.

Parents should monitor signs such as inconsistent spelling, avoiding reading aloud, or frustration during homework. Comprehensive evaluations from an educational psychologist or reading specialist can confirm if interventions like Orton–Gillingham are needed.

6. The “Matthew Effect” in Reading

The Matthew Effect describes how early advantages—or disadvantages—compound over time: strong readers improve faster, while struggling readers fall further behind.¹²

Children who find reading difficult often avoid it, missing the daily practice that builds fluency and vocabulary. For instance, a third grader who reads only 5 minutes a day is exposed to about 8,000 words per year, compared to 1.8 million words for a child who reads 20 minutes daily.¹³ This gap directly impacts comprehension, spelling, and background knowledge.

By fourth grade, reading transitions from a skill to a tool for learning science, social studies, and math. Students who haven’t mastered reading by then face academic hurdles across all subjects—and are four times more likely to drop out of high school.¹³

Encourage a “growth mindset” around reading—celebrate effort over perfection, and help your child find books they want to read.

7. Systemic and Environmental Challenges in the U.S.

Beyond individual factors, the U.S. faces a literacy crisis that affects millions of children. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data show that only 35% of fourth graders read at or above the proficient level.¹⁴

Nearly 40% perform below basic, unable to locate key ideas or make simple inferences from text.¹⁴ The COVID-19 pandemic widened this gap: according to Amplify’s 2024 report, one in three K–2 students are now “far behind” in reading benchmarks.¹⁵

Socioeconomic disparities remain stark—Black, Hispanic, and low-income students are disproportionately represented among struggling readers. Addressing these systemic gaps requires equitable access to early education, qualified reading teachers, and evidence-based curricula.

Parents can make a difference, too—by creating literacy-rich homes, advocating for school transparency, and modeling reading as a joyful, daily habit.

What Parents Can Do

Ask specific questions: “How is my child’s phonemic awareness being measured?” or “What phonics program does the school use?”
Read aloud daily, even to older children—this boosts comprehension and vocabulary.
Create a reading routine at home: bedtime stories, 10-minute book breaks, or audio books in the car.
Seek early assessment if your child avoids reading or shows persistent difficulty sounding out words.
Celebrate progress, not perfection—confidence is the bridge to fluency.

References

¹ National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read – An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). U.S. Government Printing Office.

² Ehri, L. C., Nunes, S. R., Stahl, S. A., & Willows, D. M. (2001). Systematic phonics instruction helps students learn to read: Evidence from the National Reading Panel’s meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 71(3), 393–447. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543071003393

³ Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. National Academy Press.

⁴ Justice, L. M., & Ezell, H. K. (2001). Word and print awareness in 4-year-old children. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 17(3), 207–225. https://doi.org/10.1177/026565900101700303

⁵ Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

⁶ National Council on Teacher Quality. (2023). New data finds major gaps in “science of reading” education for future elementary teachers. https://www.nctq.org/

⁷ Solari, E. J., Denton, C. A., Petscher, Y., & Vaughn, S. (2021). When children do not receive adequate reading instruction: The cost of low literacy. The Reading League Journal, 2(1), 8–15.

⁸ Juel, C. (1988). Learning to read and write: A longitudinal study of 54 children from first through fourth grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(4), 437–447. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.80.4.437

⁹ Torgesen, J. K. (2002). The prevention of reading difficulties. Journal of School Psychology, 40(1), 7–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(01)00092-9

¹⁰ Shaywitz, S. E. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for reading problems at any level. Alfred A. Knopf.

¹¹ Gabrieli, J. D. E., & Norton, E. S. (2012). Reading abilities: Importance of neuroscience to education. Neuropsychology, 26(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026361

¹² Stanovich, K. E. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21(4), 360–407. https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.21.4.1

¹³ Hernandez, D. J. (2011). Double jeopardy: How third-grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation. Annie E. Casey Foundation.

¹⁴ National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). The Nation’s Report Card: Reading 2022. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

¹⁵ Amplify Education. (2024). 2024 Midyear K–2 Reading Benchmark Report. https://amplify.com/reports

Why Is My Child Struggling to Read?