When a Bright Student Struggles to Read
You’ve seen it before—a bright, eager student who just can’t seem to grasp reading. No matter how much you practice with them or how often they’re read to, they struggle to sound out words, mix up letters, and become frustrated when reading aloud.
They may be growing up in a home filled with books, where reading is encouraged and valued. Yet, despite repeatedly reviewing letter sounds and practicing sight words, they don’t seem to retain what they’ve learned.
For these students, reading can feel like an unsolvable puzzle, leading to frustration, avoidance, and self-doubt. As educators and parents, we start to feel discouraged, wondering if we’re missing something. And the student? They may begin to believe that they’re simply not good at reading—a heartbreaking mindset that can follow them for years.
But the reality is, their struggle has a cause. And more importantly, it has a solution.
The Key to Reading Success: Phonological Awareness
For many struggling readers, the missing piece isn’t effort or exposure—it’s phonological awareness. This essential skill allows students to hear, identify, and manipulate the sounds in words—the foundation for strong reading and spelling.
A student with weak phonological awareness may:
- struggle to break words into individual sounds (phonemes)
- have difficulty blending sounds together to form words
- confuse similar-sounding words or misread common words
- avoid reading because it feels too difficult
Without explicit instruction in how sounds work together, struggling readers are left trying to memorize words rather than truly understanding them.
The result? Slow, effortful reading and poor comprehension. Sound familiar?
How to Strengthen Phonological Awareness
A research-based approach to reading goes beyond phonics drills and sight word memorization. Struggling readers need structured, multisensory activities that strengthen phonological awareness, phoneme manipulation, and word recognition.
Here’s what that looks like in action:
Building Phonological Awareness
Students need practice breaking words into phonemes, blending them together, and recognizing sound patterns. These skills help them decode words accurately and fluently.
Using Multisensory Learning
Reading isn’t just a visual task—it involves listening, speaking, movement, and tactile learning. Activities that engage multiple senses make learning more effective and memorable.
Providing Step-by-Step, Explicit Instruction
Rather than hoping students will “pick up” reading skills on their own, a structured approach clearly and intentionally guides them through phoneme segmentation, blending, and manipulation.
Try These Practical, Research-Based Activities
If you’re supporting a struggling reader, here are a few engaging and effective ‘games’ that can boost phonological awareness:
I Spy With My Little Ear
Say: “I spy something that starts with /m/ (sound it out rather than use the letter sound).” Students guess the object while strengthening their ability to identify beginning, middle, and ending phonemes (sounds).
Jump the Sounds
Say a word like “dog” and have students jump forward for each phoneme (sound):
/d/ (jump) /o/ (jump) /g/ (jump)/. This reinforces sound segmentation in a fun and physical way.
By making phoneme awareness interactive and engaging, struggling readers develop the skills they need to decode words with confidence.
There is no quick fix, and this will require many repetitions, so making it fun helps us all endure.
The Transformation: From Frustration to Confidence
When students receive the right support, they stop struggling and start thriving.
They begin to:
✔ read more fluently and independently
✔ recognize and blend phonemes more easily
✔ feel confident in their reading abilities
✔ enjoy books rather than avoid them
The difference between a struggling reader and a thriving reader isn’t about intelligence or the books that surround them—it’s about giving them the right tools and strategies. With structured, research-based instruction, students don’t just learn to read—they gain the confidence to succeed.
Want More Phonological Awareness Strategies?
If you’re looking for step-by-step guidance on helping struggling readers, there are valuable resources available that provide practical activities, intervention techniques, and structured literacy strategies.
Download our free resource to explore effective phonological awareness activities that will help struggling readers succeed.
If you’re a parent, educator, or therapist looking for a structured, research-based approach to literacy intervention with hands-on training, you’ll be interested in theRx for Reading Workshop. You’ll gain practical tools to implement phonological awareness strategies with confidence.
Learn more at NILDCANADA.org/Events.
By giving students the right support, we don’t just teach them to read—we help them unlock their full potential.