Evidence-based reading strategies every parent should know

You're not imagining it - reading really is harder for your child

Your child sits down with a book, and you can see it happening: the hesitation, the guessing, the frustration building with every line. You've tried flashcards. You've downloaded apps. You've spent bedtime after bedtime trying to help, but nothing seems to click.

Here's what you need to know:

It's not about trying harder. It's about knowing what actually works.

The difference between spinning your wheels and making real progress comes down to evidence-based reading instruction - strategies proven through decades of research to build confident, fluent readers.

At Ravinia Reading Center, our speech-language pathologists use these methods every single day. Let's talk about what "evidence-based" really means, and how you can bring these powerful strategies into your home.

What "evidence-based" really means (and why it matters)

Evidence-based isn't just a buzzword. It means strategies that have been tested, studied, and proven to work, not just ideas that sound good or went viral on TikTok.

At the heart of evidence-based reading instruction is something called the Science of Reading - a massive body of research that has identified exactly what children need to become strong readers. It all comes down to five essential skills:

1. Phonemic awareness — the ability to hear and play with sounds in words

2. Phonics — connecting letters to the sounds they make

3. Fluency — reading smoothly, accurately, and with expression

4. Vocabulary — understanding what words actually mean

5. Comprehension — making sense of it all

Every child needs all five. And they need them taught directly, clearly, and systematically, not left to chance.

1. Start with sounds: Phonemic awareness

Before your child can read words on a page, their brain needs to recognize that words are made up of individual sounds. This is phonemic awareness, and it's the foundation everything else is built on.

What this looks like at home:

Turn daily moments into sound games. In the car, ask: "What rhymes with dog?" At dinner: "If I take the b off ball, what word do I have?"

Point out sounds everywhere like the ch in chips, the ending sound in jump. Make it playful. These tiny moments are training your child's brain to process language in a new way.

2. Make letters and sounds connect: Phonics

Phonics isn't about memorizing whole words. It's about teaching your child the code of how letters work together to create sounds, and how sounds build words.

What this looks like at home:

When you're reading together, pause and point out patterns. "See sh in ship? That makes one sound." Use magnetic letters on the fridge to build simple words, then change one letter at a time: cat becomes hat becomes bat.

Find patterns in books your child loves and talk about them. Repetition isn't boring, it's how learning sticks.

When phonics is taught clearly and consistently, children stop guessing and start understanding.

3. Build speed and confidence: Fluency

Fluency is what makes reading feel effortless instead of exhausting. It's the bridge between sounding out words and actually enjoying a story.

What this looks like at home:

Read aloud together and let your child follow along with their finger. Re-read the same books over and over (yes, even if you're sick of them). Each time through, they'll get faster and smoother.

Show them what expressive reading sounds like. Change your voice for different characters. Pause for suspense. Make it come alive.

Even just ten minutes a day makes a difference.

4. Grow their vocabulary through real life

Children don't learn words from flashcards. They learn them from rich, meaningful conversations, the kind that happen naturally when you're together.

What this looks like at home:

Talk about interesting words whenever they come up. At the park: "We're ascending the hill - that means going up!" At the grocery store: "This fruit is peculiar. Have you ever seen one like this?"

When your child asks what a word means, explore it together. Wonder out loud. Make it a conversation, not a quiz.

The best vocabulary instruction happens in moments you're already sharing.

5. Help them think about what they read: Comprehension

Comprehension is the whole point. It's not just decoding words, it's understanding them, thinking about them, caring about them.

What this looks like at home:

Ask real questions about stories. Not just "What happened?" but "Why do you think she did that?" or "What would you have done?"

Pause mid-story and predict together: "What do you think will happen next?" At the end of a chapter, summarize together: "So what just happened? What's going on now?"

Good readers are active thinkers. Show your child what that looks like.

When home support isn't enough

You're doing everything right, like practicing sounds, reading together, staying patient, and positive. But your child is still struggling.

This isn't a failure on anyone's part. Some children, especially those with dyslexia or other reading differences, need more than even the most dedicated parent can provide at home. They need specialized, structured intervention designed to address the root causes of their reading challenges.

That's where we come in.

At Ravinia Reading Center, our speech-language pathologists use evidence-based methods grounded in the Science of Reading to help children break through barriers and become the readers they're meant to be.

Ready to see what's possible?

If you're tired of guessing and ready to use strategies that actually work, let's talk.