When your child is receiving specialist dyslexia tutoring, the sessions themselves are only part of the picture. What happens between sessions — at home, every day — plays an enormous role in how quickly and how fully your child makes progress. Parents who are actively involved in supporting their child's learning between tutoring sessions consistently see better outcomes than those who leave everything to the tutor.
But supporting a child with dyslexia at home does not mean becoming a teacher. It does not mean drilling phonics flashcards at the kitchen table until everyone is exhausted and frustrated. It means creating an environment where your child feels safe, supported, and encouraged — and weaving small, powerful habits into everyday family life that reinforce the skills their tutor is building.
At The Learnability, we work closely with parents throughout every program — sharing what their child is working on and providing practical guidance on how to support learning at home. In this guide we share the most effective ways parents can support their child with dyslexia between tutoring sessions, in plain and practical terms.
1. Read Aloud Together Every Day
One of the most powerful things you can do for a child with dyslexia is read aloud to them every day. This is not a consolation prize for a child who cannot read independently — it is a genuinely valuable activity that builds vocabulary, background knowledge, listening comprehension, and a love of stories, all without the stress of decoding.
When you read aloud to your child, choose books that are slightly above their independent reading level — books they would not be able to read on their own but can fully understand and enjoy when listened to. This exposes them to richer language and more complex ideas than they could access through their own reading, building the knowledge and vocabulary that strong readers rely on.
Read with expression, pause to discuss what is happening, ask questions about the story, and let your child ask questions too. Make it a warm, enjoyable part of the day rather than a reading lesson. The goal is to build a positive relationship with books and stories — which is especially important for children who have come to associate reading with difficulty and frustration.
2. Use Audiobooks Alongside Physical Books
Audiobooks are not cheating. For children with dyslexia, audiobooks are an essential tool that allows them to access stories, information, and ideas that their decoding skills cannot yet reach. A child who listens to audiobooks while following along in the physical book gets double the benefit — hearing the words read fluently while also seeing the text on the page.
Many children with dyslexia discover a genuine love of books through audiobooks — and that love of stories is something to nurture and celebrate. It is the foundation on which a love of reading can be built as decoding skills develop. Services like Learning Ally and Bookshare provide audiobooks specifically for students with reading disabilities, often at no cost with appropriate documentation.
3. Create a Calm and Organised Learning Space
Children with dyslexia often also have difficulties with working memory, organisation, and attention — all of which are made worse by a cluttered, distracting environment. Creating a calm, organised space for reading and homework helps your child focus their limited cognitive resources on the task at hand rather than filtering out environmental distractions.
A simple desk in a quiet corner, good lighting, minimal clutter, and all necessary materials within easy reach can make a significant difference to how productively your child can work. Reduce screen distractions during homework and reading time — television, notifications, and background noise all compete for cognitive resources that your child needs for learning.
4. Never Ask Your Child to Read Aloud Without Preparation
One of the most anxiety-provoking experiences for a child with dyslexia is being asked to read aloud unexpectedly — whether at home or at school. The fear of stumbling over words in front of others, of being seen to struggle, is deeply stressful and can reinforce a child's negative feelings about reading.
At home, never put your child on the spot with unexpected reading. If you want to hear them read aloud, give them time to read a passage silently first — to familiarise themselves with the words before performing. Better yet, read a passage aloud yourself first, modelling fluent reading, and then invite your child to try. This reduces the pressure and makes reading aloud a much more positive experience.
5. Practise the Skills Their Tutor Is Teaching
Ask your child's tutor — at The Learnability, we always share this with parents — what specific skills are being worked on in sessions and how you can reinforce them at home. Short, regular practice of the skills being taught in tutoring sessions significantly accelerates progress.
This does not need to be long or formal. Five to ten minutes of targeted practice each day — reviewing letter sounds, practising word reading, or doing a short spelling activity — is far more effective than an hour of general reading practice. Little and often is the key principle for consolidating new skills in children with dyslexia.
If your child is working with us on the Orton-Gillingham approach or the Wilson Reading System, their tutor will provide specific home practice activities aligned with what is being covered in sessions. Follow these consistently and you will see faster progress.
6. Build Vocabulary Through Conversation
Vocabulary is one of the strongest predictors of reading comprehension. Children who know the meanings of more words understand more of what they read. And the most powerful way to build vocabulary in children is not through flashcards or vocabulary lists — it is through rich, varied, engaging conversation.
Talk with your child about everything — what you are cooking for dinner, how a car engine works, why the sky is blue, what happened in the news. Use interesting and varied language. When you use a word your child does not know, pause and explain it in a natural way rather than making it feel like a lesson. Read interesting non-fiction books and articles aloud and discuss the ideas they contain.
Children with dyslexia often have strong verbal abilities and genuine intellectual curiosity that is masked by their reading difficulties. Stimulating that curiosity through conversation builds the vocabulary and background knowledge that will support their reading comprehension as their decoding skills develop.
7. Celebrate Every Step of Progress
Children with dyslexia work harder than most of their peers to achieve the same reading results. Every word they decode correctly, every sentence they read fluently, every book they finish is a genuine achievement that deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated. Make sure your child knows that you see their effort, you value their progress, and you are proud of them — not just when they succeed, but when they try.
Avoid comparing your child's reading to their siblings or classmates. Dyslexia makes reading harder — that is a neurological fact, not a character flaw. Comparisons to other children, however well-intentioned, can be deeply damaging to a child's self-esteem. Instead compare your child to themselves — to where they were six months ago, to what they could not do that they can do now. Progress relative to their own starting point is the only meaningful measure.
8. Talk Openly About Dyslexia
Many children with dyslexia feel confused, different, and ashamed about their reading difficulties — particularly if those difficulties have not been explained to them in a clear and positive way. Talking openly about dyslexia — what it is, what it means, and what it does not mean — can be enormously relieving and empowering for a child who has been silently wondering why reading is so much harder for them than for their friends.
Explain dyslexia in simple, positive terms. It means their brain works differently when it comes to reading — not better or worse, just differently. Many brilliant, creative, and successful people have dyslexia. With the right support, they can absolutely learn to read well. Emphasise their strengths — the things they are good at, the qualities they have that have nothing to do with reading — and help them build a positive sense of identity that is not defined by their dyslexia.
9. Communicate Regularly With Their Tutor
The more you understand about what your child is learning in their tutoring sessions, the more effectively you can support them at home. At The Learnability, we actively involve parents in their child's progress — sharing session updates, explaining what is being worked on, and providing practical guidance on home support.
If you have questions about your child's progress, concerns about how they are responding to the program, or observations from home that you think are relevant, share them with their tutor. The tutor-parent partnership is one of the most important factors in a child's success in specialist tutoring — and we value it highly.
10. Be Patient and Trust the Process
Progress with dyslexia intervention takes time. The brain needs repeated, consistent exposure to new reading pathways to build and strengthen them. There will be days when your child seems to have forgotten everything they learned the week before. There will be weeks when progress seems to have stalled. This is normal and expected — it does not mean the intervention is not working.
Trust the process, trust the tutor, and keep going. Consistency over time is what produces lasting results. The families who see the most dramatic progress are almost always those who stay committed through the difficult patches rather than stopping and starting in response to short-term fluctuations.
And remember — you are not alone in this. At The Learnability, we are with you and your child every step of the way. Our tutors are here not just to teach your child but to support your whole family through the journey. You can always reach out to us if you have questions or concerns at any point.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time should my child spend on reading practice at home each day?
For most children with dyslexia, 10 to 15 minutes of focused, structured reading practice each day is more effective than longer, unfocused sessions. The key is consistency — every day is better than occasional long sessions. Ask your child's tutor at The Learnability for specific recommendations based on what your child is working on in sessions.
My child refuses to read at home — what should I do?
Reading refusal is very common in children with dyslexia and is usually a response to the anxiety and frustration that reading produces. Do not force it — that will make the anxiety worse. Instead focus on reading aloud to your child, using audiobooks, and building positive associations with books and stories. As their reading skills improve through tutoring, reading refusal typically reduces naturally.
Should I correct my child every time they misread a word?
No — constant correction is discouraging and increases reading anxiety. Let minor errors pass if they do not change the meaning of what is being read. If an error does change the meaning, gently draw attention to it without criticism: "Let's look at that word again — what sounds do you see?" Ask your tutor at The Learnability for specific guidance on how to handle errors during home reading practice.
Are there apps or games that can help my child with dyslexia at home?
Yes. Several apps and digital tools are designed specifically for children with dyslexia and can provide enjoyable, low-pressure practice of reading and phonics skills at home. Ask your child's tutor at The Learnability for recommendations that align with what your child is working on in sessions.
How can I find out more about supporting my child's dyslexia at home?
The best source of guidance is your child's specialist tutor — at The Learnability we provide parents with regular updates and practical home support advice. You can also contact us directly with any questions and we will be happy to help.
You Are Your Child's Most Important Supporter
No specialist tutor, however skilled, can replicate the impact of a parent who is engaged, encouraging, and consistent in their support. The home environment your child grows up in — the conversations you have, the books you read together, the way you talk about reading and learning — shapes their relationship with literacy in ways that go far deeper than any tutoring session.
You do not need to be a reading specialist to make a profound difference to your child's journey with dyslexia. You just need to be present, patient, and positive — and to partner with the specialist tutors at The Learnability who are doing the technical work of building your child's reading skills.
Book your free trial session today and let us show you how we can work together to support your child's reading journey.
You can also contact us directly or call us at (310) 218-9466 — we are always happy to talk through how we can best support your child and your family.