Some learners have difficulty learning to read and this can be for a variety of reasons. They may have underlying visual perceptual deficits, sensory processing issues or an array of other core foundational barriers that hinder their ability to successfully read as their peers do. So what can be done about this challenge?

My solution to any problem that a child faces, is to try find a fun way of approaching any potential solution. Our featured image for this blog was with one specific child who struggled immensely with letter sounds and sight word recognition. It was especially torture for this poor young man to have to read anything on the days that he knew his classmates had no homework. So what did we do?

We made reading fun. We came up with out own sort of boardgame of "Word Bingo" using some words he excitedly came up with on his own as well as some sight words that should be familiar to him by now. By the end of the session, this young man came running up to me with a hug and an excited "Dankie dat ons vandag so lekker kon saam speel!" He hadn't even realized that we had in fact, been reading all along - his most dreaded task.

This is just one example of ways that we can make reading more fun for children, and ultimately, get them more engaged and motivated in the task. Another great way is to choose an exciting book and then act out the story together. Kids love it when you can be a bit silly with them. Choose books that they will be interested in. For example, it doesn't exactly help you choosing a book about ballerinas for a little boy who is super into bugs.

Find connections between the books and real life around them. If your child can link what they read about to their lived experience they will be more likely to want to read more. So too if you give the child a measure of control over their situation and let them choose the books themselves.

So, in conclusion, reading is a vital skill that needs to be developed during the childhood years to help formulate a successful future, however, you as a parent will have more success in doing so, if your approach is fun.