Emotional support for children with literacy difficulties: Words First experts share their top tips
Nurture a child or young person’s emotional health and confidence as well as their literacy skills, says Words First’s Educational Psychologist, Andrew Snelling.
This year’s International Literacy Day on the 8th September focuses on the theme of “Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace”.
Our Words First professionals are certainly used to supporting pupils who speak more than one language. But for those with literacy challenges, it can take an extra toll on their confidence and self-esteem.
Educational Psychologist, Andrew Snelling explains:
“For any child, struggling to read and write can often lead to feelings of frustration, low self-esteem and anxiety which can, in turn, hinder not only their academic progress but the child’s emotional wellbeing too. It is crucial to address these emotional aspects when helping children with literacy difficulties by creating a supportive learning environment that fosters resilience and a positive attitude towards reading and writing.”
Whether you’re a parent or a professional, how can we do this in practice?
Andrew has teamed up with Words First’s Safeguarding Lead and Education Consultant, Claire Stewart, to share their top 10 tips that will form the foundations to nurture your child/student’s emotional health and build their confidence in reading and writing.
- Recognise the emotional impact
Understand that struggling with literacy can affect a child’s self-esteem and confidence. Be aware of any signs of frustration, anxiety, or ways that they avoid reading and writing tasks.
- Create a safe and supportive environment
Foster an atmosphere where mistakes are welcomed and simply seen as just a natural part of learning. Provide consistent encouragement and celebrate small achievements to build their confidence.
- Build positive relationships
Develop strong, trusting relationships with your child/student to make them feel valued and understood. Use empathy to connect with their experiences and feelings around their specific challenges.
- Encourage a growth mindset
Teach and reinforce the idea that abilities improve with effort and practice. Share stories of famous individuals who overcame literacy difficulties to inspire perseverance. Spiderman (Tom Holland) and Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) are pretty good places to start!
- Personalise Learning Experiences
Tailor your learning tasks to match the child’s interests and strengths as much as possible. Include multisensory activities to make reading and writing more accessible and less daunting.
- Access to Resources
Provide access to a variety of reading materials that cater to different levels and a range of interests. Use technology and assistive tools to support reading and writing tasks to make it less stressful for the child or young person.
- Use Audiobooks
Introduce audiobooks as an enjoyable and low-stress way to engage with stories and factual information. You can use these to develop listening skills and comprehension, and as a model for fluent reading. Allow your child/student to follow along in the book while listening – this will support word recognition and help embed pronunciation of words.
- Support at home
Create a literacy-rich environment at home with plenty of books and writing materials. Set aside regular time for reading together and try and make it fun. Prioritise reading time as a quality moment to connect with your child.
- Tap into professional support
If you still have concerns, reach out to your child’s teacher or SENCO and ask for a referral to an Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, or other literacy expert for a more specialist assessment and targeted support.
- Above all, be patient and positive and offer lots of consistent praise and encouragement.
