I’m Looking for Reading Exercises to Help My Dyslexic Child

“Mom, reading is hard.”

If you’ve heard this before—maybe through frustrated tears or quiet whispers at bedtime—you’re not alone. Supporting a dyslexic child between the ages of 6 and 12 on their reading journey can feel overwhelming. Every word can seem like a mountain to them, making reading feel less like a window to the world and more like a locked door.

As a parent, you’re probably not just seeking any exercises; you’re looking for the ones that work—that respect your child’s challenges, meet them where they are, and help build their confidence instead of chipping away at it. Let’s explore what truly helps when your child is dyslexic, and how to bring reading into their life in a way that feels less like a chore and more like an adventure.

Why Traditional Reading Exercises May Not Work

Most reading exercises were not designed with dyslexic children in mind. Many assume a child can decode phonetically or recognize sight words with ease. But dyslexia often changes how the brain processes written language. Often, these kids need to approach reading from different angles—through listening, movement, story personalization, and multisensory methods.

You might have already tried standard worksheets, flashcards, or endless phonics repetition. And if your child ends up exhausted or discouraged, it’s not because they’re not trying. It’s because reading doesn’t naturally wire itself the same way in their brain—and that’s okay. What they need is an approach tailored to how they learn, not how we expect them to.

If this resonates with you, our guide on making reading easier for a child with dyslexia is a good place to dig even deeper.

Approaches That Actually Help Dyslexic Kids Read

Instead of rigid routines, let’s focus on flexible and practical strategies that integrate into your daily rhythm. Here are a few ideas grounded in everyday life and real parent experiences:

1. Make Reading a Sensory Experience

Try using touch and movement in your reading activities. Trace words in sand or shaving cream. Use magnetic letters on the fridge. Let them build words with modeling clay. These types of activities activate multiple parts of the brain, helping children better internalize the forms, sounds, and meanings of words.

2. Reinforce Words Through Personalized Stories

Instead of relying solely on external books or lessons, create tiny adventures starring your child. Use their name, their favorite animal, their best friend. You can write a short story together one evening, then revisit it the next day. Children are far more engaged and motivated to read stories that revolve around their own world—and that personalization can help solidify vocabulary and sentence structure.

To go one step further, some tools even allow you to turn dry reading passages into narrated stories where your child is the hero. One such tool is the Skuli App, which can turn a lesson into a personalized audio adventure using your child’s name. Whether at the breakfast table or during a car ride, these stories turn passive listening into active learning and create powerful emotional connections with the material.

3. Swap Reading Time for Listening Time (Sometimes)

Many parents feel conflicted about using audiobooks or voice-based learning as a substitute for traditional reading. “Is that cheating?” is a question I hear often. The answer is no—it’s not cheating, it’s accommodating.

Research shows that listening to stories and lessons activates the same comprehension areas of the brain as reading. So, pairing text with audio doesn’t undermine learning—it supports it. Let your child listen to their favorite book on repeat. Use school notes turned into audio (many apps, including Skuli, offer this feature). If reading visually is a struggle, listening can build vocabulary, sentence rhythm, and story comprehension with far less resistance.

4. Keep Reading Moments Short and Sweet

You don’t need 45-minute reading blocks. Aim for ten minutes a couple of times a day. Choose books or texts your child finds interesting—even if they seem "below" their age level. Confidence matters more than grade level. And if they’re laughing or curious or asking questions, you’ve already won half the battle.

Looking for book suggestions that are dyslexia-friendly? Try our curated list of best books for dyslexic children aged 6 to 12.

Help, My Child Still Hates Reading!

It’s not a lost cause. Some children resist reading because it’s hard and humiliating. Imagine if every time you tried something, you were corrected, corrected again, then compared to peers. It’s exhausting. In that light, resistance looks more like a defense mechanism than disrespect.

Try shifting the environment.

• Maybe you read out loud while they follow along
• Maybe they draw a scene from a story instead of reading it
• Maybe you put the text to music and sing it together

Reading doesn’t have to look like reading in the traditional sense. Relax the rules. Focus on connection, not correction.

Support Beyond Reading

Often, reading struggles come bundled with other issues like focus or low self-esteem. If you’re noticing your child struggles to maintain attention, this guide on helping your dyslexic child stay attentive in class offers practical suggestions for both home and classroom environments.

And spelling—often a major stressor—improves best when approached creatively. Learn how with our strategies for supporting a dyslexic child in learning spelling.

Read Together, Grow Together

Your child will learn to read. Maybe not in the way others do or on the same timeline. But progress will come—slowly, quietly, then perhaps all at once. Stay gentle with yourself along the way. There is no one right path. What matters is that you’re walking it beside them.

And in those moments when you worry that nothing is working, remember: your presence, your patience, and your belief in your child might be the greatest reading resource they’ll ever have.