Back to School Confidence: Helping Struggling Readers Start Strong
A Fresh Start, A Big Transition
September brings sharpened pencils, new routines, and big expectations. For many children, it’s exciting, but for those with dyslexia or literacy difficulties, “back to school” can also bring worry.
Parents often notice their child’s confidence dip as they anticipate the reading, spelling, and writing challenges ahead. At Nessy, we want to flip that story. With the right support, strategies, and encouragement, every child can go back to school feeling confident and capable.
Why Struggling Readers Need a Different Approach
It’s not always helpful, or fair, to tell a dyslexic child to “just practice reading more.” In fact, this can backfire, causing stress and avoidance. The real key is structured literacy, where reading is broken down into manageable steps:
- Phonological Awareness - Hearing syllables, rhymes, and sound patterns in words.
- Phonics - Learning the 70+ sound-letter combinations in English.
- Decoding - Chunking and blending those sounds to read words.
- Fluency, Vocabulary & Comprehension - Building up towards meaning and expression.
When children learn this way, reading becomes less of a battle and more of a puzzle they can solve.
Practical Back-to-School Strategies for Parents
1. Build Gentle Routines
Reintroduce bedtimes and school-day rhythms. Instead of long reading sessions, schedule short, enjoyable learning bursts.
2. Use Decodable Readers
Choose books that only contain sounds your child has already learned. This creates success, not frustration, and builds confidence step by step.
3. Embrace Multisensory Learning
Nessy’s structured literacy programs use sight, sound, and movement together, strengthening memory and making practice feel like play.
4. Expose Children to Language in Different Ways
Read aloud together, listen to audiobooks, and discuss stories. This builds vocabulary and comprehension without the exhaustion of decoding every word.
5. Protect Downtime
Don’t let reading struggles take away the things your child loves; whether that’s sports, art, or music. These activities help build self-esteem and balance. Too often dyslexic children are sat down to read more to the detriment of their downtime.
How Nessy Helps Children Go Back to School with Confidence
Our programs are designed to:
- Break reading into manageable chunks.
- Provide playful, interactive practice through Hairy Reading and Nessy Reading & Spelling.
- Build skills step by step, without overwhelm.
- Motivate children through games, characters, and rewards.
Parents don’t need to be teachers; Nessy guides the process.
Real Success Stories
One parent told us: “My daughter used to dread school. After using Nessy, she feels proud of her reading and actually wants to show her teacher what she’s learned.”
Another shared: “Audiobooks and Nessy together changed everything. Now homework time doesn’t end in tears.”
Confidence is the Goal
Back to school doesn’t have to mean stress. With routines, structured support, and joyful learning, children can return to class with the tools and the confidence to thrive.