Case Study: A Little Boy’s Journey to Becoming a Reader: From Frustration to Joy
When I first met this little boy, reading felt like an uphill battle for him - every attempt left him feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. He struggled with recognising his letter sounds, which are the essential foundation for reading. Every time we sat down with a book, his confidence would waver. It was clear he needed more than just lessons - he needed patience, encouragement, and the right strategies to help him find his way.
We began with regular, focused interventions. Slowly, he started to recognise his initial sounds - an important first step in learning to read. But the journey didn’t stop there; blending sounds together to read simple CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) like cat, dog, and sun was still a challenge.
I knew I couldn’t do this alone, so I arranged a meeting with his mum. Together, we discussed strategies to support him at home and set achievable targets. It was crucial for us to work as a team, ensuring consistency between home and our sessions so he could build on his progress every day. Our reading sessions became a part of his daily routine, filled with creative, engaging strategies to help him connect with words.
Some of the strategies we used were:
Sound-pinching: Pinch each letter sound on our fingers before blending them together to say the whole word.
Magnetic letter games: Rearranging letters to form different CVC words, making it a fun puzzle for him to solve.
Sound-hop games: Placing letter sounds on the floor and having him jump from sound to sound to blend them together physically.
Clapping sounds: Clapping out each sound in a word before blending them aloud.
Picture matching: Matching CVC words to their corresponding pictures to reinforce word recognition.
I-Spy games: Using initial sounds in a playful guessing game, like “I spy with my little eye something beginning with s.”
Simple sentence building: Using word cards to build easy sentences like ‘I can run’ or ‘The cat is big’, helping him see how words work together.
Bit by bit, I began to see his confidence grow. His face would light up when he read a word correctly, and each small victory built upon the last. Then came the breakthrough moment. One day, he read a full sentence for the very first time. I called him to the front of the class to read it aloud. His classmates applauded him, and his eyes shone with pride. It was a heart-warming reminder of how powerful encouragement and persistence can be.
From that day onwards, everything changed. I would find him quietly sitting in the book corner, flipping through pages, trying to read independently. Sometimes, I’d catch him glancing over at me, checking if I noticed. I’d smile, and he would return a shy but proud grin. His hard work didn’t go unnoticed - he proudly earned ‘Star of the Week’ for his incredible improvement in reading. Every child can discover the joy of reading - it just takes the right support, patience, and encouragement.
If your child is struggling with reading or writing, let’s work together to build their confidence and unlock their love for learning. I’m here to support them every step of the way!
