Reading is a complex skill set with five essential components – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension A child with dyslexia may struggle in one or more of these areas, yet these struggles can also be heavily influenced by environmental factors. This is also true for children with ADHD or who have difficulties with executive functioning.

Many parents want to support their child’s reading but feel short on time, or, are unsure where to start. The good news is that even small “reading moments” at home make a big difference.

Below are easy-to-do ideas that fit real family life. This is true, whether you have two minutes before bed, ten minutes on a car ride, or a few spare moments during breakfast. These simple strategies will help build a strong home reading environment that can aid children to build their vocabulary, strengthen their reading skills and learn to enjoy books, even on the busiest of days.

Many children are not getting enough quality sleep. Busy schedules and digital distractions are leading to later bedtimes, with bedtime routines missing the wind-down time that children need to prepare for sleep.

Research shows that insufficient sleep impairs children’s attention, memory, and self-control. These are important skills that make up executive functioning and promote cognitive development (abilities of processing information).

Children are surrounded by digital screens that minimize quiet time and reading time. Tablets, smartphones, games, and TV are everywhere, often replacing traditional reading and face-to-face interactions (social communications).

A recent study found that 40% of children have a tablet by age 2 and nearly 1 in 4 has a personal cellphone by age 8. Another finding was that over time screen time has remained the same at about 2.5 hours per day.

Example of what to replace screentime with are presented along with explanations of how each activity benefits learning. All are fun and are easy to do.

In this section we will look at the effects of too many structured activities—specifically,  those activities directed by others in which the child is engaged. These are different from a child’s self-directed activities.

‍Not all reading difficulties stem from lifestyles. How reading is taught in school can also determine whether a child learns to read fluently or struggles to learn. Research on the “science of reading” has shown that explicit instruction in phonics and phonological awareness is crucial for most beginning readers.

The research shared in this article highlights how environmental factors can influence reading development in a child. The research makes clear that parents can make a difference in the child’s journey of learning to read.