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The Reading Gap – Week 5

When Progress Isn’t Obvious (But Everything Is Working)

Week-by-Week Progress Tracker

• Week 1: You’re Not Failing Them: The Real Reason They Pull Away (Past Issue)

• Week 2: How Kids Build Hidden Shields Against Reading (Past Issue)

• Week 3: The Story Isn’t the Problem (It’s the Setup) (Past Issue)

• Week 4: How to Rebuild Trust After the “Just Read It” Phase (Past Issue)

• Week 5: When Progress Isn’t Obvious (But Everything Is Working) (You are here)

• Week 6: Making It Stick: How to Build a Gentle Reading Rhythm

Not all progress looks like pages.

Sometimes it’s less fidgeting, a slower exit from the room, a glance at the cover, or the way they don’t argue when you reach for the book.

These are wins.

But they’re easy to miss because they don’t feel like the “big moment” we’re taught to look for.
But with reluctant readers, the big moments aren’t the goal.

Safety is, rhythm is, and presence is. And that kind of progress rarely makes a sound.

This Week’s Insight:

Here are some of the quiet wins worth noticing:

• They sit longer than they used to.

• They ask a question about a character.

• They bring you a book, even if they don’t want to read it.

• They say ‘OK’ when you suggest reading.

• They listen, even if they don’t read.

• They reread something you didn’t expect.

Each of these is a step back toward trust, connection and readiness.

Progress isn't always loud.
But it is always worth noticing.

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Reflection for Parents and Carers:

• What has shifted even slightly since we began?

• What do I want to celebrate quietly, even if no one else sees it?

What you notice is what you nurture.

This Week’s Gentle Challenge:

Spot three invisible wins this week.
Say them out loud.
Let your child hear what you’re seeing, even if they shrug it off.
Because what’s noticed with love… grows.

Next week, we’ll show you how to gently make reading part of your family's rhythm, not as a task, but as a moment that belongs.

And when it belongs, it lasts.