You’re Not Failing Them

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The Reading Gap – Week 1

You’re Not Failing Them: The Real Reason They Pull Away

Week-by-Week Progress Tracker

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

• Week 2: How Kids Build Hidden Shields Against Reading

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

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

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

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

If you’ve ever thought:

"Why do they shut down the moment I say ‘reading time’?"

You’re not alone.

Many reluctant readers don’t resist because they dislike books. They resist because something in the experience feels mismatched, too fast, too hard, too exposed.

And for many parents, that resistance quietly begins to feel personal.

You try your best.

You research, you ask questions, you buy the books. And still, the response is a sigh… a meltdown… or complete silence.

This isn’t failure. It’s friction.

And friction can be softened.

This Week’s Insight:

Your child’s resistance is a form of communication.
It may sound like “I hate reading.”

But it often means:

• “This feels like pressure.”

• “I’m scared I’ll get it wrong.”

• “I don’t feel ready.”

• “I’m not in the right headspace.”

Reading confidence doesn't begin with books.

It begins with safety.

And safety comes from emotional attunement, not instruction.

Reflection for Parents and Carers:

• When resistance shows up, what do I usually assume it means?

• What might it actually be trying to tell me?

You don’t need to have the perfect answer.

You just need to stay curious.

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This Week’s Gentle Challenge:

Listen to the resistance without trying to fix it.

Try saying this:
"You don’t have to read right now. I just wanted to be close to you for a moment."

That sentence alone can soften weeks of tension.

Next week, we’ll explore the hidden shields children build to protect themselves from reading discomfort and how to disarm them gently without pressure or pushback.

You’re not behind.

You’re just at the beginning of a different way forward.