Back-to-school season is approaching, and for many families navigating dyslexia, it can bring a mix of excitement and anxiety. A new routine, increased reading demands, and new teachers who may not yet fully understand your child's needs can all create additional stress — for your child and for you.
The good news is that you don't need to turn the last few weeks of summer into an extra school term. A few simple habits can help your child ease back into reading, rebuild confidence, and start the new school year on a more positive note.
Here are some practical ways to prepare, along with another area worth considering if you're looking to make everyday reading more comfortable for your child.
Why summer can make reading feel harder again
After several weeks away from regular schoolwork, it's completely normal for reading to feel a little less automatic.
This is sometimes referred to as the “summer slide”: skills that aren't practiced as regularly over the summer can feel rusty when children return to school. For a child with dyslexia, reading may require more effort at first, fluency may feel less natural, and that difference can quickly become discouraging.
The goal isn't to “catch up” before the first day of school. It's simply to gently reconnect your child with reading so the transition back to the classroom feels easier.
Simple reading habits to restart before school
Keep reading sessions short and consistent.
Ten to fifteen minutes a day can be enough to get back into the habit. Most importantly, keep the focus away from performance. This isn't homework — the goal is simply to make reading part of the daily routine again.
Let your child choose what they want to read.
Graphic novels, comics, magazines, illustrated books, sports stories, fantasy novels — the format matters far less than their interest in it. A child who associates reading with something they genuinely enjoy is much more likely to engage than one who feels they are being assigned another school task.
Take turns reading aloud.
Try alternating paragraphs or pages. Shared reading takes some of the pressure off your child while still giving them opportunities to practice. It can also turn reading into something you do together rather than something they are being evaluated on.
Create a comfortable reading routine.
Choose a quiet space, comfortable lighting, and a time of day when no one is rushing. The environment surrounding reading can make a real difference in how your child experiences it.
Reconnect with your child's reading support team if needed.
If tutoring, reading intervention, speech-language therapy, or other support paused during the summer, consider checking in with your child's reading specialist, tutor, speech-language pathologist (SLP), or other professional before school begins.
Prepare for the new school year together.
Talk about the return to school ahead of time and give your child space to share any concerns. If your child has an IEP or 504 Plan, reviewing their accommodations and connecting with their new teacher or support team early can also make the transition less stressful.
Knowing that the adults around them understand what helps can be very reassuring for a child with dyslexia.
An often-overlooked factor: how your child experiences the text
When we think about improving reading, we naturally focus on practice, skills, and motivation. But the way a text is presented can also affect how comfortable it feels to read.
Font choice, font size, spacing between letters and lines, contrast, and even line length can all influence the reading experience.
Some children with dyslexia, for example, may find fonts with simple, clearly differentiated letter shapes — such as Poppins — easier to read. There is no single “dyslexia-friendly font” that works for everyone, however. What matters most is using a clean, uncluttered layout and finding out what feels most comfortable for your child.
The reading medium and physical environment matter too. Lighting conditions, screen brightness, contrast, and whether your child is reading from paper or a digital device can all affect visual comfort and fatigue.
Back-to-school season can therefore be a useful time to notice what actually makes reading easier for your child — and, when appropriate, to explore tools that may complement the strategies they already use.
Lili Lamp and Lili Screen: another option to explore before school starts
At Lili for Life, we developed a patented pulsed-light technology specifically designed to improve reading comfort for people with dyslexia.
The technology is available through the portable Lili Lamp and the Lili Screen. By modifying the visual conditions in which text is perceived, Lili is designed to make reading feel more comfortable and less tiring for many dyslexic readers.
Our technology has also been evaluated through two randomized double-blind clinical studies conducted in collaboration with the CNRS and Robert-Debré University Hospital in France — one involving children and the other adults.
Both studies have been completed, and their findings are being prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. You can learn more about the research and methodology on our clinical studies page.
It is important to note that Lili is not a medical device or a treatment for dyslexia. It is a reading-comfort technology designed to complement — not replace — educational support, reading intervention, speech-language therapy, or other professional care your child may receive.
If you're curious about whether Lili could help your child, the weeks before school starts can be a good opportunity to try it in everyday situations: reading a book, doing a short worksheet, or reading from a screen.
That way, your child can discover the technology without the added pressure of homework and school deadlines — and you can see whether it makes reading more comfortable for them.
A more confident start to the school year
There is no magic formula for a stress-free return to school, especially when reading has already been a source of frustration.
But small changes can add up: a few minutes of regular reading, materials your child actually enjoys, a supportive environment, and tools adapted to their individual needs.
Most importantly, the weeks before school starts don't have to be about correcting weaknesses. They can simply be an opportunity to help your child reconnect with reading in a more positive way.
And maybe this school year is the right time to try something new.
Discover the Lili Lamp and the Lili Screen.
