A tutor will start by assessing your child's current reading level, then work on targeted skills like phonemic awareness, decoding, sight words, or comprehension strategies depending on their needs. Sessions typically include guided reading practice with engaging texts, interactive activities to build fluency, and strategies your child can use independently at home. The tutor also provides feedback to help your child understand what they're doing well and where to focus effort.

Many students show noticeable progress within 4-6 weeks of consistent tutoring, especially with foundational skills like phonics or sight word recognition. However, deeper improvements in comprehension and reading confidence often develop over a few months as students build stronger habits and tackle increasingly challenging texts. The timeline depends on your child's starting point and how frequently they receive tutoring—consistency is key to sustained progress.

Tutors teach explicit comprehension strategies like previewing text, asking questions while reading, making connections, and summarizing—skills that transform passive reading into active thinking. They model these strategies with your child, then gradually release responsibility so your child learns to use them independently. This personalized approach is much more effective than generic worksheets, because the tutor can adjust strategies based on what your child actually needs to understand the text better.

Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors who use multiple assessment tools—like running records, comprehension checks, and fluency measures—to pinpoint your child's reading level and identify specific areas for growth. This goes beyond a grade-level label; tutors look at phonics knowledge, sight word recognition, fluency, and comprehension to create an accurate picture. Understanding your child's true level helps ensure they're working with texts that challenge them without causing frustration.

Varsity Tutors matches you with expert tutors in Virginia Beach who specialize in elementary reading and understand the Virginia curriculum. When you connect with a tutor, you can discuss your child's specific challenges, learning style, and goals to ensure it's a good fit. Most tutors offer flexibility with scheduling and can work with your family's needs.

Fluency is the ability to read smoothly and at an appropriate pace, while comprehension is understanding what you've read—both are essential for strong reading. A student might read words quickly but not understand the meaning, or read slowly because they're decoding each word. Tutors work on both skills together, using repeated reading practice, expression work, and comprehension checks to help students become confident, fluent readers who actually understand and enjoy what they're reading.

The most powerful thing you can do is read together regularly—even 15-20 minutes a day makes a real difference. Ask your child questions about the story, let them choose books they're interested in, and model enthusiasm for reading yourself. Your tutor will also share specific strategies and activities you can practice at home between sessions, so tutoring and home support work together to build your child's skills and confidence.