My 6 year old is in 1st grade and is doing really well in math, but he’s struggling a lot with reading. His report shows “less than expected toward meeting end of the year grade level standards with increased support” in most reading areas.

We’ve been practicing at home and I can see he’s trying, but reading still feels very hard for him compared to other subjects. He can get frustrated easily and sometimes avoids reading altogether.

The school mentioned retention as something to think about, and now I’m feeling really torn. Part of me worries another year could help build confidence and reading skills, but another part worries about how it could affect him emotionally or socially.

For parents who’ve been through this, did retention help your child with reading?