Early Signs a Child May Be Struggling in School (Before Report Cards Show It)

One of the hardest parts of parenting a school-aged child is the uncertainty.

You may not see failing grades.
Teachers may say your child is ‘doing fine.’
Yet something still doesn’t feel right.

Many families come to us describing a quiet sense that learning feels harder for their child than it should. Often, they worry they are overreacting. Just as often, they are noticing something important.

Learning difficulties rarely begin with poor report cards. They begin with small patterns that are easy to miss unless you know what to look for.

Below are some of the early signs we commonly see.

1. Your child avoids reading or writing

This is usually the first sign. A child who once loved books suddenly resists reading. They stall, negotiate, complain about being tired, or need frequent breaks. Homework that involves writing may lead to frustration or tears. Children rarely avoid things they feel successful at. Avoidance is often protection. If reading or writing feels confusing, slow, or mentally exhausting, children instinctively try to escape it. This does not mean they dislike learning. It usually means learning is costing them too much effort.

2. Homework takes far longer than expected

Some children can complete work at school but completely unravel at home. You might see:

• a short worksheet taking an hour

• frequent breaks

• irritability

• emotional meltdowns

• exhaustion after simple tasks

School requires enormous concentration. Many children use all of their energy just keeping up during the day. When they get home, their coping capacity is gone. What looks like behaviour is often fatigue from sustained mental effort.

3. They know something one day and forget it the next

Parents often describe this as confusing - your child practises spelling words and seems to know them, then cannot read or spell the same words the following day. Math facts are memorized but don’t stick. Skills appear and disappear.

This is often a sign the brain has not built a stable understanding yet. The child may be relying on memory or guessing rather than true skill development. When learning is not anchored in strong foundations, it does not become automatic.

4. Writing feels unusually difficult

Writing difficulties often appear before reading concerns are raised.

You may notice:

• letter reversals

• inconsistent spacing

• trouble forming letters

• slow writing

• avoidance of drawing or colouring

• very short written responses

Writing requires many systems working together, language, memory, fine motor control, and visual processing. When even one part is inefficient, the entire task becomes overwhelming.

5. They are bright but lack confidence

This is one of the most important signs.

You may hear:

• “I’m dumb.”

• “I hate school.”

• “I can’t do it.”

• “Everyone else is better than me.”

Many struggling learners are perceptive children who notice the gap between themselves and their peers long before adults do. They begin to believe the problem is their intelligence rather than the learning process.

Confidence often declines before achievement does.

6. After-school behaviour changes

A very common pattern is the ‘after-school crash.’ At school your child appears cooperative and well behaved. At home they may become emotional, oppositional, or unusually tired. This is not misbehaviour. It is release. Children have spent the day concentrating, compensating, and holding themselves together. Home is the safe place where the effort finally shows.

But Teachers Say Everything is Fine…

This part can be confusing for families. Teachers see your child in a classroom of many learners. A child can be coping adequately while still working much harder than peers. Early struggles often fall below the threshold that triggers formal concern. Parents see something different. You see the homework, the fatigue, and the emotional cost.

Both perspectives can be true at the same time.

Why Early Recognition Matters

Learning challenges do not usually start as big problems. They start as small inefficiencies. Over time, school demands increase while the foundation stays the same. Without support, children often develop:

• anxiety around school

• avoidance behaviours

• reduced confidence

• resistance to reading

• belief they are not capable learners

With the right instruction, many children progress quickly once the missing pieces are addressed. Early support prevents frustration from becoming identity.

A Reassurance

Not every child who shows one of these signs has a learning disorder. Children develop at different rates and learning always includes challenges. However, when patterns persist and effort remains unusually high, it is worth paying attention. Parents often sense this long before formal indicators appear. If you find yourself wondering, you are not overthinking. You are observing.

At The Learning Hive, our goal is not simply to increase marks. It is to understand how a child learns and to support them in a way that builds both skill and confidence. Sometimes families just need clarity. Sometimes they need a plan. Either way, early understanding makes a meaningful difference.