Dyslexia and Others: Fighting the battle with pudding on your finger.
Just so you know, these activities are fun and beneficial for all students, not just the strugglers.
Dyslexia traits vary from one child to another, and remediation techniques also vary. If you suspect your child may be dyslexic, there are many excellent resources available. For a list of possible dyslexia traits and other information please contact me at [email protected].
Dyslexic children are not unintelligent, but they feel unintelligent. Find your child’s strong points, whether it be music, sports, socialization, integrity, or mechanical abilities. Your struggling student is full of possibilities. Figure out what his gifts are, expand on them, encourage him, and don’t let him forget how worthwhile and smart he is.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
(I Thessalonians 5:11a NKJV)
MULTI-SENSORY LEARNING: The more senses used, the more the child will engage and remember. Saying the fact (verbal), seeing it (visual), writing it (tactile.) Add some art, music, or drama whenever possible. For example, got a list of verbs? Post it, read it together, write it, silently act out each word for five seconds each.
SPELLING: Many of the following activities add the sense of touch to their practice. The more senses you involve in an activity, the more beneficial.
Chalk Spelling Practice: Decorate a cement surface by writing spelling words using sidewalk chalk. Write BIG. This uses large muscles, and combines visual and tactile learning. Take a picture and text it to someone in the family.
Silly Swirls: Use colorful markers to write words with a fancy swirl at the end of each word. Dot the “i’s” with hearts, stars, or bugs.
Type It: Type each word three times on a keyboard such as a computer, tablet, old typewriter, or a parent’s phone. Take a picture and text it to a family member.
Pudding in a Pan: Smooth out a blob of pudding in a pie pan and have the student write the spelling words with his finger. Then let him eat his homework. Variation: salt in cookie sheet--not nearly as tasty.
Back-scratching: Write words on someone’s back with a finger. (Don’t forget to lick off the pudding first.) Let the partner verbally guess each letter, and eventually the word.
A Clean Desktop: Squirt a healthy blob of non-menthol shaving cream on a durable desk or table top. Have student spread it out and write the words using a finger. Wipe away, rinse and dry. The room will smell fresh.
Graph Paper: Write spelling words on graph paper with thin colorful markers or colored pencils, one letter per square. Half inch squares work well for this. Skip lines.
Graph Paper Word Search: Make a word search on graph paper, using spelling words. Write the spelling words first, then fill in empty squares with random letters. Have a friend or parent find the spelling words.
MATH:
Please note: Many of the spelling methods listed above can be adapted to math, whether for working problems or memorizing math facts.
Chalk Math Practice: Decorate a cement surface by writing math facts like time tables, or work problems using sidewalk chalk. Write BIG. This uses large muscles, and combines visual and tactile learning. Take a picture and text it to a family member.
Graph Paper: Graph paper will help students keep their place value columns in line. Half-inch squares are best for most students. Leave spaces between problems.
“Tens” Card Game: (2-4 players)
ALL SUBJECTS:
Copying from a Board, Tablet, or Book: If your student struggles with copying math problems from a tablet, enlarge it. If it’s from a book page, consider making photocopies so he can work right on the page. If enlarging is possible--yay!
Write Large: Writing large uses different muscles. A good size chalkboard or whiteboard is a great tool. Colored pens, chalk, or washable markers make it more fun.
Copying Directions: If your student needs to read or copy directions, post them in large letters with healthy spaces between the words. Use a font that is thick, clear, and uncrowded. Double space. Bullet points are better than paragraphs. A picture example is worth a thousand words. Don’t write, “I would like you to please label your paper with your name as neatly as possible.” Instead write, “Label your paper neatly.”
The Attack of the Blinking Light: Fluorescent lights can cause havoc for some students. As the child reads, her eyes get tired, and the letters “move” on the page. Shiny pages and small print may also affect this. If a child hovers over the page to put it in a shadow, this may be a clue she is having difficulty. For more information and resources you may contact me at [email protected].
The Notorious Red Pen: Don’t stab my page to death. When sensitive children receive a graded paper with red circles around their incorrect answers, it often gouges their hearts. The usual response is to throw the page in the trash. I recommend other colors and opportunities for students to self-grade. See the “wigglers” category for more information on this.
Manipulatives, Manipulatives, Manipulatives: Especially money manipulatives, which are ten based.
I would love to hear from my readers with additional tried and true tips for this list.
Please email them to [email protected].
Just so you know, these activities are fun and beneficial for all students, not just the strugglers.
Dyslexia traits vary from one child to another, and remediation techniques also vary. If you suspect your child may be dyslexic, there are many excellent resources available. For a list of possible dyslexia traits and other information please contact me at [email protected].
Dyslexic children are not unintelligent, but they feel unintelligent. Find your child’s strong points, whether it be music, sports, socialization, integrity, or mechanical abilities. Your struggling student is full of possibilities. Figure out what his gifts are, expand on them, encourage him, and don’t let him forget how worthwhile and smart he is.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
(I Thessalonians 5:11a NKJV)
MULTI-SENSORY LEARNING: The more senses used, the more the child will engage and remember. Saying the fact (verbal), seeing it (visual), writing it (tactile.) Add some art, music, or drama whenever possible. For example, got a list of verbs? Post it, read it together, write it, silently act out each word for five seconds each.
SPELLING: Many of the following activities add the sense of touch to their practice. The more senses you involve in an activity, the more beneficial.
Chalk Spelling Practice: Decorate a cement surface by writing spelling words using sidewalk chalk. Write BIG. This uses large muscles, and combines visual and tactile learning. Take a picture and text it to someone in the family.
Silly Swirls: Use colorful markers to write words with a fancy swirl at the end of each word. Dot the “i’s” with hearts, stars, or bugs.
Type It: Type each word three times on a keyboard such as a computer, tablet, old typewriter, or a parent’s phone. Take a picture and text it to a family member.
Pudding in a Pan: Smooth out a blob of pudding in a pie pan and have the student write the spelling words with his finger. Then let him eat his homework. Variation: salt in cookie sheet--not nearly as tasty.
Back-scratching: Write words on someone’s back with a finger. (Don’t forget to lick off the pudding first.) Let the partner verbally guess each letter, and eventually the word.
A Clean Desktop: Squirt a healthy blob of non-menthol shaving cream on a durable desk or table top. Have student spread it out and write the words using a finger. Wipe away, rinse and dry. The room will smell fresh.
Graph Paper: Write spelling words on graph paper with thin colorful markers or colored pencils, one letter per square. Half inch squares work well for this. Skip lines.
Graph Paper Word Search: Make a word search on graph paper, using spelling words. Write the spelling words first, then fill in empty squares with random letters. Have a friend or parent find the spelling words.
MATH:
Please note: Many of the spelling methods listed above can be adapted to math, whether for working problems or memorizing math facts.
Chalk Math Practice: Decorate a cement surface by writing math facts like time tables, or work problems using sidewalk chalk. Write BIG. This uses large muscles, and combines visual and tactile learning. Take a picture and text it to a family member.
Graph Paper: Graph paper will help students keep their place value columns in line. Half-inch squares are best for most students. Leave spaces between problems.
“Tens” Card Game: (2-4 players)
- Deal eight cards to each student. Arrange them in two horizontal rows of four, face up. Aces are worth one point, face cards are worth one, and the rest of the cards are the value of their numbers.
- The first student analyzes her cards and combines them to add up to ten. For example, Lucy might have a seven and a three which equals ten. Or she might have a six, a three, and a king which will equal ten. She gathers them into a stack and sets them aside, then draws from the central pile to replenish.
- The next student does the same, and so on around the group.
- When the cards are used up, each student counts the number of cards in his/her stack to decide the winner.
ALL SUBJECTS:
Copying from a Board, Tablet, or Book: If your student struggles with copying math problems from a tablet, enlarge it. If it’s from a book page, consider making photocopies so he can work right on the page. If enlarging is possible--yay!
Write Large: Writing large uses different muscles. A good size chalkboard or whiteboard is a great tool. Colored pens, chalk, or washable markers make it more fun.
Copying Directions: If your student needs to read or copy directions, post them in large letters with healthy spaces between the words. Use a font that is thick, clear, and uncrowded. Double space. Bullet points are better than paragraphs. A picture example is worth a thousand words. Don’t write, “I would like you to please label your paper with your name as neatly as possible.” Instead write, “Label your paper neatly.”
The Attack of the Blinking Light: Fluorescent lights can cause havoc for some students. As the child reads, her eyes get tired, and the letters “move” on the page. Shiny pages and small print may also affect this. If a child hovers over the page to put it in a shadow, this may be a clue she is having difficulty. For more information and resources you may contact me at [email protected].
The Notorious Red Pen: Don’t stab my page to death. When sensitive children receive a graded paper with red circles around their incorrect answers, it often gouges their hearts. The usual response is to throw the page in the trash. I recommend other colors and opportunities for students to self-grade. See the “wigglers” category for more information on this.
Manipulatives, Manipulatives, Manipulatives: Especially money manipulatives, which are ten based.
I would love to hear from my readers with additional tried and true tips for this list.
Please email them to [email protected].