One of the hardest parts about parenting is watching your child struggle with something in life. Although everyone has to go through their own personal challenges, it can still be a difficult thing to watch from a nurturing point of view.
Having a little one with learning disabilities can often be frustrating and discouraging for both children and parents. However, there are ways to help make their educational experience easier if you can start implementing strategies in the home.
Check out these tips and strategies for how to teach a dyslexic child to read.
Use Visual Aids
Children who struggle with dyslexia often have difficulty translating the words that they hear on paper. They also find it hard to store information in their long-term memory. Visual aids have proven to be a powerful tool for helping people learn better.
Try using pictures with sounds and words to help the child retain the words and associate the picture with the word. Make flashcards for them with both words and pictures that they can use to practice with on the go.
Follow Along With Audio
Most kids love to hear their favorite books being read to them. Using recorded stories is a great tip for how to teach a dyslexic child to read. Being able to pair words written with their spoken counterparts could be very helpful for a child.
Start with your child’s favorite books to get them engaged, enthused, and paying attention.
Break Down Phonics
The way we say things are always broken down into phonetic components. Teaching children the basics of phonetics and making sure they understand them is essential.
Be sure to thoroughly review and practice audibly the vowel sounds (short and long), consonant sounds, digraphs (ch, sh, th, etc.) and other building blocks. Revisit them whenever necessary.
Play Games
Sometimes figuring out how to teach a dyslexic child to read also has a lot to do with finding activities that will get them to engage. Playing games is always a fun way to help children with educational struggles because it takes the edge off of learning.
Check out some websites for reading games online. You can also make puzzles and other activities on your own with a little creativity. Try getting the whole family involved for extra support by designating specific time for game nights that serve multiple purposes.
Use Consistent Repetition
One thing about learning anything is that your brain requires repetition. This is also how to teach a dyslexic child to read. Make sure that you are giving them small tasks every day to build their reading muscles.
Allow them to do things such as trace over letters and spell aloud to you frequently. A little bit each day will go a long way over time.
Looking for More Guidance on How to Teach a Dyslexic Child to Read?
Finding the right methods for how to teach a dyslexic child to read at home can be overwhelming. But if you use creative solutions and are consistent in your efforts you will see great progress in your child’s reading and writing abilities.
For more tools for helping children with learning disabilities, check out assistive technology that can make your child’s future brighter.