Author: Mighty Doodle Team
Incorporate these engaging reading activities for dyslexic kids into your routine at home.
1. Embrace Multisensory Learning for Dyslexia
One of the most effective ways to help children with dyslexia learn to read is by engaging multiple senses in the learning process. Multisensory learning involves using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (movement-based) methods to reinforce reading skills. This approach helps children struggling with dyslexia by creating stronger neural connections, which makes it easier for them to retain information.
How to Embrace Multisensory Learning for Dyslexia at Home
- Sand tray letter tracing: Fill a shallow tray with sand or salt and have your child trace letters or words with their finger. This exercise provides both a tactile and visual experience, which helps them connect the shapes of letters with their sounds.
- Clapping syllables: Break words down into syllables and clap for each one. For example, for the word “elephant,” you would clap three times: “el-e-phant.” This activity helps children build phonemic awareness, which is an essential skill for decoding words.
2. Make Reading Aloud a Daily Habit
Reading aloud to your child is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help improve their reading skills. When you read out loud to your child, you are exposing them to fluent reading and introducing them to new vocabulary. This exercise also lets your child focus on comprehension, and takes the pressure off having to decode every word.
Tips for Making Read-Aloud Time Fun
- Use different voices for characters: Get creative with characters’ voices to make the story more engaging. This strategy adds an element of fun and helps maintain your child’s interest in reading.
- Ask interactive questions: While reading, ask questions like, “what do you think will happen next?” or “how do you think this character feels?” Asking questions encourages your child to think critically about the story and improves their comprehension skills.
3. Leverage Audiobooks for Reinforcement
Audiobooks can be a game-changer for children who are struggling with dyslexia. By removing the frustration of decoding written text, audiobooks allow children to enjoy rich language and stories without the pressure of reading every word. This method helps them build listening comprehension and exposes them to new vocabulary in a relaxed setting.
Easy Ways to Incorporate Audiobooks
- Listen during car rides: Use travel time as an opportunity for your child to listen to audiobooks. This can turn an ordinary car ride into a learning experience.
- Bedtime listening: Instead of reading a book before bed, try winding down with an audiobook. Listening to an audiobook before bedtime reinforces reading skills in a calming, enjoyable way.
4. Turn Reading into a Game
For many children with dyslexia, reading can feel like hard work. Turning reading practice into a game can take away some of that pressure and help your child enjoy the process more. Games not only add an element of fun to reading practice, but they also provide motivation for repeated practice, which is crucial for building literacy skills.
Fun Reading Games You Can Try
- Sight word bingo: Create a bingo board filled with common sight words. As you read together or go about your day, your child can mark off words they recognize. Offer a small prize for getting bingo to keep it exciting.
- Reading apps: Explore educational apps like Mighty Doodle that gamify reading and offer interactive ways to practice phonics, sight words, and comprehension. Just be sure to choose apps that are based on the science of reading and align with your child’s learning needs.
5. Celebrate The Small Wins
Reading can feel like an uphill battle to children who struggle with dyslexia. That’s why it’s important to celebrate every small victory along the way. Positive reinforcement can go a long way in building confidence and motivating your child to keep practicing.
Ideas for Positive Reinforcement
- Reading achievement chart: Create a chart where your child can track their reading accomplishments. Whether it’s finishing a book, learning new words, or reading for 15 minutes, every step counts!
- Special rewards: Consider offering small rewards, such as an extra 10 minutes of screen time or a favorite treat, for meeting reading goals. Rewards can serve as positive motivation, making the learning process more enjoyable.
Reading can feel like an uphill battle to children who struggle with dyslexia. That’s why it’s important to celebrate every small victory along the way. Positive reinforcement can go a long way in building confidence and motivating your child to keep practicing.
Wrapping Up: Engaging Reading Activities for Dyslexic Kids
Every child progresses at their own pace, so stay positive, celebrate the small wins, and keep fostering a love for reading through engaging and supportive activities. With your guidance and these dyslexia reading strategies to improve reading comprehension, your child will continue to make strides toward becoming a confident and capable reader.
Top Gifts to Support Reading and Writing Skills for Children with Dyslexia
Finding meaningful gifts for children with dyslexia can be a wonderful way to support their unique learning journey, boost their confidence, and encourage a love for reading and self-expression. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, family member, or friend, this guide provides a range of educational gift ideas perfect for holidays, birthdays, back-to-school season, or simply as a “just because” present.
Books for Empowerment and Encouragement
1. The Alphabet War: A Story about Dyslexia by Diane Burton Robb
What is it?
This engaging picture book tells the story of a young boy learning to cope with dyslexia, making it a relatable read for early elementary school children.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
The Alphabet War provides comfort to children who feel “different” because they struggle with reading. It reassures them they’re not alone and encourages self-acceptance and persistence. The age-appropriate language and simple illustrations make it an ideal read-aloud for 1st graders and suitable for independent reading for 3rd and 4th graders. The story’s gentle message emphasizes the importance of support and resilience, making it an uplifting addition to any child’s bookshelf.
2. Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
What is it?
Based on Polacco’s own experience with dyslexia, Thank You, Mr. Falker tells the moving story of Trisha, a young girl who struggles with reading and finds hope through the support of her teacher.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
This story resonates with children in early elementary school who may feel frustrated or different because of their reading challenges. The heartfelt message of resilience and encouragement highlights the importance of supportive adults in a child’s journey. It also fosters empathy, helping young readers understand the power of kindness and patience. With age-appropriate language, it’s ideal for reading aloud or independent reading for 3rd and 4th graders.
Confidence-Boosting Programs and Accessories
3. Mighty Doodle
What is it?
Next up on our list of gifts for children with dyslexia is Mighty Doodle, an AI-powered virtual tutor designed to help children in 1st through 4th grade develop reading, writing, and spelling skills through interactive lessons. Using voice and handwriting recognition, it customizes the learning experience for each child. In other words, Mighty Doodle teaches how all children learn.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
Mighty Doodle’s adaptive approach supports children struggling with dyslexia through evidence-based methods, focusing on each child’s strengths and needs. This program combines learning with movement, helping children stay engaged and mindful while working through literacy challenges. It’s an excellent way to empower young readers by integrating technology and interactive learning tailored to their unique pace and style.
4. Interactive Learning Workbooks
What is it?
Workbooks focused on phonics and reading comprehension help children improve their literacy through a hands-on, gamified approach. You can find them at Amazon, Target, and Barnes & Noble.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
These workbooks offer structured, engaging activities to build literacy skills and reading confidence. Look for phonics and comprehension-focused workbooks to give young readers a chance to practice foundational skills at their own pace, reinforcing concepts learned in school.
5. Sensory Learning Kits
What is it?
This gift for children who are struggling with dyslexia often includes tactile alphabet cards, tracing boards, and textured letters. You can find sensory learning kits from Lakeshore Learning or Etsy.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
These sensory tools make learning to read and write more engaging by activating multiple senses. Tactile experiences can be especially helpful for children who struggle with dyslexia as they learn to recognize letters and sounds. Hands-on practice can make learning feel more accessible and enjoyable.
6. Personalized Storybooks
What is it?
Custom storybooks from companies including Wonderbly and I See Me! allow children to become the heroes of their own stories, with their name and likeness incorporated into the tale.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
Personalized storybooks make reading feel exciting and personal, motivating children to engage with stories that reflect their own identities. These books are a wonderful way to nurture a love for reading and give children a story that celebrates their unique journey.
7. Story Sequencing and Comprehension Cards
What is it?
These cards, available from Lakeshore Learning, illustrate different scenes of a story. Children are encouraged to put them in the correct order, which helps them build comprehension and sequencing skills.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
Story sequencing cards make reading comprehension feel like a game, which encourages children to explore narrative structure in a hands-on way. They’re especially helpful for building understanding of plot and sequence – crucial skills for developing readers.
8. Mantra Bracelet
What is it?
Next up on our list of gifts for children with dyslexia is personalized mantra bracelets. These bracelets can be engraved with affirmations including “I Am Brave” or “I Am Strong” to provide children with daily reminders of their inner strength. Find them on Etsy.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
These bracelets offer children a simple way to access daily encouragement. Positive affirmations help build resilience, especially important for children navigating the challenges of dyslexia. A mantra bracelet can be a comforting, wearable reminder of their abilities and potential.
9. Visual Timers
What is it?
Unlike a clock, which just tells the time, visual timers show children how much time they have left to complete an activity or task by counting down the time. Lakeshore Learning and Amazon have many varieties of these colorful timekeeping tools.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
Visual timers make it easier for children to manage time without feeling pressured, a valuable tool for children who may find traditional time concepts challenging. They can help children improve task focus and time management, while boosting confidence in both academic and personal settings.
10. Noise-Canceling Headphones
What is it?
Rather than just playing audio from the connected device, noise-canceling headphones also reduce background noise for a better listening experience.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
For children who benefit from audio support, noise-canceling headphones help them concentrate on reading and using interactive learning programs including Mighty Doodle. By reducing background noise, these headphones help create a more focused environment, which enhances their learning experience.
Activity and Mindfulness Books
11. The Confidence Code for Girls by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman
What is it?
The Confidence Code for Girls provides stories and activities designed to build self-confidence in young girls and offers practical advice on resilience.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
Although some concepts are tailored for older children, younger readers can still benefit through shared reading with a caregiver. With an emphasis on embracing mistakes and tackling challenges, this book encourages children struggling with dyslexia to develop a growth mindset, helping them gain confidence in both academic and personal spheres.
12. Mindfulness Coloring Books or Gratitude Journals
What is it?
To wrap up our list of educational gifts for children with dyslexia we have presents that support emotional development. Mindfulness coloring books are specifically designed to help children increase focus and manage stress, while gratitude journals provide children with prompts that help them focus on the positive things in their lives.
Why is it a great gift for children with dyslexia?
These resources encourage children to pause, reflect, and build mindfulness habits, which can help with emotional regulation. Coloring offers a relaxing activity for younger children, while a gratitude journal can help older children develop a positive outlook. Both options foster self-awareness and resilience, which are important life skills for any child.
Wrapping Up: The Best Gifts for Children with Dyslexia
Selecting thoughtful, supportive gifts for children with dyslexia can make a lasting impact on their journey to literacy and self-confidence. Each of these gift ideas offers tools, encouragement, or mindfulness practices designed to nurture resilience and a love for learning. Whether it’s through books, confidence-boosting accessories, or interactive programs including Mighty Doodle, these gifts provide an opportunity to celebrate and empower young learners as they navigate the unique challenges of dyslexia.
Give your loved one the gift of Mighty Doodle today.
Watching your child learn to read is an exciting journey marked with milestones, challenges, and rewards.
As a parent, understanding the 5 pillars of literacy – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension – can make a huge difference in how effectively your child learns to read.
Whether your child is just starting to explore the world of letters and sounds, or if they’re already reading, these pillars are critical at every stage of their literacy journey. By familiarizing yourself with each pillar, you’re better equipped to support your child’s development.
Keep reading this blog post to learn:
- What the 5 pillars of literacy are
- Why they matter
- How to support your child as they learn each pillar
The 5 Pillars of Literacy
The 5 pillars of literacy are the foundation upon which children build reading skills. While your child will be exposed to these skills in the classroom, there’s a lot you can do at home to help your child improve their literacy.
- Phonemic awareness
- Phonics
- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
1. Phonemic Awareness: The Sounds of Language
What Is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, recognize, and manipulate phonemes, the individual sounds in spoken words. This skill is foundational for learning to read because it allows children to understand that words are made up of smaller units of sound. For example, the word “hat” is composed of three phonemes: /h/, /a/, and /t/.
Phonemic awareness is a part of phonological awareness in which listeners are able to hear, identify and manipulate phonemes, the smallest mental units of sound that help to differentiate units of meaning.
When children develop strong phonemic awareness, they’re better able to blend sounds to form words and break words down into individual sounds. This skill is essential before a child can move on to learning phonics, which focuses on connecting sounds to written letters.
How to Help Your Child Develop Phonemic Awareness
- Clap out syllables: Pick words and help your child break them down by clapping out the syllables. For example, “ba-na-na” has three syllables.
- Have fun with tongue twisters: Tongue twisters repeat similar phonemes, which will help your child get used to identifying different sounds.
- Use a phonemic awareness tutor app for iPad: Mighty Doodle, the virtual tutor that teaches children in 1st through 4th grades how to read, comes with interactive exercises that improve phonemic awareness.
2. Phonics: The Relationship Between Sounds & Letters
What Is Phonics?
Phonics involves teaching children the relationship between the sounds of spoken language and the letters or groups of letters, known as graphemes, that represent those sounds in written language. Essentially, it’s learning how to identify words by understanding that letters and combinations of letters correspond to specific sounds.
Phonics is crucial because it enables children to sound out unfamiliar words, which is an important step toward independent reading. Once a child understands phonics, they can begin deciphering written language.
How to Help Your Child Learn Phonics
- Read aloud: As you read to your child, point to words and ask them to sound out simple ones. This helps them connect the letters on the page to the sounds they’ve learned.
- Letter-sound practice: Use flashcards, magnetic letters, or alphabet puzzles to practice letter sounds. Focus on one letter at a time, making sure your child knows both the letter name and the sound it represents.
Phonics apps and games: There are numerous phonics reading programs for children, including Mighty Doodle, that can reinforce phonics skills in an engaging, interactive way. Look for ones that focus on letter-sound matching, word-building, and blending sounds to form words.
3. Fluency: Reading with Speed, Accuracy, & Expression
What Is Fluency?
Fluency is the ability to read text quickly, accurately, and without hesitation. It’s not just about reading fast; fluency also means reading in a way that makes the text sound natural. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, which allows them to focus on understanding the meaning of what they read instead of struggling to decipher each word.
Fluency is the link between word recognition to understanding. A child who reads fluently can read with less hesitation, which frees up their mental energy to focus on comprehending the content.
How to Help Your Child Develop Fluency
- Practice echo reading: Read a sentence to your child, then have them repeat it back to you. By modeling fluent reading and making your child “echo” it back, your child understands what fluent reading sounds like and can practice it.
- Read and reread familiar books: Repeated reading of favorite books helps children develop fluency. The more they read a text, the more comfortable they become with the words, allowing them to focus on reading in a way that mimics natural speech.
4. Vocabulary: Building Word Knowledge
What Is Vocabulary?
Vocabulary refers to the words a person knows and understands. The larger a child’s vocabulary, the easier it is for them to understand what they read. A strong vocabulary is essential for comprehension, which is the fifth pillar of literacy, as children need to understand what the words they’re reading mean.
There are two types of vocabulary – oral vocabulary and reading vocabulary – both of which are important to a child’s overall literacy development:
- Oral vocabulary: The words we use in speaking or recognize in listening.
- Reading vocabulary: The words we recognize or use in print.
How to Help Your Child Develop Their Vocabulary
- Talk about words: Ask your child to let you know whenever they hear an unfamiliar word so you can explain its meaning. Strengthen their comprehension muscles by encouraging them to use context clues to infer a word’s meaning.
- Play vocabulary games: Games like “I Spy” or “20 Questions” that require describing something in the room or concepts can help your child think about words and their meanings in fun ways.
- Use Mighty Doodle: Mighty Doodle teaches children new words through engaging games and dyslexia-friendly vocabulary exercises.
5. Comprehension: Understanding & Making Meaning of Words
What Is Comprehension?
Comprehension means being able to understand and interpret what you read. It involves not just knowing what the words say but knowing their meaning. Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading because it allows children to gain knowledge, enjoy stories, and communicate with others.
Strong comprehension skills help children to think critically about what they read and make inferences. By understanding what they’re reading, children learn to summarize information, identify main ideas, and understand the author’s purpose.
How to Help Your Child Improve Their Reading Comprehension
- Help them relate: Help your child make connections between the story and their own experiences to make it more meaningful. For example, if you’re reading a story about a family vacation, ask your child about a time when your family went on a trip.
- Retell the story: Encourage your child to summarize a story in their own words to reinforce their understanding of the main events, characters, and lessons.
- Play comprehension games: Mighty Doodle is equipped with comprehension exercises for children with dyslexia and new readers who want to understand everything they read deeply.
Wrapping Up the 5 Pillars of Literacy
When you understand the 5 pillars of literacy, you’re better able to guide your child towards becoming a proficient reader. As a parent, you can create a literacy-rich environment at home by reading with your child regularly, playing literacy-based games, and making learning to read an enjoyable experience. Here’s a quick recap of how you can support your child through each pillar:
- Phonemic awareness: Play sound games and use rhymes to help your child recognize and manipulate sounds.
- Phonics: Practice letter-sound relationships and encourage your child to sound out words.
- Fluency: Provide opportunities for repeated reading and model fluent reading with expression.
- Vocabulary: Read a wide range of books and introduce new words in everyday conversations.
- Comprehension: Ask questions about what your child is reading, make connections, and encourage summarizing.
An even more comprehensive and efficient way to make sure your child masters the 5 pillars of literacy is to equip them with Mighty Doodle, the virtual tutor that teaches children in 1st through 4th grades how to read, write and spell. This literacy skills app focusing on phonics and comprehension teaches how ALL children learn and uses evidence-based methods to empower emerging readers.
Help your child master the 5 pillars of literacy by downloading Mighty Doodle today; available for iPad in the Apple App store.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024, which highlights the need for a greater understanding of learning differences. There’s no better time to introduce children to Mighty Doodle, the AI-powered tutor for dyslexia. Specifically designed for learners in 1st through 4th grades, Mighty Doodle helps children master reading, writing, and spelling using the science of reading and the Orton-Gillingham tutoring approach. During Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024 and beyond, Mighty Doodle helps emerging readers who may be struggling or diagnosed with dyslexia who are ready to learn to read, write and spell. In this blog, you’ll learn:
- What Mighty Doodle is
- What the Orton-Gillingham approach is
- How Might Doodle uses the Orton-Gillingham approach to help children with dyslexia learn to read
What Is Mighty Doodle?
Mighty Doodle is the AI-powered tutor for dyslexia that teaches children how to read, write and spell in a 1:1 format directly connecting the child to the lessons taught by Mighty Doodle. The iPad-based platform teaches how all children learn, using evidence-based techniques – like the Orton-Gillingham method – and a whole child-centered approach. Mighty Doodle is known as one of the best reading programs for children with dyslexia. In fact, children who engage with this program often achieve up to 4x better scores on national standardized tests compared to their peers. Children are engaged and develop a connection to their self-directed,, personalized avatar… Mighty Doodle is a friend, and their guide who teaches them the way they learn, with real time feedback and rewards! So, how does Mighty Doodle work?
- This learning program for children leverages machine learning to create an adaptive and cumulative curriculum that customizes lessons to the needs of each child.
- Voice and handwriting recognition, mobility and mindfulness exercises, and gamification make Mighty Doodle especially engaging for children.
- Plus, parents love the real-time data and analytics they can access in the parent portal to understand and encourage their child’s progress.
Mighty Doodle is especially effective for readers who struggle with dyslexia or reading because it’s centered around the Orton-Gillingham tutoring method.
What Is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?
The Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach is a highly structured, evidence-based approach to teaching reading, particularly designed to help learners with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. It was developed in the 1930s by Dr. Samuel Orton, a neuropsychiatrist, and Anna Gillingham, an educator and psychologist. The Orton-Gillingham method is widely recognized as one of the most effective approaches for teaching children with dyslexia, as it addresses the specific differences they experience with language processing. The method centers on teaching the connections between letters and sounds in a direct, explicit, and multisensory way. By focusing on phonics and the structure of the English language, the OG approach helps students improve their reading fluency, comprehension, and spelling. While designed for dyslexic learners, the Orton-Gillingham method can be beneficial for any child struggling with reading and spelling. It is often used in one-on-one or small-group instruction, particularly in special education settings.
How Mighty Doodle Helps Children With Dyslexia Learn to Read During Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024 and Beyond
Now that you’re familiar with Mighty Doodle and the Orton-Gillingham method, let’s explore how this AI-powered tutor uses the OG method to help children with dyslexia learn to read. Keep reading to learn how Mighty Doodle, the dyslexia learning tools for kids, incorporates the following Orton-Gillingham approach principles into its platform:
- Multi-sensory learning
- Sequential and cumulative lessons
- Explicit and direct instruction
- Focus on phonemic awareness
- Diagnostic-prescriptive instruction
Multi-Sensory Learning
Unlike other reading instruction methods, which primarily rely on sight and hearing, the Orton-Gillingham tutoring approach engages more senses, including sight, hearing, speech, touch, and movement, to reinforce learning. Specifically, the OG method requires children to say the letters and sounds they are writing, as well as listen to the sounds words make. Mighty Doodle embodies this approach by incorporating multi-sensory learning into its methodology through interactive games. For example, students might trace letters while saying their sounds aloud, combining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning. Mighty Doodle’s® gamified learning for children with dyslexia makes learning to read fun and engaging.
Sequential and Cumulative Lessons
In the Orton-Gillingham approach, lessons follow a carefully structured sequence, starting with the simplest concepts, like letters and phonemes (sounds), and gradually progressing to more complex ones, like word structures and syllable types. This structured progression helps students develop a solid foundation before tackling more challenging material. Mighty Doodle mirrors the Orton-Gillingham method by designing each lesson to link back to what learners already know. Sequential, cumulative lessons ensure that as new concepts are introduced – like blending phonemes into words – children can draw on their existing skills. This gradual approach makes it easier for new readers to grasp and retain new information. By continuously building on what they’ve learned, children gain confidence and a deeper understanding of language with the help of Mighty Doodle.
Explicit and Direct Instruction
As a parent, you have been reading for a long time, so it can be easy to forget what you didn’t know when you started your reading journey years ago and assume your child already knows them. Assumptions can be detrimental to a dyslexic child’s progress and confidence, which is why the Orton-Gillingham approach and the Mighty Doodle program assume nothing. Instead, the method teaches every skill step by step, so no child gets left behind. Mighty Doodle incorporates this principle in its methodology by explicitly teaching phonics, spelling rules, and language structure. By assuming nothing, Mighty Doodle makes reading accessible to all children.
Focus on Phonemic Awareness
The Orton-Gillingham method emphasizes the importance of phonemic awareness, which is one of the five pillars of literacy. Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate phonemes: the individual sounds in words. Like the OG approach, Mighty Doodle focuses on teaching new readers to understand the sound structure of language. The program does this by teaching students to break down words into individual sounds and blend them together. Phonemic awareness is a crucial skill in early literacy development, as it lays the groundwork for reading and spelling fluency.
Diagnostic-Prescriptive Instruction
The Orton-Gillingham method understands that there is no one-size fits all approach to learning how to read, especially when it comes to dyslexia. Two children in the same classroom could learn at different speeds and face different challenges. The OG method uses a diagnostic-prescriptive approach to respond to each learner’s specific challenges. This approach first diagnoses students to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and then prescribes the best strategies for overcoming struggles and leveraging strengths. Mighty Doodle takes a diagnostic-prescriptive approach by tailoring its lessons to children’s needs and progress. The program uses real-time tracking and analytics to assess your child’s progress while they read, and adapts the lessons to their individual needs.
Wrapping Up: Mighty Doodle Supports Readers During Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024
As we bring attention to dyslexia during Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024, it’s important to recognize the role that Mighty Doodle plays in helping young readers with dyslexia. By combining evidence-based pedagogical approaches like Orton-Gillingham with technology, Mighty Doodle empowers learners to build essential reading and writing skills. This holistic approach not only addresses the unique challenges of dyslexic readers, but also fosters confidence and a love of learning. Help your child improve their reading skills and confidence by downloading Mighty Doodle today; available in the Apple App store.