7 Dyslexia Activities For Children

If your child has dyslexia, getting them to practice their reading can be a challenge. However, there are plenty of fun activities and games that you can do to stimulate and help them. If you’re looking for specialized dyslexia activities for children, we’ve got some great ideas to share!

Dyslexia activities for children: how do you engage a dyslexic child?
For some dyslexic children, the key to staying engaged is doing hands-on activities. Practical activities of this kind allow your child to learn in a tactile and interesting way. Often, activities like these are referred to as sensory activities.

So what are sensory activities for dyslexia, exactly? Sensory activities are those that stimulate your child’s senses – they can involve touch, taste, movement, hearing, smell, or sight. They’re important for helping your child’s brain develop healthily, and they’re extra important for children with dyslexia.

Novelty is also important; what you don’t want is for your child to dread or fear reading practice, or for it to seriously stress them out. However, we know it can be difficult to come up with new activities to support kids with dyslexia. That’s why we’ve put together some suggestions for inspiration.

1. Dominoes
Dominoes is a great game to play with dyslexic children as it teaches them vital math skills, like counting and sorting, in a hands-on way. Tactile games like this are invaluable for children as they develop and learn new skills. You can use either traditional dominoes or special domino sets that are targeted at dyslexic children, like those at The Dyslexia Shop.

Dominoes are one of the best dyslexia activities for elementary school children and older; however, the small pieces may pose problems for younger children, and the main point (teaching math skills) could go straight over their heads.

2. Finger painting
Finger painting is a wonderful dyslexia activity, and can be enjoyed by children of all ages (with supervision, of course). Finger painting is a great way to get your child engaged with their senses of touch and sight, connecting their movements to the art that appears on the page or sheet in front of them. Aside from aiding in their development, this activity can also be really calming for some children.

3. Word games
Did you know there are numerous specialized spelling activities for dyslexic students? Different by Design Learning has some great ideas for ways to make spelling games more engaging for children with dyslexia through involving more of the senses.

For example: a game called “Bubble Wrap Flash Cards”, which involves placing a sheet of bubble wrap on the ground, and laying out several flashcards on top of it containing words adapted to your child’s level of development. Once your child has read out the word on one of the flashcards, they can stomp on it and hear that satisfying “pop”!

Another fantastic suggestion is “Soapy Spelling”. Mix some eco-friendly dish soap with water and lather it up on a surface of your choosing, such as a mirror or sidewalk. Then, ask your child to write certain words with their finger or a stick on the soapy surface. This is one of our favorite engaging writing activities for students with dyslexia.

4. Puzzles
Puzzles are a really fun way to engage your child and even to help them practice spelling and reading. Word puzzles like crosswords or word searches may be challenging for dyslexic children, but they can also be a fun form of additional practice. You can find many free puzzles online with a simple Google search. You could also try making your own word search for your dyslexic child if you’re feeling creative!

5. Card games
Card games are awesome activities to support kids with dyslexia. Try a simple game like Snap if you want to help your child practice their recognition skills. Memory is a great option too – turn over numerous matching pairs of cards on a flat surface and ask your child to turn two over during their turn. Your child has to remember where they have put certain cards and try to make matching pairs.

You could play Memory with a twist by incorporating flashcards with words rather than picture cards, which will also encourage your child to practice their spelling in an exciting way.

6. Anagram
To play anagrams, simply give your child a set of letters and ask them to come up with as many words as they can using these letters. Make this game as easy or difficult as your child needs to avoid putting them under pressure. It should be a fun way to practice writing and spelling, not a chore!

7. Make bead bracelets
Making bead bracelets, or friendship bracelets, is a fun way to develop your child’s coordination levels. Collect some craft materials like nice string, beads of different shapes and sizes, and whatever else you’d like to add. As your child maneuvers the beads onto the string, they will be developing their fine and gross motor skills – and the end result is pretty beautiful!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of dyslexia activities for children that are fun, exciting, and easy to do at home or in the classroom. Whether you try one of these activities or come up with your own, remember that sensory activities, especially those that are very hands-on, are a brilliant addition to your child’s education.

 

Featured image by Jennie Razumnaya on Unsplash