Seven Ideas for Supporting Younger Children with Dyslexia

1. Play spelling games like Scrabble. Try to play a game a day.  Set up a league to keep scores over the week. How many new words have you learned? You can work in twos to support each other.
2. Learn to cook pizzas following a recipe to develop your child’s measuring skills.  Help them learn fractions by cutting the pizza into quarters, eighths and so on.  Writing and creativity skills can then be developed by letting them make their own pizza recipes.
3. Help develop their understanding of capacity by using a range of empty measuring containers (for example, shampoo, washing conditioner, jam jars. food cans and so on). Estimate how much water is needed to fill them.  Then fill the container using measuring jug. Which is the biggest, smallest container?
4. When out in the garden make a collection in the garden, for example leaves.  Arrange the leaves according their colour (dark- light) or their leaf shape. This helps develop their organisation and sequencing skills.
5. Make the most of being outdoors.  Hunt the garden for birds or minibeasts.  How many can you find/see? Record what you find on a sheet.  Pictures can be found on YouTube to help.
6. Organisation and sequencing skills can be developed by make a routine list of jobs or tasks which can then be shared out.
7. Have a letter of the day and make a list of everything beginning with F for Friday – who got the longest list?