Learning Games/Activities for 6 y.o. w/ dyslexia & dysgraphia?

Question

I'm looking for some learning activities I can do to supplement schoolwork for a 6 yr. old with dyslexia and dysgraphia. I'd like to find worksheets and free activities online, but I'm not sure where to look. Thanks!

Answer 1

I have been a special education teacher for 30+ years. Thank you for looking for help while your child is so young.  There is much more available nowadays to help these kids.

Check out these links:

International Dyslexia Association... this group has been around for decades and is the place to go for researched based instruction

Charles Schwab sponsors an outstanding website for parents  and kids.  If you go to an IDA convention, Schwab often has a booth giving away freebies

LD online has articles, but the part that I like best are the chat rooms, so you can ask teachers, parents, and students questions

National Institute of neurological disorders includes a section on disgraphia

Reading Rockets is a site focused on reading research and improvement

There are so many books out there , that I am not sure of where to start.  I have more than 10 bookcases of materials, but I will try to limit myself to 3 tried and true favorites:

Reading Reflex ( Read America Site, go to parent's link)

Games and Activities for Readers and Spellers Kit ( cambium learning)

Writing Without Tears ( developing handwriting skills)

One specific reading activity... you will find this in many reading programs...involves   phonemic manipulation.   That is using sounds in a variety of ways.  This is often the underlying problem of dyslexia.  Early on use short words and make one change at a time, at to fat, bat, mat,cat Using colored tiles, skittles, pieces of paper , magnetic letters or  whatever holds your child's interest , dictate sounds which he duplicates with his tiles. Receptive: Example  you say /t/  , he puts down one tile.  You say /t,/t/  he puts down two tiles of the same color or letter.  

You say /at/  he puts down two tiles, different colors.  You say /tat/  he puts down three tiles.  The first and third tiles are the same color or letter because he hears the same sound.  

Expressive:  using the same materials, you build word, changing one sound at a time, he reads the words aloud

Active:  He builds words and you read them

Using tiles or other manipulatives eliminates the handwriting difficulty while he id concentrating on reading.  Later, he can write the sounds and words as you dictate them.

Specific activities for dysgraphia: Have your child rub lotion into his hands before beginning, do finger warm ups by doing various activities such as touching each finger to his thumb one at a time, extending fingers, then making a fist ( repeat) shake hands to get blood flowing etc.   One of the kids favorite is " naked play dough".    Make homemade play dough with one of the many recipes available ( I like the cornstarch recipes).  Give your child a small ball of dough, have him roll it into a ball, then use thumb to make a hole in the center. Add a few drops of food coloring.  Pinch the hole shut.  Then have him squeeze the ball in one hand, then switch to the other hand.  Repeat squeezing and switching until the color is thoroughly mixed.  This is great for sequence, building hand muscles, and crossing the midline.   Then he can use the play dough to form letters, numbers, his name etc. If he is still working on letter recognition you can get a set of cookie cutters that are shaped like letters of the alphabet.

Also have him make letters and numbers with a variety of textures and sizes.  For example:  use chalk or paintbrush and water on sidewalk, have him lay on his stomach to copy letters on a white board, use chalk on a low pile carpet ( it vacuums up), write standing up, or on a slant board.

In general I have had the most success with structured multisensory programs when working with these kids.  There are many excellent programs available.   Hang in there, you are your child's best advocate!