Category Archives: Increase Reading Skills

Memory Improvement Techniques For Dyslexic Kids

Dyslexic kids are big picture thinkers and less adept to processing and remembering what they learn. However, a little tweaking in their style of learning can make a huge difference towards improving their memory. Let’s take a look at some strategies that can be followed to improve the memory of dyslexic kids.

  • Imagination And Association

Kids love stories. So why not put stories to build up their memory skills. This memory improvement technique works great when it comes to dyslexic kids. Help them remember information by making a story out of it. Encourage the child to create and visualize information to improve chances of retaining it. However, it is important for the story to be interesting and short. This technique uses imagination and association of one item with another in order to create a link that’s easy to remember.

  • Remembering Names

Remembering names can be tough for dyslexic kids. However, it can be made easy by using simple memory tricks like associating the name with someone or something they like.

Repetition makes a world of difference when it comes to retaining information. A child should repeat the name to be memorized quite often and even visualize meeting the person. This can also help them break down the name into small fragments and make sense out of it. Choose whatever works best for your child and be open to mixing up different techniques if need be.

  • The Vowel Technique

Focusing on vowels is another technique by which kids can get better at spellings. Most spelling mistakes arise due to wrong placement of vowels. Make vowels distinctive and memorable for dyslexic kids by telling them to visualize vowels as human characters and place them in words accordingly.

  • To Do Lists And Alarms

Fixing to do lists at conspicuous places at home or school and setting alarms for dyslexic kids helps them remember important things during the course of day.

  • Remembering Words

The best way to help a dyslexic kid remember short and long words is by being patient and encouraging them to open up their imagination as much as possible. Let your child associate a word with any funny character or image. Anything that helps a child make the word distinctive is helpful.

Chunking the words is also a great method of making it easier to memorize longer words. A child can break up a long word into smaller chunks of words that are easier to remember and connect into the larger one.

 

  • Word And Mathematical Games

Memory games, crosswords, scrabble and other mind stimulating games are highly recommended for memory improvement in dyslexic kids.

Conclusion

The main trick about memory techniques for dyslexic kids is making things as distinctive as possible. All techniques merge into this single point. If your child is successful at making something distinctive in his mind, he is halfway there. A little more repetition, practice and patience will help in retaining information better.

We, at See-N-Read Reading Tools offer a variety of tools to improve your child’s memory skills. For more information, call at (630) 236 – 5592.

How To Help Your Dyslexic Child At Home

Dyslexic children often find it difficult to read, write and spell words. With the right guidance and patience, both at school and home, dyslexic kids can excel at whatever they do. Just toggling learning methods that suit your child’s intellect can have profound results.

Here are some ways in which parents can contribute towards helping dyslexic children.

  1. Read To Your Child

30 minutes every day, is all what you need to sharpen a dyslexic child’s literacy skills. Incorporating reading habits early in life and being consistent will help a dyslexic child gain many skills. A reading session should be something your child looks forward to. Keep it interesting and make it enjoyable. Aid your child’s tracking skills by running your finger on the words as you read. Opt for books with lots of illustrations and a simple story.        

  1. Structure

Design a routine for your child to follow when once they come back from school. Encourage them to work on a dedicated table that has all the stationery and books pre-set to avoid wasting time in finding these items. Incorporate an element of fun in your child’s daily schedule. This is something they will look forward to.

  1. Support With Writing

Kids with dyslexia take a lot of time in writing. Be patient and help your children with their homework. Gently correct mistakes and spellings as they appear. If your child uses pens to write, get them erasable pens. It will make their life easier. Take frequent breaks and never cease to praise your child’s efforts. Parental support and undying patience is the key to instill the much needed confidence in your child.

  1. Indulge In Activities Of Interest

Set aside some time exclusively for what your child loves to do. It could be dancing, listening to music, playing with a pet, pursuing a hobby and so on. Indulging in an activity that your child loves is necessary for boosting their self-esteem and making them feel great about something.

  1. Realistic Goals

Setting realistic goals as a parent, keeps you and your child relaxed. Set achievable goals of how much you and your child can read and write together each day. With the completion of each small goal, you are on your way to success. Celebrate every small success and be consistent with your efforts.

  1. Focus On Your Child’s Strengths

Look at the big picture when dealing with dyslexia. Life is not confined to reading and writing only. There’s a lot more to life. Focus on what your child does best. Your child could be great at athletics, painting, gardening etc. Noticing and appreciating your child’s strengths can make them feel loved, accepted and special. Never miss a chance to point out their strengths.

We, at See-N-Read Reading Tools offer a variety of reading tools to improve your child’s reading skills. For more information, call at (630) 236 – 5592.

Dyslexia And Reading Problems

Kids with dyslexia face problems in reading correctly and effortlessly. They also find difficult to spell, write and comprehend words. However, patience and perseverance on the part of parents as well as teachers is the key to helping a child overcome and manage this disability.

Listed below are some more signs associated with dyslexia.

  • Difficulty in understanding word problems in Math
  • Trouble in recognizing common sight words
  • Inability to identify letters and matching them with sounds
  • Frequently re-reading words and sentences

In order to help your child get over his reading problems, there are a number of steps that can be taken. Some of these are listed below:

  • Use Reading Tools: An easy and effective way of helping children with dyslexia is to make use of reading tools. These can help in development of reading, spelling and writing skills. A series of structured exercises and reading activities can also be designed to help kids see reading as a fun activity.
  • Set Realistic Goals: Improvement in reading skills happens over a period of time and it is important to take small steps. For instance, you can set a reading practice target for your kid daily or make him read a specific number of books in a month. These short term goals can help you to cover the long journey and make your child a better reader.
  • Don’t Let Poor Spellings Affect Your Child: Kids with dyslexia will have trouble coping with spelling tests. Teach your child to handle this difficulty and give him the freedom to express whatever he wants to convey. Use a dictionary or spell-check and help your child cope with poor spellings. You can even assist your child in making his own personal dictionary that can be referred to in case he spells a word incorrectly.
  • Read To Your Child: Children who struggle with reading issues need to be read to every day. You can read aloud to your child on a daily basis. This will help to improve his language skills apart from developing comprehension. Since a struggling reader focuses more on the pronunciation, he may not get the meaning of the text. But when you read aloud, the child gets a chance to focus on the word meanings. This eventually promotes creativity and helps a child to develop background knowledge.

 

See-N-Read Reading Tools can help to increase your child’s reading skills and combat dyslexia. To know more about the reading tools and their benefits, call at (630) 236 – 5592.

Does Your Kid Skip Words Or Lines While Reading? Here’s Why

A careful evaluation of your child’s reading skills is essential to know if he is facing any problems in this aspect. If you notice that he skips words or lines while reading, it may be more than just carelessness or disinterest. The actual reason behind this issue could be a visual processing problem such as poor eye tracking skills, Auditory processing disorder (APD), Dyslexia or even Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These reading issues are explained below:

  • Visual Processing Issues: Kids have difficulty in reading words and lines in the correct order. Other signs include blurry or double vision.
  • Auditory Processing Disorder (APD): This disorder affects a kid’s ability to process the information he hears. Such a child is not able to follow a story being read by another person. Distinguishing between similar looking letters is also a troublesome task.
  • Dyslexia: Kids affected by Dyslexia have difficulty in recognizing letters and associating them with the sounds they make. They easily forget the words they have already learnt and may also skip words while reading.
  • Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): This condition makes it difficult for kids to focus while reading something. Such kids might also behave restlessly due to irritation.

However, there are a number of ways in which you can assist your child in taking his reading skills to a higher level. Some of these have been listed below:

  • Understand your child’s requirements: Firstly, it is essential to understand that your child has trouble with reading and requires help. Know in detail about his condition and gather as much information as you can. This will help you determine the best ways to increase his reading skills.
  • Read along together: It is crucial that you read along loudly with your child to help him improve his reading skills. It will also be a big confidence booster for him as he can practice reading without thinking about it as an impossible task.
  • Choose an interesting topic: If your child gets to read a topic of his interest, he is more likely to make extra effort. Encourage him to read anything he likes – be it books, comics, magazines or even websites. This can make reading a fun and exciting activity.
  • Utilize reading tools: There are some research-based physical reading tools that can be utilized to overcome your child’s reading problems. You may opt for reading strips or spell-checkers to assist your child in reading. There are also a number of online games that can make reading a fun activity for your kid.
  • Use audiobooks: You can get audiobooks from the local library or simply access them online. When a child listens to a book while looking at the words simultaneously, he can connect the words and sounds in a better way. This eventually helps in development of his reading skills.

See-N-Read Reading Tools have been specifically designed to increase reading skills in kids as well as adults. To know more about the reading tools, visit our website http://www.see-n-read.com/ or call at (630) 236 – 5592.