Teaching a child to read is a joy. However, there are times that joy turns into frustration. Not all children learn to read quickly. When this happens it can be hard on both the student and the teacher. Sometimes the only evidence of a reading lesson is tear stains on the pages. Sometimes our hearts break when our child expresses little to no joy in reading. Sometimes your child needs something other than defeat at the sight of “is”.
- Act it Out: Using the vocabulary words, have your student act out the meaning of a word. Connecting a word to an idea is essential for dyslexics. The activity provides the connection and a low key atmosphere.
- Get Artistic: Implement the use of clay or paint to create an image for words and practice spelling.
- Read Aloud: A child struggling to read may learn to see books as the object of that struggle. Reading aloud will help the child enjoy books without stress.
- Story Telling: Allow your child to author his own story. Challenge him to use the current words in his study to come up with story. You may want to play the game where he starts the story and you add to and then he adds to it and so on.
- Put the Lesson Away: That’s right, put it away. Your child is more important than a reading lesson. Your relationship with your child is more important than a reading lesson. Pressure and stress do not make good motivators. You certainly do not intend to stress your child. Chances are your actions are not wrong. However, a dyslexic child can become overwhelmed quickly with words. A lesson is rendered ineffective if the child is too stressed to absorb it. So, push it aside. Being another subject or take a break.