Confusing ”b” and ”d” (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog)
Hold your hands like this, and imagine an “e” in between them, and you’ve got the word “bed”.
My five-year-old daughter was having so much trouble telling the difference between her ”b” and ”d” that my wife urged me to look up dyslexia on the internet. Along the way, I came across several sites selling stickers or posters showing the word “bed” superimposed over the image of a bed, but Carolyn’s thumbs worked just fine for her. When she’s guessing, I sometimes have to remind her to “do the thumbs,” but she often does it on her own.
We’re still working on getting her 5s and 3s to face the right way, but the b and d problem seems to be solved.
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I teach ESL to Korean kids and have been looking for a way to help them remember their b's and d's - they have a hard time! So I taught them this and their writing has improved so much! Thanks!!
I'm glad to hear it helped!
Thank you so much for the tip. My 4.5 yr old had the same problem, and no one had a solution. Your solution is really neat and easy and works very well :))
My son didn't have this problem, Reading hasn't come quite as naturally to my five-year-old, but she's working her way through first-grade books now, so she's doing fine. When she's tired, she still switches letters, and again when she's tired she says "on" for "no." It's my understanding that little kids do often have to work on this, but all I really know is what I've seen in my own kids and what I've read here or there.
I just came across your post, hmmm..sounds like my 5 yr old. She also writes 5 and 3 backwards. Is this common for this age or is this a learning problem from your experience?
I'm not an expert -- all I can say is that the "using your thumbs" worked for my five-year-old. Does your school have a reading specialist who could work with your daughter?
I have a 6 year old who is an A student but she has a problem with the b and d which is starting to affect her work. I need help in solving this problem.
Let me know how it turns out... it really worked well for Carolyn.
Genius! Absolute genius! I can't wait to show my son tomorrow. He always confuses those letters too. Thanks for posting! :)