Reading Resources for Kids: Dyslexia
Hundreds of Helpful Resources for Children of All Ages
What do Albert Einstein, Whoopi Goldberg, Jamie Oliver, Steven Spielberg, John Lennon, Walt Disney, and Richard Branson all have in common? These famous figures and many others have all struggled with dyslexia.
These smart, successful people are dyslexic?
That’s right, because while dyslexia can make it difficult to read, interpret words, letters, or other symbols it does not affect general intelligence.
How can family members and caregivers work to support a dyslexic child’s love of reading?
Meet your child where they’re at. If they’re newly diagnosed then you’ll want to spend time enjoying reading together. Kids work hard during the school day and a big part of that is reading and writing. Find time to read something fun together. This will help them to associate reading with quality time vs. school work. During this time they might also enjoy it…
Storyline Online
Storyline Online is a free treasure trove of popular books read by famous actors and comedians like Sarah Silverman, Rami Malek, Betty White, James Earl Jones and many more! These videos are a great way to make reading fun and relaxing for struggling readers.
Overdrive
Overdrive is another free resource, which is accessible with your library card. Overdrive not only has eBooks, but it also has audiobooks. Audiobooks can be enjoyed while looking at the book or doing other activities. Audiobooks can help to strengthen auditory listening in children. So listening to them with or without the text is beneficial. Plus, when kids enjoy listening to stories a funny thing happens — they want to hear more of them. Audiobooks can be a great, easy reminder of how enjoyable a good book can be.
Levar Burton Kids Skybrary
Levar Burton of Reading Rainbow (and Star Trek) fame has created Skybrary, a digital, interactive library designed to captivate young readers. After the initial free trial Skybrary turns into a paid subscription of $4.99 per month or $39.99 annually. You can try it on the Web, iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, and Android tablets.
Nessy
Nessy has been making engaging educational software since 1999. Nessy’s approach to learning is all about taking the pressure off. Through incremental learning opportunities and colorful videos Nessy, helps children to master fundamental reading skills (e.g. phonological awareness, suffixes, etc.). Nessy aligns with Common Core K-5 standards, covers CCSS reading foundation skills and essential components of reading instruction. If you’re not ready to commit to purchasing the program you can try a free trial or sample Nessy’s videos on YouTube.
Audible Whispersync
Audible Whispersync is a partnership between Audible and Kindle, which allows users to simultaneously listen and read the highlighted text. Readers can choose to switch between the listening and the highlighted reading features (e.g. listening while coloring and then switching back to text). To see Whispersync in action check-out this YouTube video on Using Kindle eBooks, Audible Audio Books, and Whispersync. I love this resource, but the pricing can vary. I would also recommend viewing this short video Audible Trick: How to find out if your Kindle eBooks have Whispersync Audible Narration. Whispersync works with iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, and Android tablets.
Seeking additional resources?
The Child Mind Institute has a Parents Guide to Dyslexia with suggestions regarding emotional and school-based supports. They also have a great series of videos entitled #MyYoungerSelf with many notable public figures sharing messages of hope (see: Zoe Saldana & James Van Der Beek on dyslexia).
Homeschooling with Dyslexia was created by Marianne Sunderland. The site is filled with useful resources for homeschooling and non-homeschooling parents alike. Including this great list of 100 Resources for Teaching Kids with Dyslexia.
Looking for more?
Check out our article on Cool Stuff for Cool Girls! Plus, if you have more useful websites, apps, books, videos, or activities please share them in the comments below.
