Dyslexics have difficulty learning to read: books can quickly be demonized, and reading time can become a real constraint. But by choosing the right book, you can reverse the trend and lift your apprehension. In our tutoring activities, we strongly encourage reading for dyslexics : discover our tips for giving the best gift to a dyslexic…
Why give a book to a dyslexic child?
A book is an object that evokes feelings, emotions, thoughts and knowledge in its reader. Beyond the simple pleasure of leafing through it, looking at the pictures, feeling its pages, then reading it and sharing its stories, it demands to be cared for, like a wounded comforter that needs to be protected from dangers and risks of all kinds.
A refuge or a place of escape, books provide access to the comforting and enriching places that are so dear to children (especially dyslexic ones). As they grow up, they develop a real attachment to the object – whether it’s because it’s been given to them by someone dear to their hearts, because it tells a story they can identify with, or because it’s simply beautiful or fun, and so on.
Given these irrefutable arguments, how can we exclude dyslexic children from this wealth of resources, on the sole pretext that they have difficulty reading? The solution is simply to choose the books they need…
Our 5 tips to help you make the right choice
Tip No. 1: Cultivate pleasure!
Whatever his age, a dyslexic child is still a child who likes to have fun: focus on his interests (Star Wars, princesses, dragons, fairies…)! If the subject captivates him, he’s more likely to stay focused and motivated.
Tip 2: Choose illustrated books with rhythm!
In addition to their interests, encourage dyslexic children to follow the pages and the story with illustrations. Perhaps he’ll start by imagining the story by visualizing it, before turning to the text to understand it better… Choose a book with short sentences, paragraphs and chapters, in which the action takes center stage.
Tip no. 3: Vary your media and genres!
Create a surprise and arouse the curiosity of a dyslexic child by taking him or her to books in the classic literature (the Tales of the Perched Cat, Tartarin de Tarascon…), but also towards mangas comics, magazines documentaries or specialized magazines on your passions… Think also of the audio books to cultivate desire and pleasure…
Tip 4: Share your feelings with your child
Talking to your family about a book allows dyslexic children to share the emotions they have experienced while reading it. These privileged moments between you also encourage them to discover a new book, and to come and talk to you about it afterwards.
Tip 5: Choose collections for dyslexics
Today, there are a number of publishing houses offering collections dedicated to dyslexic children, some of which are designed with the help of health professionals (such as speech therapists). Like the “Le club des dys” collection, which highlights complex sounds, the “Mes premières lectures faciles“ collection alternates the colors of the lines. But there’s also the collection “Les Mots à l’endroit”, “Délie mes mots”, “Dyscool”, “Au cœur de l’Aventure” where the dyslexic child is the hero, and so on.
