Caden has a little trouble telling the difference between the lowercase B and D. Since he knows the sign language for the letter D I asked him to place his hand on the page. If it matches then it's a D and if it doesn't then it is a B. This has actually completely solved the problem for him and he does it all on his own without me reminding him:) I thought it might help some other kiddos out there and I wish I had known it when I was a kid! Make sure they use their right hand(if they don't know the right hand tell them it's the one they hold their pencil in). Caden uses his right hand to point at words he is reading so it's easy for him:)
Good idea. Thought I would also share something I remember from 1st grade, a long long time ago :) Make fists and put your thumbs up on both hands. Put your knuckles together. Your left hand should look like a b and your right a d and together it should look like a bed. Hope that made sense.
ReplyDeletegreat tip!
ReplyDeleteReading this just made me realize that when I teach my little one to sign, she'll need to use her non-dominant hand. (She's a lefty; I'm pretty sure.) I'm nervous about teaching her a lot of things particularly writing since I'm right handed.
ReplyDeleteKim,
ReplyDeleteI have a little lefty too! My youngest boy seems to be a lefty so I will be dealing with that eventually too:) He's only 2 so I have a little while:)
great tips about the b and d but... can I recommend NOT telling a child that they write with their right, which is what I was always told. I am ambidextrousso that system just confused me and would be worse for a leftie! My cousin taught my son the difference between left and right when he was 3 (he already knew his letters by then) if you hold up your left hand, with the first finger pointing at the ceiling, palm facing away and stick out your thumb out at 90 degree it makes an L shape, L for left - we both use this method now :o)
ReplyDeleteSaying you "write with your right" just makes lefties feel backwards and like they are wrong. It also makes righties think they need to correct lefties all the time (there was a boy in my daughter's class that would yell at her everyday that she was doing it wrong).
ReplyDeleteI'd use the L shape method mentioned above, or the one with the bed.