Educational Games & Toys for Kids with Dyslexia & Other Learning Difficulties

Dyslexia – Educational Games & Toys for Kids

I believe playing games is the best way for students to learn, especially young ones.

 Suppose you or your child has dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD or other Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) when you play certain games. In that case, it can increase the ability to achieve literacy and numeracy skills.

That is why I believe in getting students to learn through play. When playing educational games, they improve core skills, like fine motor skills or gross motor skills. All these games and exercises mentioned below help advance ‘fine motor and ‘gross motor skills’.  These skills are vital for literacy, i.e. handwriting, numeracy, i.e. multiplication tables, time, tempo, and spatial awareness.

Furthermore, much research supports that learning through play produces good results.

Playing or practising things such as:

1.      Balance Boards –  children love balance boards (also called Wobble Boards).  While they are ‘just playing’, the skills involved in this task are tricky.  Balance boards help to improve balance, coordination and other physical benefits.

2.      Bath-time – make words out of foam in the bath. Or use water guns (if your walls are tiled.)

3.      BB Gun, Nerf Gun Target Practice.  The better they get at target practice, you will be amazed how eye-hand coordination increases, with the knock-on effect of boosting self-confidence at the same time.

4.      Bubble-wrap – who doesn’t like that popping those?

5.      Building Blocks – once again excellent for little fingers and balancing skills.

6.      Buttons / Zips – Doing up buttons and zips – young children or people with dysgraphia and dyspraxia find these very difficult. One idea is to get about half a yard of material (or an old dress), cut it in two and sew different size buttons on it. The other piece makes small to medium slits, and the child can play with them. They can start with the big buttons and gradually work down to the smallest ones. (Or go to the wardrobe and find some clothes with different size buttons, a bit messier, though!).

7.      Card-making – make cards using peel-off stickers, small ‘eyes’ etc.

8.      Chalk or coloured pens – practice letter formation on a black/whiteboard.

9.      Clothes pegs – can be used to get children to pick up small to medium objects and move them from one place to another. (I think we all have them at home!).

10.   Colouring books – help children stay inside the lines.

11.   Conkers – great game; some schools have banned them in the UK because they are dangerous! Can you believe it? I don’t know how we managed to grow up safely. However, this was another game I never managed to conquer!!

12.   Construction toys – like Meccano and Lego (more about these further on.)

13.   Crocheting – like knitting, this cannot be very easy when you first start, but you can always find an easy one to begin with.

14.   Darts – Now, you need good coordination for this game, don’t you?  And, of course, it increases your math skills while you play it.

15.   Doilies – colouring in old-fashioned ‘doilies’ (for cakes) is another way to improve fine motor control. Use double-sided tape to stay in place.

17.   Dominoes – not just number ones; you can get picture ones now.

18.   Dot-to-Dot – I love this good old-fashioned game, but it teaches so many skills, coordination, direction, spatial awareness and more

19.   Drawing shapes – i.e. triangles, squares and circles. Many people overlook this activity but believe me; you will soon know if your child has difficulty with handwriting etc., by only getting them to draw shapes!

20.   Etch a Sketch – practice writing – write, shake it, and it goes away.

21.   Finger painting – I use old wallpaper, which you can usually get the odd roll cheap (or free sometimes).

22.   Five-Jacks – pick up the ‘jacks’ as quickly as possible. This is one of the world’s oldest and most popular games and can even be used with pebbles or fruit stones.

23.   Flute – a lot harder than the recorder but still excellent to get their fingers moving.

24. Fold a crisp packet – in triangles until you can make it to about half an inch.  Great for finger skills, plus it keeps the place much tidier.

25.   Folding paper – get a piece of paper, fold it in half, then half again, and keep repeating.

26.   French knitting – takes me back to my childhood. Five of us are sitting around doing this!

27.   Golf Tees – get some polystyrene (or box), sand & golf tees. Stand the golf tees upright and get the child to use their fingers to put marbles on them. When they have mastered this, get them to use a teaspoon, this is much more difficult.

28.   Guitar – helps to develop strong fine motor skills.

29.   Hole Punch Reinforcers – help with some cheap paper with holes cut out.

30.   Hopscotch – Hopping and jumping require strong gross motor skills, balance and coordination.

31.   Jigsaw Puzzles –  you either love or hate them.  They teach so many valuable skills, like; coordination, direction, spatial awareness and more, so don’t overlook them.

32. Kim’s Game – put an object like a key in a cotton bag and ask the child to guess the item.

33.   Knitting is an art in itself and can be quite tricky for any child, never mind children with dyslexia, dyspraxia or similar problems. But it is excellent if you can find someone to teach them. Many people teach the child to knit 2″ squares, which can be used to make a blanket or a small scarf for a doll.

34.   Lego & Meccano– you will not find any better than the Lego & Meccano for creativity. A basic set isn’t too expensive (and I purchased mine second-hand on Facebook), but you can pick them up anywhere, jumble sales, charity shops, or just put an advert somewhere.  It must be one of the most well-known and educational toys on the planet. They have even made some now with brail on them!

35.   Letter Shapes – Wooden, Foam & Magnetic Letters – You can get different types of these; some have sandpaper on the back, and others have foam, but whichever ones you have, get the children to use fingers to trace around them. Saying the letter at the same time if possible. This helps the memory to retain the information.

36.   Marbles – great for fine motor skills and counting.

37.   Mazes – tracking objects to their ‘homes’, – like tracing a fish back to his fish-bowl with a pencil (trying not to go outside the lines).

38.   Meccano Toys – I don’t think there can be anything much better than these, especially Lego & Meccano, for creativity. A basic set isn’t too expensive (I purchased my lego second-hand on Facebook), but you can pick them up anywhere, jumble sales, charity shops, or just put an advert somewhere.

39.   Mosaics – colouring in ‘mosaics’ is an excellent way to improve ‘fine motor’ control and is much better than mere colouring. You can get these for the first baby stage, increasing in difficulty, and I have even seen them available for adults now. Apparently, it ‘calms you down’.

40.   Nuts & Bolts – get some different size nuts and bolts and let the child work out how they fit together. I put this suggestion on my Facebook page the other day, and within hours, a parent let me know they went straight out to the garage to get some. I was delighted with that.

41.   Paint by Numbers – an excellent way to improve ‘fine motor’ control.

42.   Painting – large shapes, pictures etc.

43.   Painting – small pictures.

44.   Paper – tear paper into tiny strips.

45.   Paper Folding – get a piece of paper, fold it in half, then half again – see how small you can get it.

46.   Paper, with lines on – using a pencil to trace over letters on specially lined paper. You can also get a lined paper that has one ‘line’ slightly raised.

47.   Plain paper – just let them scribble, and then they can colour in the areas.

48.   Paperclips – link paperclips together to make a chain.

49.   Piano – excellent practice for fine motor skills.

50.   Plastic or wooden letter shapes – children follow with their fingers, sometimes with their eyes closed. Saying the letters at the same time helps, as does following them with their eyes closed.

51.   Plasticine – I don’t know when this was invented, but it must have kept millions of children worldwide so much pleasure. You can make so many different things, including words.

52.    Play-Doh, Plasticine, Blue Tac, Modelling Clay, Therapeutic Clay. All these things are excellent for pummelling things.  Try making bread from scratch! All perfect for strengthening those little hands and fingers.

53.   Recorder – usually the first instrument children learn, and it is an excellent one for them to get their fingers moving.

54.   Rice – Fill a tub with rice and hide small things in it; let them try to find the items hidden.

55.   Sand/Salt Trays – Practising writing letters in trays. (I use cat litter trays. They are very cheap.)

56.   Scissors – oh, are these difficult for children, but by getting the ‘baby’ ones, you can move on as they get the idea. This is a difficult skill to manage because you have to do two different things with your fingers, move your wrists to the correct position and then, with the other hand, hold the paper – phew! But look at those skills they are developing.

57.   Sewing and embroidery – The fine motor skills involved with sewing are excellent and perfect for young children, especially if they start sewing little cut-outs for purses.  That soon grabs their interest.

58.   Shaving foam – on a tray, in the bath, and practice letter writing.

59.   Shoelaces – gosh, are these difficult! But once again, they teach valuable skills. I think it is important that children master this skill If they can.  However, sometimes it’s worth giving in and fighting the battles we need.  Hickies are brilliant; they look like laces, and kids don’t feel the odd ones out. You can make a template out of an old tissue box. This works well because you can put it on the table).

60.   Skipping – is an excellent way to work out because it is a ‘low-impact’ game and quickly raises your heart rate.

61.   Spirograph – is excellent for hand control, and the children can make such beautiful pictures.

62.   Squeeze Balls, Squidgie Balls & Tennis balls – these don’t really need explaining except to say you can get them in all different strengths, which is why they are mentioned here.

63.   Stickers – What kids do not like these lovely colourful stickers? They are so useful, and you can get them in practically all different types – cats, dogs, horses, dolls, tractors – everything and so very cheap!  Marvellous for fine motor skills.

64.   Table Tennis – You can play with someone or push the table up to the wall and hit it off.

65.   Tape on the floor – different shapes, and you have to follow the correct pattern.

66.   Templates – help to keep the paper in the right place/angle.

67.   Threading – coloured beads or pasta in a particular order on a string.

68.   Threading a needle – (Oh, my gosh, I never managed this!) The skills involved are tremendous.

69.   Tongs – are good for picking up almost any item, big to small.

70.   Tongs, Tray &  bowl –  now add some small things to pick up, like marbles, pasta, sweets, and rice and using a pair of tongs, let the child pick up the items and put them in the bowl. You can start with oversized items, going right down to minute ones – so the child never fails.

71.   Tracing pictures – This is quite a skill to keep your hands steady. While doing this again, a hint is to put a bit of double-sided tape on the back, which can be removed afterwards.

72.   Tweezers – are perfect for picking up small items, an excellent way to improve their grasp.

73.   Wall Climbing (indoors or outdoors) – Excellent for gross motor skills, visualisation, space etc.

74.   Water-Guns – can be used to write on the pavement or a back wall.

75.   Balance Boards – are used by athletes, elderly individuals and general fitness enthusiasts trying to improve their balance and coordination and bring other physical benefits.

Maria Chivers ©
Updated – January 2021

Fine Motor Skills

Games List

Occasionally it is difficult to decide whether a game is good for ‘fine’ motor skills or ‘gross’ motor skills because they often cross-over.  That is why you may find a game listed in both sections.

Playing or practising things such as:

1.      Bubble-wrap – who doesn’t like that popping these and you can get them from tiny to large now?

2.      Building Blocks – once again excellent for little fingers and balancing skills.

3.      Buttons / Zips – Doing up buttons and zips – young children or people with dysgraphia and dyspraxia find these very difficult. One idea is to get about half a yard of material (or an old dress), cut it in two and sew different size buttons on it. The other piece makes some small to medium slits, and the child can play with those. They can start off with the big buttons and gradually work down to the smallest ones. (Or go to the wardrobe and find some clothes with different size buttons on, bit messier though!).

4.      Card-making – make cards, using peel-off stickers, small ‘eyes’ etc.

5.      Chalk or coloured pens – practice letter formation on a black/whiteboard.

6.      Clothes pegs – can be used to get children to pick up small to medium objects and move them from one place to another. (I think we all have them at home!).

7.      Colouring books – help children stay inside the lines.

8.      Conkers – great game, some schools have banned them in the UK because they are dangerous! Can you believe it, I don’t know how we managed to grow up safely? However, this was another game I never managed to conquer!!

9.      Construction toys – like Meccano and Lego, (more about these further on.)

10.   Crocheting – like knitting, this can be complicated when you first start, but you can always find an easy one, to begin with.

11.   Darts – Now, you really need good coordination for this game, don’t you?  And of course, increases your math skills while you play it.

12.   Doilies – colouring in old-fashioned ‘doilies’ (for cakes) is another way to improve fine-motor control, use double-sided tape, so it stays in place.

13.   Doing up buttons and zips – young children or people with dysgraphia and dyspraxia find these very difficult. One idea is to get about half a yard of material (or an old dress), cut it in two and sew different size buttons on it. The other piece makes some small to medium slits, and the child can play with those. They can start off with the big buttons and gradually work down to the smallest ones. (Or go to the wardrobe and find some clothes with different size buttons on, bit messier though!).

14.   Dominoes – not just number ones, you can get picture ones as well.

15.   Dot to Dot – I love this, good old-fashioned game, but teaches so many skills, coordination, direction, spatial awareness and more.

16.   Drawing shapes – i.e. triangles, squares and circles. Many people overlook this activity but believe you me, you will soon know if your child has difficulty with handwriting etc., by only getting them to draw shapes!

17.   Etch a Sketch – practice writing – write, shake it, and it goes away.

18.   Finger painting – I use old wallpaper, which you can usually get the odd roll cheap (or free sometimes).

19.   Five-Jacks – pick up the ‘jacks’ as quick as possible. This is one of the oldest and most popular games in the world and can even be used with pebbles or fruit stones.

20.   Flute – an excellent instrument get fingers moving.

21.   Folding a crisp packet, in triangles until you can make it to about half-an-inch.  Great for finger skills plus keeps the place much tidier.

22.   Folding paper – get a piece of paper fold it in half, then half again, keep repeating.

23.   French knitting – takes me back to my childhood. Five of us sitting around doing this!

24.   Golf Tees – get some polystyrene (or box), sand & golf tees. Stand the golf tees upright and get the child to use their fingers to put marbles on the tees. When they have mastered this, get them to use a teaspoon, this is much more difficult.

25.   Hole Punch Reinforcers – help with some cheap paper with holes cut out.

26.   Jigsaw Puzzles –  you either love or hate them.  They teach so many valuable skills, like; coordination, direction, spatial awareness and more, so don’t overlook them.

27.   Kim’s Game – put an object like a key in a cotton bag and ask the child to guess what the item is.

28.   Lego – must be one of the most well-known and educational toys on the planet. You will not find any better than the Lego & Meccano, for creativity. A basic set isn’t too expensive (and I purchased mine, second hand on Facebook), but you can pick them up anywhere, jumble sales, charity shops, or just put an advert somewhere.

They have even made some now with brail on them.

29.   Letter Shapes – Wooden, Foam & Magnetic Letters – You can get different types of these, some have sandpaper on the back, others have foam, but whichever ones you have, get the children to use fingers to trace around them. Saying the letter at the same time if possible. This helps the memory to retain the information.

30.   Marbles – great for fine motor skills and (great for counting as well).

31.   Mazes – tracking objects to their ‘homes’, – like tracing a fish back to his fish-bowl, with a pencil (trying not to go outside the lines).

32.   Meccano Toys – think there can be anything much better than these, especially Lego & Meccano, for creativity. A basic set isn’t too expensive (and I purchased mine, second hand on Facebook), but you can pick them up anywhere, jumble sales, charity shops, or just put an advert somewhere.

33.   Mosaics – colouring in ‘mosaics’ is an excellent way to improve ‘fine motor’ control and much better than mere colouring. You can get these for the first baby stage, increasing in difficulty and I have even seen them available for adults now. Apparently, it ‘calms you down’.

34.   Nuts & Bolts – get some different size nuts and bolts and let the child work out how they fit together. I put this suggestion on my Facebook page the other day, and within hours, a parent let me know, they went straight out to the garage to get some. I was delighted with that.

35.   Paint by Numbers – an excellent way to improve ‘fine motor’ control.

36.   Painting – small pictures.

37.   Paper – tear paper into tiny strips.

38.   Paper Folding – get a piece of paper, fold it in half, then half again – see how small you can get it.

39.   Paper, with lines on – using a pencil to trace over letters on specially lined paper. You can also get a lined paper, that has one ‘line’ slightly raised.

40.   Paperclips – link paperclips together to make a chain.

41.   Piano – excellent practice for fine motor skills.

42.   Plastic or wooden letter shapes – children follow with their fingers, sometimes with their eyes closed. Saying the letters at the same time helps, as does following them with their eyes closed.

43.   Plasticine – gosh, I don’t know when this was invented, but it must have kept millions of children, worldwide so much pleasure, you can make so many different things, including words.

44.    Play-Doh, Plasticine, Blue Tac, Modelling Clay, Therapeutic Clay. All these things are excellent for pummelling things.  Try making bread from scratch! All perfect for strengthening those little hands and fingers.

45.   Recorder – usually the first instrument children learn, and it is an excellent one for them to get their fingers moving.

46.   Rice – Fill a tub with rice and hide small things in it, let them try to find the items hidden.

47.   Sand/Salt Trays – Practising writing letters in trays. (I use cat litter trays they are very cheap.)

48.   Scissors – oh, are these difficult for children, but by getting the ‘baby’ ones, you can move on as they get the idea. This is a difficult skill to manage because you have to do two different things with your fingers, move your wrists to the correct position and then, with the other hand, hold the paper – phew! But, just look at those skills they are developing.

49.   Sewing and embroidery – The fine motor skills involved with sewing and excellent and a perfect starter for young children, especially if they just start sewing little cut-outs for purses.  That soon grabs their interest.

50.   Shaving foam – on a tray, in the bath, and practice letter writing.

51.   Shoelaces – gosh, are these difficult! But once again, they teach valuable skills. I think it is important that children master this skill If they can.  However, sometimes it is worth giving in and fighting the battles that we need too.  Hickies are brilliant, they look like laces and kids don’t feel the odd ones out. You can make a template out of an old tissue box, this works well because you can put it on the table).

52.   Spirograph – is excellent for hand control, and the children can make such beautiful pictures.

53.   Squeeze Balls, Squidgie Balls & Tennis balls – these don’t really need explaining except to say, you can get them in all different strengths, which is why they are mentioned here.

54.   Stickers – What kids do not like these? They are so useful, and you can get them in practically all different types – cats, dogs, horses, dolls, tractors – everything and so very cheap!  Marvellous for fine motor skills.

55.   Templates – help to keep the paper in the right place/angle.

56.   Threading – coloured beads or pasta in a particular order on a piece of string.

57.   Threading a needle – (Oh, my gosh, I never managed this!) This skills involved are tremendous.

58.   Tongs – are good for picking up almost any item, big and small.

59.   Tongs, Tray & bowl – now add some small things to pick up, like marbles, pasta, sweets rice and using a pair of tongs let the child pick up the items and put in the bowl. You can start with oversized items, going right down to minute ones – so the child is never failing.

60.   Tracing pictures – This is quite a skill to keep your hands steady while doing this again a hint is to put a bit of double-sided tape on the back, which can be removed afterwards.

61.   Tweezers – are perfect for picking up small items, an excellent way to improve their grasp.

62.   Balance Boards – are used by athletes, elderly individuals and general fitness enthusiasts trying to improve their balance and coordination and brings other physical benefits.

Maria Chivers ©
Updated – February 2021

Gross Motor Skills

Games List

Occasionally it is difficult to decide whether a game is good for ‘fine’ motor skills or ‘gross’ motor skills because they often cross-over.  That is why you may find a game listed in both sections.

Playing or practising things such as:

1.      Balance Boards –  children love balance boards (also called Wobble Boards).  While they are ‘just playing’, once again, the skills involved in this task is quite tricky.  Improves balance, coordination and other physical benefits.

2.      BB Gun, Nert Gun Target Practice.  The better they get at target practice, you will be amazed at hoe eye-hand coordination increases, with the knock-on effect of boosting self-confidence at the same time.

3.      Conkers – great game, some schools have banned them in the UK because they are dangerous! Can you believe it, I don’t know how we managed to grow up safely. However, this was another game I never managed to conquer!!

4.      Darts – Now, you really need good coordination for this game, don’t you?  And of course, increases your math skills while you play it.

5.      Guitar – helps to develop strong fine motor skills.

6.      Hopscotch – Hopping and jumping require strong gross motor skills, balance and coordination.

7.      Marbles – great for fine motor skills and (great for counting as well).

8.      Painting – large shapes, pictures etc.

9.      Skipping – is an excellent way to work out because it is a ‘low-impact’ game and quickly raises your heart rate.

10.   Swimming – excellent for gross and fine motor skills.

11.   Table Tennis – You can play with someone or push the table up to the wall and hit it off.

12.   Tape on the floor – different shapes and you have to follow the correct pattern.

13.   Wall Climbing (indoors or outdoors) – Excellent for gross motor skills, visualisation, space etc.

15.   Water-Guns – can be used to write on the pavement a back wall.

16.   Balance Boards – are used by athletes, elderly individuals and general fitness enthusiasts trying to improve their balance and coordination and can bring other physical benefits.

Maria Chivers ©
Updated – February 2021