Does your child confuse their b’s and d’s? Letter reversals, such as b and d are really common in young learners because both letters have lines that go down and a circle at the end of the line. Figuring out the direction of the circle is the tricky part. On today’s post I am going to share with you my b/d letter reversal trick that works every time!
My b/d Reversal Trick
First, I place the Letter Cards – a, b, c, d, e in a row in front of my student. This is really important, because my student needs a visual memory.
Then, I have my student make a fist with both hands, thumbs pointing in the air, fingers facing each other. You can see how the shape of your hands creates a b and a d.
Next, my student will say a, b, c, d, e out loud while placing the b fist on the letter b and then the d fist on the letter d.
This takes a lot of practice. I recommend practicing this over and over again. Eventually my student remembers that the left hand is the b and the right hand is the d.
Want to see this Letter Reversals Trick in action? Watch this video:
Prevent Letter Reversals Before they Begin
Work on One Letter at a Time
I never teach the letters b and d at the same time or close together, this will just confuse my student.
Using the PRIDE Reading Program, I teach the letter b first to my student and I do not teach the letter d for a really long time. I overteach the letter b. This gives my student a lot of time to practice the formation of the letter b correctly and store it in long term memory before introducing a new visual discrimination.
Use Multisensory Tools
When teaching the formation of the b and d, I use a lot of different multisensory tools and materials. This really helps my students feel, touch, hear, and say the letters so that they can make a visual memory of the formation of these letters.
Using different tracing and tactile materials really helps the correct letter formation “stick” before the letter reversal can even begin. For example, my students will trace the letter b in sand or skywrite it while saying the sound out loud. To learn more about skywriting, you can read my previous post:
How I use Sky Writing with my Students
If you want some ideas for making your own tracing and tactile materials including Letter Cards, read my previous posts:
DIY Tactile Tools for the Orton-Gillingham Lesson
DIY Tactile Letter Cards for the Orton-Gillingham Lesson
I Have a Resource for You!
Thank you for reading my post today! You might also enjoy reading my previous posts:
How to Teach Letters and Sounds Correctly
My Favorite Sight Word Activities
Please don’t leave without checking out the PRIDE Reading Program. The PRIDE Reading Program is an Orton-Gillingham curriculum that is used by teachers, tutors, and homeschooling parents worldwide with great success.
Do you have a helpful strategy for handling b/d letter reversals? Please share in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
I used to have difficulty mixing b and d until I realized the word bed makes a bed. With the headboard and footboard on the outsides. If I mix up the letters and spell deb, it no longer looks like a bed. 🙂
Love the suggestions for b and d reversals. Any suggestions for making letter formation easier for kindergarten?
Great timing–we just finished a video on multisensory writing strategies and published it to the blog. Check it out here: https://pridereadingprogram.com/multisensory-writing-strategies/