As a child I struggled at school in the 1980s, with learning to read and write. Later my teachers used to say the more you read, the better your writing and spelling will be. Well I read, I loved reading, yet never became any better. Special Educational Needs support did not exist and school unhelpful. The teachers appeared not to believe me, when I said I read every night and I quickly found myself labelled as lazy.

The problem with my learning was that I had never mastered the basics in reading and writing. I had rocky foundations, my knowledge of basic two, three letters words was patchy. This meant I could muddle through schoolwork. Sometimes I could spell simple words, then I could not spell other similar words. So it appeared I was lazy, not trying. This made it harder for me to learn new things. I needed to be taken back to basics, to learn at my own pace. To build those strong foundations in reading and writing, before being moved on to new work.

The Mooki Cards contain a “Rocky Foundations" card. Use the card below on your phone or tablet for free!

This card is based on scientific research, "Reading Development & dyslexia".

Build Strong Foundations

• Dyslexic children without the right support can struggle to keep up in class. This means they can fall behind and be moved onto harder work before they are ready.
• To build a strong foundation in reading, writing and spelling. A child needs to have mastered the alphabet, basic 2, 3, 4 letter words.
• If a child has rocky foundations, that they are unable to read, write and spell basic words. Then they will struggle to learn harder words, structure sentences and read information. Learning new things will always be a challenge.

Learn Basic 1, 2, 3 Letter Words

Top Tips Dyslexic Mum

• Many parents of dyslexic children tell me about how their child is struggling in class. My advice is always, take them right back to basic's. Make sure they know their alphabet, check they can spell basic 2, 3, 4 letter words.
• To check your child knows basic words, I have many cards in my "Mooki" kit to help your do this. See cards in the sections below. Use to help your child practise reading, writing and spelling the words.
• Dyslexic children need to be taught in a dyslexic friendly way. So if you spot any gaps in their learning, use "Multi-sensory Learning" and "Rule of 10" cards to help them learn.

Useful Sections

• Learn Reading
• ‍Teaching Toolbox
• ‍Words Lists

All the cards are available as part of a "Mooki Cards". Complete with 56 cards and storage wallet. Perfect for using at home or in the classroom. Order your "Mooki Cards" here!