Alexigail Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 My son is 6 1/2 and reads well for his age. My only concern is that he struggles with recognizing d and b. The word "bad" is really tough for him, even though he reads much more complicated words with no difficulties. He doesn't mix up any other letters or write anything else backwards, so I don't think it's a learning issue I'm not sure how to address it without confusing him further. I've tried drawing a little symbol on each side of the paper and saying "b looks at the star and d looks at the music note," or whatever the symbol is. This didn't help and I think frustrated him more. I'm guessing this is a fairly common problem. I assumed he would grow out of it as his reading got stronger, but it seems to be sticking. Does anyone have any ideas on how he can practice this? Or do I just need to wait? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2pandc Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I use the phrase that b's have the same bumps (B b) and D's like to be different with their bumps (D d). My dd7 reads them fine but if she's overthinking how to spell a word she occasionally has to think about which direction to write it. Hope that helps :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I use the phrase that b's have the same bumps (B b) and D's like to be different with their bumps (D d). My dd7 reads them fine but if she's overthinking how to spell a word she occasionally has to think about which direction to write it. Hope that helps :) Ooh, I like that. I use a different phrase I got here, "b is a tall letter with a short part, and d is a short letter with a tall part." Now I'll be using both... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggie96 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 DD#1 had the same problem when she was 6, and her reading skills were fantastic. Go figure. We practiced writing them, little reminders like above, etc and nothing stuck. I stopped focusing on it and just gently correctly which ever word she was stuck on. She outgrew it on her own. No problem now in 3rd grade. It resolved during 1st grade. DD#2 in forst grade this year...same thing. First half of year, she was still struggling with this, second half almost resolved. No intervention at all from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I use the phrase that b's have the same bumps (B b) and D's like to be different with their bumps (D d). My dd7 reads them fine but if she's overthinking how to spell a word she occasionally has to think about which direction to write it. Hope that helps :) I like this. I'm going to try it! My son does the same thing. He gets so frustrated with those 2 letters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Try cursive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nature girl Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 My dd learned the same way I did as a kid, that b has a bump on the belly, and d is the derriere! :) Worked perfectly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momofeat Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 To reduce reversals in writing, I also teach cursive. For reading, I have my ds make a "bed" with his hands. (Put fists together, thumbs up, so one hand is making a "b" and the other a "d." Turn them so the thumbs look like bed posts. At first, I traced the letters on his fingers and traced an "e" in between, saying the sounds as I traced. He rarely confuses them anymore, but if he does, I remind him to "make a bed," and that really helps him figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmeblue Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 When DD struggled with this, I printed out a paper with Bb, Dd, Pp, and Qq (she was confusing all four at the time). I taped it up somewhere that she could easily glance up and see it in the middle of reading if she got stuck. Since I had the big and little letters together, she could figure out which lowercase letter she was looking at by seeing which uppercase letter it was paired with. Eventually she got to where she didn't need the reminder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 We use HWOT, and I always just remind my son that d starts with a magic c. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexigail Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Wow, this must be a common problem! Thanks for the input, everyone. I found this page in case anyone else is interested: http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2012/09/is-that-b-or-d.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/dbdb.html If you work with all uppercase for a while and over teach B, b will follow naturally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ETWsmom Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I have been investigating Dianne Craft and Brain Gym for my DD who is soon to be 9 and still doing reversals with, c, b, d, 3 and 9's. I have found an exercise to do on this website called the writing 8 activity and if you look it up on you tube you can see some demonstrations. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lots of little ducklings Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 My dd learned the same way I did as a kid, that b has a bump on the belly, and d is the derriere! :) Worked perfectly! Brilliant! Thank you thank you thank you! This one seems to have remedied the chronic problem for my DS6 in just one day. Except that he thinks "derrière" is hysterical and gets distracted by all his giggling. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I told all my kids that b has a belly and d has a derriere too. All my kids struggled with it. My dd is 9 and still confuses them now and then. I've had her assessed and it's not a problem, just her being a little bit spacey now and then. She is a wonderful reader, and the mixing up is getting less and less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petepie2 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 For us, the key has been that they're written differently: b is a line and a buh-buh belly d is a circle up duh-duh down Also, here's an article from All About Learning Press: http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/how-to-solve-b-d-reversal-problems/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 One of the several curricula I looked for my dd mentioned that the lower case b is sounded beginning with closed lips, and writing it starts with a stick. Lower case d starts with open lips, and writing it starts with a round shape. They said to have the kid look at a mirror and see herself making the sounds while forming the letter in the air. However, it might be a maturity thing. At this point, since I'm pretty much at her elbow all the time, I say, "Oh, that's not a B, that's a D. Try it again." She's making fewer and fewer mistakes as time goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 So glad to read this is a common problem. Though we have problems with number reversals too. Is there anything to help with those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 My dd learned the same way I did as a kid, that b has a bump on the belly, and d is the derriere! :) Worked perfectly! This was us too, "b has a belly; d doesn't" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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