Math Games For Students with Dyslexia or Learning Disabilities: Teach Math Through Play

Games, Dyslexia and Math:

Children with dyslexia often struggle with math, especially number forms and number concepts. They tend to find math difficult, even frustrating. Games are a great way to help children practice math skills and have fun at the same time. They also tend to require the use of multiple senses and thus promote better learning and retention. Here are a few games you can use in your classroom. The best part about them is that you can make them yourself. So have fun making your own math games!

Ideas:

Snakes and Ladders for Dyslexia:

This game is based on the regular snakes and ladders, except that it has fewer numbers. Make a board with numbers from 1 to 25, or 1 to 50 depending on the numbers the child is familiar with. Use large squares, and fewer snakes and ladders. Make sure the snakes and ladders are different from the colors used for writing the numbers. Use markers on thick card to make this board, and laminate it. Pick up some dice and get ready to play.

Addition and Subtraction on Steps:

Here is a fun game that you can play with one to three children at a time. On a staircase write numbers from 1 to 10 starting from the first step and ending with the last. Make a spinner with numbers +1, +2, +3, +4 , -1, -2, -3, -4 Each child gets a turn. In the beginning of the game everyone stands at 5. Then they spin the spinner. If they get +2, they have to go to 5+2, that is seven. Similarly if they get -3, they have to go to 5-3, that is 2. If a child gets a number that goes below 1 or above 10, they are out of the game. The child who stays in the game the longest, wins.

Musical Numbers:

Draw a large circle on the floor. When the music is playing, the children run around the circle. When the music stops, you show the children a flashcard with a number written on it. The children need to get into groups of that number. Groups that are having the wrong number of children are out of the game.

The Apple Tree Game:

For this game, make a huge apple tree on the board. Also make a lot of small apples or cut out red circles. a dice for this game. Every child gets a turn to roll the dice. After that, they have to take the number of apples shown on the dice, and put them of the tree ( you can use tape to stick the apples). In this way you go around till everyone gets a turn to put apples on the tree.

The Classroom Game Board:

This game is a variation of usual game boards. Glue A-4 size papers on the classroom floor to make a path. Color a few of the papers red, and a few green and leave most of them white. All the kids stand at one end of the classroom. Each child throws the dice and jumps from one paper to another, according to the number on the dice. If they land on a red they have to sing a song, and if green, they have to say a rhyme. In this manner, every child gets a turn.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Build on them, modify them, and create your own games that work for you in your classroom.