by I was compensated for my honest review of the Dyslexia Toolkit (level 1).
All of my kids wrote letters backward from time to time, honestly I think all kids do, but my son continues to do it going into 2nd grade. He was slower then his sisters to read, slower to recognize rhymes, and had a lot of trouble with sight words. These are some symptoms of dyslexia.
While we did have to pursue speech therapy when he was younger, I never sought a dyslexia diagnosis. At first, I expected him to outgrow it like his sisters had, but he didn't. So we went slowly and continued to work with him in our homeschool. It wasn't easy for me or him, but we pressed on, and he can read.
Now I have learned 1 in 5 kids is affected with some degree of dyslexia, and now, I have found a great tool for parents who are concerned with dyslexia symptoms in their children, the Dyslexia Toolkit from PDX Reading Specialist.
Level 1 covers phonetic awareness, including rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, identifying initial, medial, and ending sounds, and segmenting and blending phonemes, as well as alphabet awareness, both letter names and sounds. These skills are the foundation for successful reading, and the Dyslexia Toolkit - Level 1 - presents them in a fun way!
Along with a tremendous assortment of learning activities provided, the manual also includes reading activity ideas you can use anywhere for practice!
The first thing I noticed about this dyslexia reading program is the amazing organization included in it. While you have to unwrap everything, you can put it directly into the labeled, color coded bags included in the kit. The color coding matches the sections in the manual that the pages are used with, so you can easily find just what you need for an activity.
And the box can actually hold everything! Unlike some things that you can never get back in the original box, this one hold everything just fine.
The implementation manual not only includes instructions for all the reading skill activities, it also includes a test to determine where you child is having difficulties. While all dyslexic kids struggle, they may not all struggle in the exact same way, so this can give you a good idea of exactly what skills need work.
There are so, so many activities. Without the clear instructions, the amazing organization, and the included placement tests, you could be overwhelmed with the activities. But since you already have an amazingly organized foundation, the selection is an asset! Having such a great selection of activities can keep things fresh for the kids and hit all the needed skills in various ways.
One of my kids favorite parts is that the activities are hands-on rather than just worksheets. All of my kids love to move and learn better when they can manipulate things. In fact adding an action to a skill that the kids are learning not only increases their willingness to participate and their overall engagement, it also increases the amount they retain.
I was relieved when my son went through the assessment, and he actually passed all the levels with flying colors. Evidence of how hard he worked this year. Still, he enjoys the activities, so we intend to continue using it to review through the summer; no reason to make things harder by letting summer slide creep in.
My 4-year-old also has shown a lot of interest in reading and specifically in the Dyslexia Toolkit; I mean what kid wouldn't when the activities all look so fun. So, I am going to continue using it with her as a reading curriculum. The Level 1 Dyslexia Toolkit thoroughly covers reading for preschool and kindergarten for sure.
Follow along with PDX Reading Specialist to stay up to date with new products and sales! You can find them on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
PDX Reading Specialist is giving away a set of level 1 and level 2 Dyslexia Toolkits to one lucky winner. Giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 or older.
All of my kids wrote letters backward from time to time, honestly I think all kids do, but my son continues to do it going into 2nd grade. He was slower then his sisters to read, slower to recognize rhymes, and had a lot of trouble with sight words. These are some symptoms of dyslexia.
While we did have to pursue speech therapy when he was younger, I never sought a dyslexia diagnosis. At first, I expected him to outgrow it like his sisters had, but he didn't. So we went slowly and continued to work with him in our homeschool. It wasn't easy for me or him, but we pressed on, and he can read.
Now I have learned 1 in 5 kids is affected with some degree of dyslexia, and now, I have found a great tool for parents who are concerned with dyslexia symptoms in their children, the Dyslexia Toolkit from PDX Reading Specialist.
What is the Dyslexia Toolkit?
The level 1 Dyslexia Toolkit is a box full of activities along with a complete implementation manual for children ages 4-8 or even older kids who are are struggling with reading. There is a level 2 Toolkit available now as well for older kids.Level 1 covers phonetic awareness, including rhyme awareness, syllable awareness, identifying initial, medial, and ending sounds, and segmenting and blending phonemes, as well as alphabet awareness, both letter names and sounds. These skills are the foundation for successful reading, and the Dyslexia Toolkit - Level 1 - presents them in a fun way!
Along with a tremendous assortment of learning activities provided, the manual also includes reading activity ideas you can use anywhere for practice!
Why the Dyslexia Toolkit is Amazing
- Organization
- Includes Assessment
- Huge selection of activities
- Hands-on
The first thing I noticed about this dyslexia reading program is the amazing organization included in it. While you have to unwrap everything, you can put it directly into the labeled, color coded bags included in the kit. The color coding matches the sections in the manual that the pages are used with, so you can easily find just what you need for an activity.
And the box can actually hold everything! Unlike some things that you can never get back in the original box, this one hold everything just fine.
The implementation manual not only includes instructions for all the reading skill activities, it also includes a test to determine where you child is having difficulties. While all dyslexic kids struggle, they may not all struggle in the exact same way, so this can give you a good idea of exactly what skills need work.
There are so, so many activities. Without the clear instructions, the amazing organization, and the included placement tests, you could be overwhelmed with the activities. But since you already have an amazingly organized foundation, the selection is an asset! Having such a great selection of activities can keep things fresh for the kids and hit all the needed skills in various ways.
One of my kids favorite parts is that the activities are hands-on rather than just worksheets. All of my kids love to move and learn better when they can manipulate things. In fact adding an action to a skill that the kids are learning not only increases their willingness to participate and their overall engagement, it also increases the amount they retain.
How Are We Using the Level 1 Dyslexia Toolkit?
I was relieved when my son went through the assessment, and he actually passed all the levels with flying colors. Evidence of how hard he worked this year. Still, he enjoys the activities, so we intend to continue using it to review through the summer; no reason to make things harder by letting summer slide creep in.
My 4-year-old also has shown a lot of interest in reading and specifically in the Dyslexia Toolkit; I mean what kid wouldn't when the activities all look so fun. So, I am going to continue using it with her as a reading curriculum. The Level 1 Dyslexia Toolkit thoroughly covers reading for preschool and kindergarten for sure.
Who Shouldn't Use the Level 1 Dyslexia Toolkit?
Obviously, if your child has already conquered the skills including the toolkit you are likely ready for Level 2. However, like I am finding, level 1 does make a fun review!
The only other thing to be aware of is the time it takes to do the activities. These are not activities the kids can complete on their own, so using the Dyslexia Toolkit will require some time investment. Young kids don't have a long attention span though, so the time investment isn't huge. My son spent about 30 minutes at a time while the 4-year-old started giving silly answers after about 15 minutes. So really not a huge time commitment each day, but you will need to use it consistently.
Even working for short stretches consistently with this amazing dyslexia reading program is sure to get you further then trying to battle it out with a dyslexic child over worksheets. Seriously, it is amazing what adding a little movement can do for learning, and the Dyslexia Toolkit has it all laid out for you!
Even working for short stretches consistently with this amazing dyslexia reading program is sure to get you further then trying to battle it out with a dyslexic child over worksheets. Seriously, it is amazing what adding a little movement can do for learning, and the Dyslexia Toolkit has it all laid out for you!
Follow along with PDX Reading Specialist to stay up to date with new products and sales! You can find them on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
.jpg)
.jpg)
