My son started kindergarten this year. He’s been most excited to learn how to read. In fact, he was a little bit disappointed his first day that he “didn’t even learn to read one word yet”.
The boy has loved books all his life, and I know that as soon as he learns to read it will be like opening a whole other world for him. He’s going to be a bookworm like his mommy and his daddy, there’s no doubt about it!
Being a little ways in to the Kindergarten year now, he’s coming home with sheets saying the sight words he’s working on each week and even has surprised me several times by looking at a sign and being able to sound out simple words like C-A-T without help from me at all.
We love reading books together more now than we ever have before. I’ve been pointing to each word as I read them as he carefully watches or repeats after me. When we come across a simple word, I stop and let him sound it out for himself. It didn’t take long for me to notice that he mixes up lowercase b and lowercase d almost 100% of the time.
It frustrates and discourages him when he gets them wrong though so I’ve learned to be careful in how I correct him as he sounds it out. After the first book, I knew I’d need to find a solution for him.
There are two methods I taught him so as to reinforce the idea in his mind. I’m not sure if these were ideas from when I was younger, things we picked up from other parents or even something I saw online. All I know is that my son’s whole face lit up when I showed him the tricks and he’s excited to see and understand the difference so clearly now.
The first is that baby b has a big belly and baby d has a diaper. I showed him these one by one as I drew them out. His eyes got big as he understood b-b-b-belly and d-d-d-diaper!
For the second lesson, I showed him how to make a letter b with his left hand. He thought that was pretty amazing in and of itself, and then I showed him how his right hand made a letter d and he was shocked!
Lastly, I showed him how if he stuck the two together it made a bed! b-e-d and it looks like a bed too!
I love this tool because it’s something he can double check with his hands by making the bed if he forgets that baby b has a belly and baby d has a diaper!
bonus – I wanted to give my son more ways to practice telling lowercase b and d apart so I create a packet of printables to help him! Check them out and get your FREE lowercase b & d practice sheets here.
Lastly, here are some fun early reading books that can help your kids sound-it-out as well! We love fun stories that we can truly, for the first time read together! These are listed with affiliate links.
These are the avengers, world of reading level one. My son is going to LOVE this one, I can already tell!
Star wars – world of reading level one
May I please have a cookie, scholastic readers level 1
I can hardly believe I’m already looking at books to read WITH my son. It was certainly surreal today as we sat and worked through a book together! I’m loving this new stage!
More fun learning games/activities for kids here:
Sarah says
Love the bed hand one!!!
Cara says
I tell mine to thi k of baseball for b. You need a bat (strsight line) first to hit the ball. For d: you need a dog (circle), then the leash (strsight line). I do bed with fingers too.
First grade in the Kootenays says
I use the honeybee and cd version in my classroom. Think honeybee for b….begin to write an h for honeybee and then connect the bottom to make a b. Think of a cd for d. Write a c and then complete it to make a d. I use a few different methods depending on the child but this is the one that seems to help the most.
Busia says
b the line is at the beginning of the letter, d the line is at the end. B beginning, End ends in the d sound
Amanda says
Do you have an easy way to teach 6 and 9, we’re having trouble with that…..
Cynthia Mobbs says
6 sits down, 9 never does. This worked for my daughter that was having trouble.
Reading teacher says
If your child forms the letters the correct way when writing, he will be able to recognize and write them without trouble. As a remedial reading teacher all of the kids I’ve taught that confuse the 2 letters write them incorrectly. Both do NOT start at the top. The d is formed like the lowercase a. The b starts at the top. Check how your kids are writing it.
Dawn says
I’ve used these ideas from different LA curriculum:
* b = bat the ball, d = doorknob opens door
* when you go to say /b/ your mouth make a straight line so you draw a straight line first, when you go to say /d/ your mouth make a circle, so draw circle first
Nina says
I’ve heard someone say you could trace a lowercase “b” within an uppercase B, but not with a lowercase “d.”
Melanie says
This is how I explain it to my students. Lowercase b is written/faces the same way uppercase B is written/faces.
Bzm says
Helpful! Thanks!
Clare says
b – bat and then the ball
d – drum and then the drumstick
Lavanya says
Any tips for correcting “p” and “q”?
Bri says
We do p is a princess (wants all the attention) and q is quiet (hides from people). It seems to help them remember that p faces forward and q hides. 🤷🏻♀️
Salma says
Wow great idea thanx for sharing
Laura Leis says
I teach my kindergarteners that when you say the “b sound” (buh) that your mouth is closed and your lips make a line going across ( so you start with a tall line) AND when you say D “duh” your mouth is open like the round beginning of D… hope that makes sense :)
Cat Tak says
B and b both have bumps that are the same direction. D and d’s are different dorections.
T. Grant says
In classical Montessori, we start learning with cursive letters (often around age 4). Because this means each letter is attached to others in the word by approach strokes, letters cannot be reversed. We also say the letter sounds, and not the name.
Dr. Montessori observed that cursive letters are easier to write than print. She saw that even when adults tried to make straight lines, they often became curved (and that straight lines are actually quite difficult to reproduce). The curves of cursive help the hand to flow. Sandpaper letters allow the child to practice the letter shape multiple times before but actually putting pencil to paper.
Hope someone might find this information helpful,
Shumani says
Thank you, it helped a lot. I did subscribe but didn’t get reply.
Foo says
Or just leave them be. They get there eventually.