Your child may be able to learn from educational games, toys, and software geared to building basic reading skills. Skill-building software such as the “Reader Rabbit” series is not designed to help with dyslexia, but there is no harm in your child using the software, as long as your child seems to enjoy working with it. The same is true for any game, whether it is a game specifically designed to teach reading skills, such as The Phonics Game, or a game that incorporates word play, such as Boggle or Scrabble. Many children with dyslexia enjoy doing puzzles and may be able to gain reading and decoding practice with games.

However, it is a mistake to force your child to play or work with a game that he finds frustrating. The value of presenting information in the form of a game is that your child is more receptive to learning when he is relaxed and having fun, and he may be more motivated if he stands a chance of winning the game or improving his score. But this purpose is defeated if the game makes your child feel discouraged or inadequate. You may be able to make the game more palatable by changing the rules or the way that you use the game; but if your child still balks, put the game away.