Is your child mixing up the letters b and d? Try some of these ideas to help them determine d vs b and stop confusing the letter names and sounds!
There are a lot of little things that can really confuse kids when they’re first learning the letters and how to read. Things like…
The fact that the typed “a” you see in books and the “a” they learn to write look nothing alike
or that letters like b,d,p, and q all look very similar and they just have to remember which one is which.
Most kids have no problem remembering the SOUNDS made by confusing letters like d or b, but remembering which one is which can be hard!
Of course, as with most things, practice makes perfect. The more exposure they have to these confusing letters and matching the correct sound to the correct letter, the better they’ll get.
Here are 9 ways to help them stop mixing up d & b and!
9 Ways to Help Your Child Remember B vs D
First, make sure that your child understand that in the alphabet b comes before d. Understanding this concept can help a lot when using the following tips.
1- D has a belly, B has a diaper
This may seem silly, but sometimes silly is what it takes to make your child remember something!
When writing a lowercase b, the circle comes after the stick- making it look like it has a big, round belly.
When writing the lowercase d, the circle comes before the stick- making it look like it has a full diaper!
2- Make a bed!
Show your child how to make the letters b and d with their hands to make a bed.
Teach them that the b comes first and then the d- just like in the alphabet.
3- b fits inside B
Most kids don’t confuse the capital B vs capital D, since they don’t look alike.
Try teaching your child to remember that a small b can fit inside a capital B. It’s like the bottom half of a capital B.
4- The Bat Before the Ball
Another memory trick to use when helping your child to determine if it’s b vs d is “the bat comes before the ball”.
Have them picture a baseball bat and a baseball. When writing the letter b, the bat (the stick) comes before the ball (the circle).
5- B vs D Mazes
When it comes to letter reversals, practice makes perfect.
Try using these fun B vs D mazes to help your child really solidify and recognize b vs d!
6- Go On a Letter Hunt
Here’s another activity to try to help your child with b vs d.
Give your child a highlighter or bright colored marker and an old magazine or newspaper.
Set a timer for 1-5 minutes and give them a letter: b or d.
Have them highlight as many of that letter as they can find in the magazine or newspaper.
Repeat with the other letter.
7- B vs D Bean Bag Toss
Another fun activity is a bean bag toss!
Gather 2 boxes or baskets and label them with a large lowercase b and d.
Then get some bean bags (or balls) and place stickers with the letters b or d on them. Have your child toss the bags labeled with b in the b basket, and d in the d basket.
Don’t forget to have them call our the correct name or letter sound before tossing!
8- Remember Your Dominant Hand
Another way to help your child remember which is b and which is d it to have them form one of the letters with their dominant hand.
If your child is right-handed they should be able to hold up a d. If they are left-handed they can form a b.
Teach them to remember which letter they made so when they come across a b or d they can make the letter and compare.
This is similar to the left/right trick of forming an L with your left hand.
9-Practice, Practice, Practice.
The more confident your child becomes at reading the better he’ll be at confusing letters such as b and d.
Lots of practice in identifying these letters will help solidify the concepts.
In the Complete ABC Learning Bundle you can print out the b and d pages as many times you need to help your child remember which letter is which.