b, d, p, q mix-ups: understanding and helping your child

Your child writes “dall” instead of “ball”, or reads “pig” as “big”? Don't worry: mixing up b, d, p and q is very common while children are learning to read.

Why these letters look so alike

In everyday life, an object stays the same whether you look at it from the left or the right: a cup turned around is still a cup. Children's brains learn this rule very early.

The letters b, d, p and q break that rule: they are the same shape, just flipped or turned upside down, and yet they are four different letters. It takes time and practice before direction becomes an important clue.

When to be concerned

These reversals are usual in the first years of school and generally fade during the following year. If they remain very frequent after that, or come with other reading difficulties, talk to the teacher: an assessment by a speech and language therapist can help.

Activities that help

• Visual scanning: finding and counting every “b” in a grid that also hides d, p and q. That's the idea behind our Mirror Challenge.
• Movement: tracing the letter big, in the air or in sand, while saying the direction out loud (“down, back up, and the tummy goes to the right”).
• Concrete anchors: the “b” has its tummy in front, like walking to the right.
• Little and often: a few minutes every day beats one long session a week.

What to avoid

Don't turn practice into a test. Constant correction can be discouraging. A short, playful challenge that ends in success is worth more than long lists of letters.

Our visual discrimination sheets (b-d-p-q, m-n-u-v, a-e-i-o…) are featured in the catalogue.