8 tips for engaging dyslexic children in stories

Published on: 14 October 2024

Author-illustrator Tom McLaughlin shares his tried and tested ways to get children with dyslexia excited about books.

I have a strange relationship with words.

I use them every day for my job. I love how they can make us laugh, make us feel scared and how they can make us cry and all the things in between. But I also find them exhausting. I have something called dyslexia. A word we’re all familiar with, but did you know it can affect memory and co-ordination, and it impacts things like sense of direction and concentrationI’ve only written half a paragraph, and I’ve already made three cups of tea and watched 10 minutes of YouTube.  

My dyslexia is different to your friends dyslexia, to your child’s dyslexia. My dyslexia’s different to yesterday’s dyslexiait ebbs and flows like a river of sludge through my brain. I often wonder what it would be like to have a non-dyslexic brain; a brain that is able to read the menu out to my friends without making a mistake and setting off a flash of prickly embarrassment.

But I realised a long time ago that I’m stuck with this brain and it’s not going to magically get better and that ignoring it won’t work either.

Dyslexia is everywhere in my life, from remembering my tasks of the day to finding my way somewhere to bumping into a wall, let alone reading in public.

The hardest thing is, of course, words, writing them, spelling them and reading them. I misspell words when I write, I leave vital words out of sentences and when it comes to reading, oh boy, that’s a mess.  

I get the fear every time that I have a new book out, because I know that I must read it in front of people. Imagine doing the thing you struggle with the most, now imagine doing it front of 200 strangersAre you scaredAre ya!?  

Don’t get me wrong, I love my work, I love stories, I love everything about books. But being a writer has actually very little to do with reading. Spelling doesn’t make you a good storyteller. Words are the tools we use, the things that we create to tell our stories. It’s really easy for children to assume that just because they struggle with words that they don’t like books.

Stories are for everyone. There are so many ways to engage with young readers, ones who may struggle.  

Here's a few tips to help engage dyslexic children with books and stories: 

  • Try reading picture books. You never grow out of picture books.There are so many great ones, ones with no words even. Take your time to explore each page, every picture. There’s no rush.  

  • Children who struggle make mistakes when they read, so don’t jump on every wrong word, it’s really annoying for everyone. Correct in a gentle way if you cansometimes the most important thing is that they are happy and enjoying the story, and letting them be in the moment can be just as rewarding.  

  • That is also true when it comes to kids writing storiesDon’t correct their spelling if it’s going to take the wind out of their sails. Enjoy the fact that they are writing, creating and that they want to share it. 

  • Poetry is a great way into reading, writing and creating. I’m thinking of poetry for children, like The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy by Tim Burton and Michael Rosen. Poetry has a rhythm to it, which helps with reading and creating. Poetry can be a story, a joke, a thought, it can be long, it can be short. For children with dyslexia who may not have long attention spans this is perfect.  

  • TV is okay, I promise. We hear a lot that books are ace (which they are) and TV is bad. But actually, if that’s a child’s way in, use it. Watch stuff together, talk about the story, talk about the dialogue, the scenes, the mood, how it makes them feel. There is so much good stuff out there, use it. It can inspire kids to want to read as well. If they liked Harry Potter the film, why not try the book? 

  • The same goes for graphic novels, or comic books. People used to be sniffy about the genre, think that maybe it wasn’t as credible as other booksIf your child wants to read comic books, then be delighted that your child is reading.  

  • There are also podcast and audiobooks, read by actors who do a really good job. There are so many ways to dive into stories these days, one isn’t better than another.  

  • Talk about it. Don’t do what I did, and pretend dyslexia isn’t a thing and that if you don’t talk about it will go away. Chat to other dyslexics. See how they cope, compare brains!  

Sometimes my dyslexic brain drives me nuts, but here’s the thing, it’s the same brain that my stories come from, that my drawings are born inSo, while it makes me annoyed sometimes, it’s the only brain I have and the good bits outweigh the bad bits. I love my big daft brain and I hope your children learn to love theirs.  

PS: Who thought to make dyslexia such a difficult word to spell, gah! 


Before becoming a writer and illustrator, Tom McLaughlin spent nine years working as a political cartoonist for The Western Morning News thinking up silly jokes about even sillier politicians. Then, in 2004 Tom took the plunge into illustrating and writing his own books. Since thenhe has written and illustrated children’s books including the bestselling Accidental series, as well as working on animated TV shows for Disney and Cartoon Network. 

Jack the Fairy: The Night Bigfoot Stole My Pants written and illustrated by Tom McLaughlin is available now. 

Topics: Dyslexia, Features

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