Why Kids Reverse Letters (b, d, p) and How to Fix It: 7 Proven Strategies for Parents

Why Do Kids Reverse Letters Like b, d, and p?

Has your child ever written ‘bog’ instead of ‘dog’, or 'qig' instead of 'pig'? Do they mix up b, d, and p when writing? You’re not alone! Many young writers struggle with letter reversals, and it’s completely normal in early literacy development. Letter reversal, or mirroring is simply a learning curve as children develop their letter formation, visual processing and directional awareness.

Reversals are not automatically a sign of dyslexia, however, if your child is that little bit older (6 or 7) and is still mirroring after support/practise, it’s a good idea to speak to the school’s SENCo to see if there are any next steps you can take.

In this blog, I'll be sharing 7 proven strategies I've used over by decade long career to help children stop reversing letters.

Is Letter Reversal Normal? (And When Should You Be Concerned?)

Mirror writing, reversal, letter reversal - whatever you refer to it as - is very common in children ages 4-7 when they are learning to write. This happens because of developing visual processing and directional awareness skills.

Visual processing is the brain’s ability to interpret and make sense of what the eyes see. If a child struggles with visual discrimination (noticing differences between similar shapes), they may mix up letters that look alike but face different directions.

Directional awareness helps children understand left from right and how objects (or letters) are positioned in space. If this skill is still developing, a child may not consistently recognise that b and d face opposite ways.

These challenges are a normal part of early literacy development and usually improve with practice, multisensory activities, and explicit teaching of letter formation. As mentioned above, if your child is older, say 6-7, and is still letter reversing, even after working through multisensory phonics lessons, small group support and letter formation practise, it's time to have a chat with the school SENCo. It's very likely that your child's class teacher has picked up on this as well!

7 Proven Strategies to Help Kids Stop Reversing Letters

1. Use Multi-Sensory Letter Formation Activities

When children reverse letters like b, d, and p, they need more than just repeated writing practice—they need to feel, see, and experience the letters in different ways. Multi-sensory activities engage multiple areas of the brain, strengthening letter recognition and directional awareness. Multi-sensory activities build muscle memory and activates the tactile (touch) system, helping children internalise the correct shape and movement of each letter. They also (as the name obviously suggests) engage multiple senses. Combining sight, touch, and movement reinforces learning, and the more senses involved when learning, the stronger the brain connections for remembering letter shapes.

By using multi-sensory techniques, children develop a deeper understanding of letters, improving their ability to recognise and write them correctly over time.

2. Teach “b” and “d” with Visual Anchors

These are sneak peeks from my Phonics at Home curriculum. When we teach children sounds and letters, we need to teach them using visual anchors. Visual anchors, such as picture cues, hand motions, or colour-coded letters, help children connect new sounds to something familiar, making them easier to remember. When teaching tricky letters like b and d, a visual cue (e.g., the bee and the duck) provides a reference point, reducing confusion and letter reversals. These consistent visual reminders strengthen letter recognition and directional awareness, helping children form correct mental images of letters as they read and write.

In Phonics at Home, each letter/sound is taught with a child friendly visual anchor (illustrated by me!), a song to remember how to form the letter when writing, and an action. Click here to learn more about Phonics at Home.

3. Use Hand Gestures (b vs. d Thumb Trick)

This is possibly my favourite way of remember the direction of b and d, because you only need your hands! Make the gesture shown in the picture above, and sound out the word 'bed'. Your hands in this position not only make a bed shape, but your left hand is in the shape of a 'b' (the first sound in bed), and your right hand is in the shape of a 'd' (the last sound in bed). This is a super quick way children can check their letter direction when writing.

4. Practice Letter Sorting Games

Sorting mixed-up b, d, p, and q cutouts helps children visually discriminate between similar-looking letters. This hands-on activity strengthens pattern recognition and reinforces the unique features of each letter, making it easier to recall their correct formation when reading and writing. You could also do this activity with magnetic letters, or letter tiles!

5. Use Verbal Cues for Letter Formation

Verbal cues provide step-by-step auditory guidance, helping children develop consistent motor patterns for letter formation. As mentioned above, in Phonics at Home letter formation is taught through song. This is another exclusive sneak peek!

• 'b' formation song - "A buzzy bee, a buzzy bee, go down his stripe, up, around his face. x2"
• 'd' formation song - "The duck is swimming, in the water, around his body, head to feet. x2"

These songs engage the auditory memory, strengthening letter recognition and reducing reversals by linking sounds, movement, and letter shape in a meaningful way. Click here to learn more about Phonics at Home.

6. Encourage Left-to-Right Tracking

Children who struggle with letter reversals often need extra support in directionality. Using a finger, reading ruler, or arrow guides while reading and writing encourages consistent left-to-right movement, reducing confusion between mirrored letters like b and d.

7. Make It Fun with Movement-Based Learning

Engaging the whole body in letter learning strengthens memory and recognition. Activities like hopping to letter signs, skywriting, or scavenger hunts provide kinaesthetic reinforcement, helping children develop a strong mental map of letter shapes and directions. By incorporating movement, learning becomes more active and memorable, reducing the likelihood of reversals.

Be Patient, Consistent, and Encouraging!

Letter reversals will improve with practice and time, and if you feel your child needs a little extra help, you know what your next steps are. Just remember that consistency with playful, low-pressure activities 

Looking for more early literacy tips and some free activity downloads. Check out the rest of The Little Reading Nest blog here.