Easter holidays are here, and whilst we’re partial to a chocolate egg or two we also know that a long break from learning can really impact dyslexic children, especially their reading confidence, working memory skills, and processing speed.
So why not enjoy the Easter fun and encourage their learning at the same time?
Embracing the Easter fun
Holidays are great, no timetable to stick to, lazy mornings and late nights. But, when it comes to dyslexia it’s good to continue some gentle learning alongside enjoying that valuable time off. Dyslexic children often benefit from routine, multi‑sensory learning, and activities that support memory, phonological awareness, and recognition skills.
No parent wants a battle over homework, or for their home to become an environment where learning becomes too stressful. Encouraging a dyslexic child to learn at home can add extra challenges, especially when they’re already managing things like visual stress, slower processing, or fatigue. A fortnight off school or nursery can feel both exciting and overwhelming for them.
The good news is that learning through play is not just great for dyslexic children – it’s also a positive, low‑pressure experience for parents. And even better, Easter is the perfect holiday for finding learning opportunities that don’t involve sitting down with a book. With rabbits, eggs, and (if you’re into it) plenty of chocolate, there are so many ways to create games and activities that support reading, memory, sequencing, and problem‑solving. They can strengthen those all‑important dyslexia‑related skills without the kids even realising it.
Egg-citing Opportunities for dyslexic children to learn during Easter!
Easter Egg Hunt
Who doesn’t love a good Easter Egg Hunt? They’re great fun whatever your age. Introducing simple clues or riddles can turn the hunt into the perfect chance to practise a little reading and boost your child’s reading confidence.
Zooming around the house or garden for the next clue becomes the perfect reward for using their processing skills to read and understand what’s been written.
You could even take it one step further and give them a list of objects to find as part of a scavenger hunt.
Both activities support working memory, phonological awareness, and visual discrimination – all key areas for dyslexic development.
2. Egg and spoon race or Easter Egg roll
Easter Eggs are a great excuse to have some outdoor fun with egg‑and‑spoon races or even an Easter Egg roll.
Decorate some hard‑boiled eggs and have a competition to see which rolls the farthest, which ends up with the least cracks, or which is the best decorated. Getting your child to create certificates or fun awards for the winners adds a little writing practice, spelling, and fine‑motor development too. It’s a brilliant way to weave in multi‑sensory learning without it feeling like work.
3. Easter Bingo
The British weather sometimes puts a dampener on Easter plans, but it doesn’t need to stop you bringing an educational twist to indoor games. Why not create a game of Easter Bingo using letters, words, or numbers – perfect for encouraging thinking skills, pattern recognition, and reasoning.
4. Easter-themed Spot the difference
Or try an Easter‑themed Spot the Difference using pictures of rabbits or chicks with slight changes. This kind of activity strengthens attention to detail, focus, and visual processing, which are areas many dyslexic children find challenging.
Holiday Entertainment (with dyslexia-supporting benefits)
Once Easter itself is out of the way there are still some great ways to use your holiday time to support your dyslexic child’s development. The huge variety of board games on the market means there’s a lot of choice including some brilliant options that double up as learning opportunities and help strengthen working memory, processing skills, and reading confidence.
Scrabble is an old favourite, and you can easily adapt the rules to make it as simple or as challenging as you need. It’s great for spelling, phonological awareness, and word‑building.
Boggle is another popular choice: shake the letter dice and make as many words as you can from the letters shown. If your child needs more time to process, you can skip the timer or turn it twice to give them extra space – perfect for supporting processing speed and retrieval skills.
Articulate is a funny, noisy describing game that works for a wide range of ages. It’s brilliant for verbal reasoning, expressive language, and confidence‑building, all of which can be areas of difficulty for dyslexic children.
Whatever you choose, remember you can always switch up the rules or play in teams. As long as you’re having fun, you’re already supporting multi‑sensory learning and helping your child thrive.
Family Time and Dyslexic Learner Opportunities
Days out are a staple for many families during the school holidays. And where better to sneak in a little learning than out of the house, where your child will least expect it? Spotting and understanding signs, reading descriptions in guidebooks, and even playing I‑Spy in the car all create ideal moments to strengthen reading confidence, visual scanning, working‑memory skills, and processing – all areas that support dyslexic learners.
Back home, why not pop the subtitles on when they’re watching their favourite TV programme? It’s a simple way to reinforce word recognition and phonological awareness.
Alternatively, have a screen‑free evening and snuggle up on the sofa with a book or magazine. If there are any complaints about reading the same old books, it’s the perfect excuse to head to your local library the next day and pick up something new at no cost.
Exploring different genres can boost motivation, comprehension, and reading fluency.
However you spend your Easter break, enjoy it and keep the learning fun. After all, it’s a holiday for you too – and playful, low‑pressure moments are often the most powerful for multi‑sensory learning and dyslexic development.
About Dyslexia First
At Dyslexia First we want to help those who are living with dyslexia to enjoy life and the opportunities it brings. We are relentlessly positive about dyslexia.
If you would like to talk further about dyslexia and discuss assessment for children or adults, please get in touch.
Getting assessed by a qualified practitioner is crucial to getting the correct diagnosis and accessing the help and support you need for your child. Always check an assessor’s qualifications at: SpLD Assessment Standards Committee website.
This blog has been refreshed 25/03/2026 from its original publication in 27 March 2023.
Dyslexia Through Life: Signs, Assessments and How to Get the Right Support
Top Tips for Supporting Dyslexic Learners During Transition Month
