How W.I.T.S Helps Kids With Dyslexia?

September 7, 2026

Finding activities for a child with dyslexia that feel like fun instead of extra work is one of the trickier parts of home support. Most language-focused games either demand too much reading or feel like classroom drills in disguise. That is a real gap for families and teachers looking for something a child will genuinely want to sit down with.

W.I.T.S: What Is The Sentence is a card game that happens to have several features that can make it a comfortable fit for children who work harder than most with printed text. This article walks through how the game can help, what is in the box, how to play, and how to make sessions positive for a child with dyslexia.

How W.I.T.S Can Help Kids With Dyslexia

A Verbal Game Rather Than a Reading-Heavy One

Most of what happens in W.I.T.S happens through speech. Players draw letter cards, look at the letters, and speak their answer aloud. There is no long text to read on each card, no story to decode, no passage to work through under time pressure. For a child who finds extended reading tiring, a game that runs mostly through spoken language keeps them fully involved without asking them to read pages of text every round.

A Flexible Pace That Adapts to the Child

The box includes four hourglass timers running at 15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds. Rather than forcing a fixed pace on every player, adults can choose the longest timer for a child who needs more time, regardless of what the dice roll says. This puts the tempo in the family's hands. Some kids will want to speed things up as they grow more comfortable. Others will prefer to stay on the 60-second timer indefinitely. Both approaches work.

Short Rounds Instead of Long Tasks

W.I.T.S is built around short rounds. Each turn is a single moment: draw cards, take your turn, pass. That structure suits children who find longer focused activities difficult. Mental effort resets at the end of each round rather than building up across a whole session. Ten or fifteen minutes of play can include six or seven full rounds, which is a lot of language practice in a small amount of time.

A Group Activity That Removes Solo Pressure

W.I.T.S is played with two or more people, which means a child is not sitting alone doing something they find difficult. Everyone at the table takes turns. Everyone occasionally struggles and everyone occasionally does well. That shared rhythm can make practice sessions feel like family or classroom time rather than a task the child has been singled out for. Siblings and adults playing alongside also means the child sees others thinking hard too, which normalises the effort involved.

Gentle Practice With Word and Letter Recognition

The game uses colour-coded letter cards: blue for vowels, green for consonants, red for action cards. That colour coding gives children an extra visual cue on top of the letter itself, which can make card recognition faster and more comfortable. Regular play means repeated exposure to letters and to word construction, in a format that never feels like a phonics drill. The child builds familiarity through play rather than through repetition-based practice.

About the Game

W.I.T.S: What Is The Sentence is an award-winning card game developed by SFM International. It is designed for kids, families, and classrooms, suitable for ages 7 and up. The game plays with two or more players and runs in short sessions of 15 to 45 minutes depending on the target score chosen. It is available at sfmintl.com/products/wits-cards, with a free browser demo of the core mechanic available at sfmintl.com for anyone who wants to try it first.

What's in the Box

Every W.I.T.S: What Is The Sentence box contains:

Blue Vowel Cards — one drawn per round, each carrying a point value
Green Consonant Cards — quantity drawn is set by the dice roll, each with a point value
Red Action Cards — read aloud each round, add a creative twist to each turn
Steal Cards — used by opponents when the active player fails or runs out of time
Four hourglass timers: 15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds
One dice

How to Play

One player is appointed Card Guard to manage the deck, keep time, and track score. The active player rolls the dice, which sets both how many Consonant cards to draw and which timer runs that round. Those Consonant cards plus one Vowel card go face down. The player draws an Action card and reads it aloud.

All letter cards flip face up at once and the timer starts. The active player builds a phrase or sentence using the revealed letters as starting sounds, then delivers it aloud before time runs out. Other players vote on validity. Valid turns earn the points shown on the cards used. If the active player runs out of time, any opponent can play a Steal card and attempt the same letters within 15 seconds. First to 100 points wins.

Tips for Playing With a Child Who Has Dyslexia

Use the 60-Second Timer as a Default

Stick with the longest timer for every round regardless of what the dice roll indicates. This removes any speed pressure and lets the child take the time they need to look at the cards and think their answer through. Shorten the timer only if the child asks to.

Read the Action Cards for the Child

An adult or older sibling can take on the job of reading the Action Card aloud each round. That way the child does not have to read anything on their turn. All the fun and creative parts of the game stay intact, without the reading load.

Skip the Steal Cards in Early Sessions

The Steal cards add a layer of competitive pressure that some children love and others find stressful when they are new to a game. Agree with the group to leave Steal cards out of early sessions. Once the child is confident with the base game, you can add them back in if the group wants to.

Celebrate the Effort, Not Just the Points

Notice and react to interesting answers regardless of how many points they scored. A funny or surprising response deserves the same enthusiasm as a high-scoring one. That keeps the emotional focus on the fun of using language rather than on winning, which matters more for a child who might already feel like they are being judged on academic performance elsewhere.

Keep Sessions Short and Positive

Fifteen minutes of fun beats forty minutes that end in frustration. Playing to a lower target score of 50 points is a good option for shorter sessions. Two short sessions a week is a comfortable rhythm that tends to build a positive relationship with the game, which is what keeps a child coming back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is W.I.T.S designed specifically for kids with dyslexia?

No. W.I.T.S: What Is The Sentence is a general card game designed for kids, families, and classrooms. Some of its features happen to work well for children with dyslexia, particularly the verbal format, adjustable timers, colour-coded cards, and short rounds. It is a game, not a therapy tool, and it does not replace formal dyslexia support programmes.

Can playing W.I.T.S help my child improve their reading or writing?

The game provides language practice that some educators and families find helpful alongside other reading and writing support. Any measurable improvement depends on the individual child, how the game is used, and what other support is in place. If your child is receiving formal dyslexia intervention, it is worth checking with their therapist or teacher before adding a game like this into home practice.

What age is the game suitable for?

W.I.T.S: What Is The Sentence is recommended for age 7 and up. With the adaptations covered above, adults can also make it work for younger children who might not otherwise be ready for the standard rules.

Can I try the game before buying?

Yes. A free browser demo of the core mechanic is available at sfmintl.com. You can try it with your child in the browser with no download or account required, which is a good way to see how they respond to the mechanic before deciding whether to buy the physical game.