Davis Foundations for Reading: The Right Start for Creative Learners
Specialist support for 5 to 8-year-olds in Wellington and Kāpiti.
Build confidence before the school struggle becomes personal
In the first years of school, reading should be an adventure.
But for many bright, picture-thinking children, the 'alphabet trap' makes
learning feel like a mountain they can't climb.
Davis Foundations for Reading takes a different path
—using your child's natural creativity to unlock literacy through 3D mastery.
Does This Sound Like Your Child?
Many children who struggle with early reading are actually highly gifted visual learners.
They think in 3D, solve puzzles with ease, and are incredibly creative.
But when they meet a "flat" 2D letter on a page, their brain gets confused.
Look for these early signs:
🔸The Guessing Game: They look at the picture on the page and guess the word instead of decoding the letters.
🔸The Alphabet Blues: They can sing the ABCs, but struggle to identify individual letters out of order.
🔸The Letter Flip: Letters like 'b', 'd', 'p', and 'q' seem to rotate or change places constantly.
🔸The Fatigue Factor: They come home from school exhausted from the mental effort of trying to "act" like a reader.
Why Clay?
From 2D Confusion to 3D Mastery
In the Davis Foundations for Reading program, we take the alphabet off the page
and put it into your child's hands.
For a picture-thinker, seeing a letter isn't enough—they need to create it.
By modeling the alphabet in 3D non-gritty Plastilina clay, your child masters the symbol from every angle.
This removes the "mental flip" and allows the brain to label the letter with 100% certainty.
We focus on:
🔸Orientation: Giving them simple mental tools to find their "relaxed focus."
🔸Certainty: Replacing "guessing" with actual recognition of the alphabet and punctuation marks.
🔸Success: Making sure their first steps in literacy are fun, tactile, and successful.
Key Davis Focus Skills
Focus
Ensures the child has accurate perception and can become and stay focused.
Release
Children learn to control their emotions and put themselves into a calm space.
Dial
Enables children to set their energy levels to suit activity levels and to build rapport with others.
From 3D Mastery to Fluent Reading
Once your child has mastered the alphabet in clay, we move into the Davis Reading Exercises.
Unlike traditional phonics which can be frustrating for visual learners, these exercises are meaning-based.
We use the child's natural visual strengths to develop strong word recognition and deep comprehension skills.
We don't just teach them to "say" the words; we teach them to "see" and understand the story.
A Collaborative Journey
As your facilitator, I work 1-on-1 with your child while providing hands-on training to you (the parent or support person).
By attending the program with your child for at least 50% of the time, you'll gain the confidence to support their 'clay magic' long after our sessions are over.
Why "Wait and See" isn't a Strategy
Parents in Wellington and Kāpiti are often told to "wait until they are 7 or 8" to see if they grow out of it.
But for a creative learner, those early years are when their "learning identity" is formed.
If a child spends two years feeling "slow" compared to their peers, they start to build avoidance patterns that can last a lifetime.
Our program is about early intervention —catching the frustration before it becomes a belief.
You don't need a diagnosis to start; you just need to see that your child learns differently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child need a formal diagnosis?
No. We work with the learner’s style, not their label. If you see the struggle, we can help.
How long are the sessions?
We work in high-engagement bursts during 3-hour sessions tailored to 5-8 year olds. These are designed to be fun and productive, not draining.
How is this different from school phonics?
Most school reading programs rely on "repetition and sound." We rely on "creation and mastery." We help the brain see the letter clearly so the sounds finally make sense.
You Will Receive
A no-obligation
Initial Consultation
An individualised, 30-35 hour 1:1 facilitated programme. For younger learners, we typically spread this over two weeks to keep engagement high.
Support Training for a family member or tutor
Davis Foundations for Reading Kit with all materials required for follow-up work
Unlimited phone and email support and three in-person review sessions
What Parents Are Saying
"We have worked with Rachel for almost a year now to help our daughter master her dyslexia.
Over that time, we have witnessed incredible leaps and bounds in her reading, writing, and confidence.
Rachel is patient, calm, and caring. Her passion for helping people of all ages with dyslexia
is an inspiration."
- Simon, father of 8 y.o. girl
Let’s Give Them the Right Start
If you're in Kāpiti, Levin or the wider Wellington region and want to explore how the Davis Method
can help your young learner, I’d love to chat.
Master Dyslexia | Waikanae, Kāpiti Coast
Providing specialist Dyslexia mastery and natural ADHD support across the Wellington Region, including the Kāpiti Coast, Levin, the Hutt Valley, and Wellington City
Professional services described as Davis™, including Davis Mastery for Dyslexia®, Davis™ Symbol Mastery, Davis™ Orientation Counseling, Davis™ Mastery for Attention, Davis™ Mastery for Maths, and Davis™ Foundations for Learning Literacy may only be provided by persons who are trained and licensed as Davis Facilitators or Specialists by Davis Dyslexia Association International.