Most parents have experienced, at least once, the challenge of helping their child spell words correctly.
While it can be a frustrating exercise, it is not uncommon for primary schoolers to struggle with their spellings. Luckily, it can be an ideal teaching opportunity!
So, what can parents do?
In the initial years, make it a habit for your child to ‘see’ the words they commonly speak and observe how they are spelled.
Use blocks, clay, alphabet toys, colours, interactive apps or even sands and food grains to form words. Lighten up the mood with some jokes around spellings like : What ten letter word starts with g-a-s? (Automobile). This adds a fun element to what would otherwise be a boring practice. Flash cards and sight cards are a great way to recall difficult words. Such ‘games’ can be made a part of family playtime, and rewards can be attached to small milestones.
On the go
Encourage your young child to read words on billboards, signposts, advertisements etc and randomly ask them to recall the spellings. As they grow older, challenge them to find newer words around them, and if they can remember how to spell them a few days later. Use accessible technological devices like Alexa to simulate games like spelling bee or ‘find a similar word’.
Remember to appreciate your child for every effort they make towards recalling how to spell a new word correctly, and encourage them to observe and learn from their mistakes.
The benefit of books
As with everything related to the language, reading is the most useful skill that can help build a child’s memory bank of common and new words. To make it interesting, read with them. Respect their choice and interest while choosing reading resources. Set small targets and ask them to collaborate with a friend to achieve them. Give them a well-deserved treat for every target achieved.
Your child may not enjoy certain things alone, but they do look at them differently when they do the same things with others – like the free Read Along sessions offered by Neobael , where children from all over the world can join authors or educators to read together from bestselling books. Head over to our social media to get some light hearted riddles and trivia that can help you improve your child’s confidence to spell. Here’s one for you to try with your child today
Improving your spelling skills doesn’t require any magical spell – only a bit of patience, some use of creative means and a platform to enjoy while you learn!
