Spelling Help - How to Help My Child Spell

TutorGiant.com

Spelling is an ongoing process that requires time and patience.  Parents often become frustrated because their children don’t seem able to spell common words.  It is a misconception that children only learn new words by repeatedly seeing them in their spelling lists.  Without taking anything away from spelling lists, they are not the “be all end all” of learning how to spell.

Spelling, like math, is a process that is built on rules.  The more spelling rules a child learns, the better a speller he/she becomes.

When your child does come home with a spelling list, or if you want to create one, you can incorporate some simple strategies to improve your child’s spelling skills.

      Have your child write the words in sentences.  Your child will learn both the context that the word is used in as well as its proper spelling.

      Have your child pay attention to the syllables in the word.  For example, in the word “skating”, have your child separate the ‘sk’, ‘a’, and ‘ting’.  This will allow your child to ‘chunk’ the sounds which will make spelling the word easier.

      He/she should also count the syllables (it’s easy to do if you say the word with your mouth closed).  Counting syllables breaks the letters, letter blends, and letter patterns into smaller bits.

      Show your child the structure of the word.  Look for prefixes (e.g. pre, un), suffixes (e.g. ing, est), and word families (e.g. ‘oo’ in food and mood).

      Have your child use a word processing program on the computer to type out words.  This can be fun when you have your child type the words in different colors, fonts, and sizes.  Microsoft ‘Word Art’ is a great choice!

      Have your child help you read menus, signs, and flyers when out of the house.

Try to incorporate these strategies when you can.  You will see a definite improvement in no time.

And remember, if someone tells you that spelling isn’t that important; just remind them that you want your child to go to college, not collage!

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