From about age 6, your child should be getting more confident in learning how to make letters into words. If you're getting worried about your child's pace, or if you want to give him a head-start at school, it's important you find out how he learns and to work with him to get better at it.
Step 1
If your child is having trouble spelling a particular word, make sure she knows the meaning of the word and the context it is used in.
Step 2
Split the word down into chunks, breaking it up will make it easier to remember. For example the word "number" is "num" and "ber." Teach him this technique and he can apply it to all future troublesome words.
Step 3
Help your child with special ways to remember how to spell things, such as "i before e, except after c." Look through her schoolwork and see if there are any common mistakes, then work on a special way to remember them.
Step 4
Practice with age-specific flash cards. Read the card out and let the child spell it back to you. To begin with, let him see the picture to encourage effective word association. Help him at first, then, as he becomes more confident, speed up, then test to see how many he can do in a minute, or two minutes. This can be a lot of fun with more than one child.
Step 5
Read together. Take turns and read a page each, or act out the different characters. When your child stumbles on a word, get her to sound and spell it out to help her memorize the word. Make a list of these words to concentrate on.
Tips and Warnings
- Make sure to praise and reward your child when he overcomes difficult spellings, and always be enthusiastic about his learning.
Things You'll Need
- Books
- Flash cards
- Pen
- Paper
