Learning how to read and write English spellings is sometimes the reason for great frustration in children. Many kids have trouble with spelling and there are different reasons for it, such as medical or technical reasons but we are not stressing medical reasons in this article.
Our focus is on the technical aspect. Spelling is a complex activity which involves many skills such as thinking about how words sound and how to translate those sounds into print.
Is your child also struggling with spelling words and you want to improve their overall skills and confidence? Then, you will find your answer in this article! Here, we have listed down important techniques to make learning spellings interesting, motivating and fun. Learn “How to Teach English Spelling To Kids” easily.
Before moving ahead, we want to specifically stress on this matter to parents that children who struggle to spell words and mix up their letters need to be handled with patience. Your loving and caring attention will help them overcome these challenges and they will be less frustrated and will show signs of improvement.
When you form a word with letters, it’s called spelling. Spelling is a complex skill to learn and teaching little children is more difficult as there are 26 letters in the English language which make 44 different sounds and can be written in 250 different ways.
Now you know why your child struggles and wonder how you can help them; Learn English Spellings for Child
Communication is an important part of our lives needed to convey thoughts and messages in day-to-day life and spelling is the foundation of how language is created in the first place. Learning to spell words is an academic milestone which helps children to comprehend and convey their thoughts properly.
Kids need to understand spellings properly as it improves their reading. They are able to understand better, and with regular practice, their reading speed is also improved. Improved reading leads to better writing and boosts confidence in children. Research has found that spelling, reading, writing and comprehension skills are interlinked which helps in developing overall literacy.
When kids struggle with spellings, it is not the same for everyone.
● Some make mistakes with different kinds of words.
● Some struggle with certain types of words
● Some repeat the same mistake again and again
● Some may just make random spelling mistakes
● They might confuse b and d
This is very normal, kindergarten kids will struggle initially and may not be able to spell correctly for a while.
Tokyo International school encourages kids to write so that they can make all kinds of mistakes and learn from it. Checking in with the teacher is always the best way to know about your child's difficulties if any. Parents can get a great source of insight and suggestions that might help them overall.
There are few things parents should look out for in noticing their kids having trouble with spelling:-
● Writing slowly
● Only write a few words or short sentences (but they say more)
● Struggle with similar sounding words and write wrong spellings ( for eg:- sale and sail)
● Do not remember spelling rules
● Mix up the letters in words
● Do not notice spelling mistakes
● Misspell the same words in different ways
Struggling with any of the skills can make children frustrated and they might refuse to do their homework or try to avoid it altogether.
Kids get confused with letter sounds in words which makes it difficult in spelling them out and writing them. Kids who struggle in focusing for longer fail to remember words spelling and spelling rules. They might not even notice spelling mistakes.
Techniques to Teach Spelling to Kids and help them overcome difficulties
● Check if they are holding the pencil properly in order to support their writing
● Give them frequent breaks to help your child refocus while studying.
● Encourage your child to proofread so that they learn to notice spelling mistakes.
● Give them sight words to practice frequently
● Being creative and using different ways while reading an writing will help children to engage more
Some kids are just naturally good spellers and some need help, so here are some strategies that can help your child start on the right foot.
Ask children to listen to individual sounds of the letter in a word.
For eg:- Break words “PIG” into letters (p-i-g) and say it loudly, ask them to notice the sound and now say another word with the same sound “BIG”. Show them by writing it on board so that they notice the difference.
Ask children to say words and spell words exactly as they hear them and ask them to write. In this way, you will help them to spell correctly.
For eg:- They might spell lemon as l-e-m-o-n. Now you say the word and ask them to notice the sound and together review the word and ask them which letters they can change to make the word correct.
It won’t be easy but with regular practice children will learn to notice the difference.
Chunks in words are similar sounding letters (e.g., ch, sh, br, ple, all, ate, at). Ask children to practice writing several words in the same chunks to know the word families.
Teach children about rhyming words by giving them examples. Give them one word and ask them to come up with rhyming words.
As children need to understand that the words that are related in meaning are often related in spelling even if the sound changes.
Reading is linked with spelling so it is important to teach them together. While segmenting kids break words into individual sounds which help them to read and spell.
For eg:- Children can figure out that “sign” is part of the word after hearing the word “signal”.
When the child hears the word “composition” they know that it has the verb compose or the letter “o” in it so he won’t misspell or write “composition.”
Below are the Benefits of Learning English Spellings
Learning to spell is directly related to reading and writing so when children spell more words they are able to read and write better.
Their vocabulary skills are improved over time when they read, or write new words. They get in the habit of using new words in their daily conversations which improves their communication skills.
When children learn spelling, parents and teachers are able to diagnose if they have any learning difficulties, such as dyslexia which can help them to overcome the problem earlier.
Use below given Tips to Help Your Child Learn Spelling
Take a large sheet of construction paper, a marker and two players in each group. Write 26 alphabet letters and ask students to cut them in the shape of a little pad or help them in doing and lay those letters on the floor. Now think of a simple 3-letter word and read it aloud and ask students to spell it using lily pad letters.
Use Stair Steps (H3)
Ask children to write each word in a single line and add one letter along with the previous letter as they move down like stairs. You can show them using an alphabet magnet so that they understand it better.
For eg:-
● B
● Ba
● Bas
● Bask
● Baske
● Basket
This game helps children to memorize the way certain words are spelt.
Ask children to stand together in a circle with one of them carrying a ball. Ask the student to say one word and pass the ball to the next, the other kid has to spell the word correctly and then pass the ball to the next kid with a new word and so on.
Suppose one kid is not able to say the spelling of the word, the other kid has to say it. This is a fun game where children have to do multitasking and have to be prompt.
Ask children to cut out the letters from a newspaper or magazine and then ask them to create words out of it. You can assign them some word lists. It encourages to consider each letter carefully and visual representations of the words boost memory.
Take alphabet magnet blocks and scramble the words in incorrect order. Ask children to arrange them in a given time. Set a timer to make it more fun.
Write a word and ask children to write down words from it. The trick is that children have to write another word using the last letter of the first word and so on. This fun game stimulates children’s brains and helps them to be creative.
For eg:-
● Toe
● Eat
● Tea
● Ant
● Tin
● Misspell
● Pharaoh
● Weird
● Intelligence
● Pronunciation
● Handkerchief
● Logorrhea
● Chiaroscurist
● Pochemuchka
● Gobbledegook
● Bat
● Cat
● Hat
● Mat
● Sat
● Mum
● Dad
● Bed
● Pig
● Pet
● Tree
● Bee
● Doll
● Toy
● Chair
● Always
● Ball
● Cold
● Dock
● Glass
● Answer
● Believe
● Century
● Describe
● Experience
Ask children to cut out words from magazines and make a collage of words. The more cognitive attention and the more fun they have learning, the more they are likely to remember words.
This is an old style but when children write words multiple times they are able to remember them for a long time.
Regular practice of reading helps students to get more comfortable with letters and words and the more they spell them correctly the longer they remember.
Children spend most of their time in the classroom, so an environment which has a good amount of display of words will help in the transfer of this knowledge into their minds.
Group games like hangman will motivate children to participate in order to win. It will help children in both written and spoken practice.
A great way to practice spelling is through typing as it helps students to revise words
Hope this article has helped you to know how children struggle with spellings.
Now, you help them with several strategies to gain proficiency in spelling words.
Teaching spelling needs patience and it is developmental which means your child will get the hang of it and will improve with regular practice. Teaching them word families, sight words, word meanings, and phonics rules is essential which will help them to solidify spellings in your child’s memory and gain confidence in their spelling skills.
Knowing the right spelling strategies while teaching Montessori school kids is vital to prevent children from being overwhelmed.
Learning a word and their spelling is challenging but choosing age-appropriate ways to teach spelling is essential to ensure the children learn spelling and words with ease.
Ans:- Children often begin to spell properly around 5 or 6 years of age but some spell earlier too.
Ans:- Reason for poor spelling is trouble noticing, remembering, and recalling. If poor spelling persists beyond the first years of school it can be a reason for disability such as dyslexia.
Ans:- Many kids with dyslexia learn to read fairly well but as spelling requires instruction, accommodations, task modifications, and understanding which they lack and therefore they struggle to spell.
Ans:- The Angular gyrus area of the brain controls our ability to learn spellings.
Ans:- Regular practice of reading, writing new words, practicing sight words, engaging in different creative word games is a useful and easier way to learn spelling.
Ans:- Phonetic, rule-based, visual, and morphemic are 4 Best Spelling Strategies in English
Ans:- 5-6 Year olds can become good spellers with regular practice
How is Japanese Kindergarten curriculum unique?
How is Japanese Kindergarten curriculum unique?
How do International Montessori Schools in Tokyo spark a child’s creativity?
How do International Montessori Schools in Tokyo spark a child’s creativity?
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