Activities to Help Kids With Spelling

The more your child writes for fun, the more her spelling will improve.

Spelling can be a major challenge for some youngsters. When school systems insist on outdated methodology in their curriculum, it can lead to frustration and a decreased ability for success. With some simple, enjoyable tasks, your child's spelling can improve without the use of spelling tests and endless lists of words to memorize. If your child seems behind his peers developmentally, other cognitive issues may be affecting his or her ability to learn. Talk with your doctor if you are concerned about a disability.

Reading and Spelling Success

Provide your child with ample reading supplies. Reading books has been shown to be the most effective way to improve a child's spelling and grammar. The more your child reads, the more they recognize correct spelling when they see it. Simply through visual recognition acquired through fluent reading, spelling naturally improves without stress or frustration.

Creative Implementation

Offer your child the opportunity to be creative with words. Create a comic story in collaboration with your child and have him create funny dialog to go with his pictures. The desire to write engaging dialog increases your child's ability to spell. When your child is unsure of a word, simply spell it for her as needed. The more your child writes for fun, the better her spelling will be.

Exploring New Word Worlds

Teach your child about other cultures and languages. As your child is introduced to the words of a different culture, spelling comparisons are a natural sequential occurrence. Have your child make up labels for common household items in the foreign language as well as in his native language. Spelling the words out and having them present all over the house will implement stronger recognition when he goes to spell these words later on. Encourage your child to make as many labels as he can and praise him for handwriting and spelling efforts.

Bring Out the Highlighters

Give your child a stack of age-appropriate magazines and ask her to highlight all the words she is unfamiliar with. After highlighting the words, she can cut them out and make a word box. Each day, take one of the words out of the box, and look it up in the dictionary with your child. Have your child make a new sentence out of the introduced word to improve her spelling and vocabulary. Make this word the "word of the day," and try to encourage your child and the rest of the family to use the word as often as possible. According to author Peggy O' Mara, children who are exposed to expansive language tend to score higher in spelling and literacy assessments.

References

• "Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories in Context and Practice"; John Sommers-Flannagen; 2009
• "The Attachment Parenting Book : A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby"; William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N.; 2001
• "Natural Family Living: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Parenting"; Peggy O'Mara; 2004