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Home Links Articles Spelling Well as a Family

Spelling Well as a Family

Even with computerized spellcheck, there's still a need for correct spelling in both school and day-to-day life.

Whether it's composing a letter, making a list, or taking an essay test, writing right makes a difference.

As parents, you can help, first, by showing an interest and encouraging your child. Your involvement in your child's learning will spur him or her to do better. In addition to that, there are a lot of things you can do at home to help your child learn to spell and be a better, more confident speller. Here are some suggestions:

 
Go to the library with your child and take out one of the many alphabet books. Read it together with your child.
 
Have your child cut out or draw pictures and group them according to initial sounds.
 
Pick a letter-of-the-week and post it on the family bulletin board or on the refrigerator. Have your child come up with as many words as possible throughout the week, starting with that letter.
 
Encourage your child to learn to spell the names of all family members. Additionally, your child can write to family and friends. These can be short letters, and while you may correct some, if any, of the misspelled words, do not overcorrect, as that can be discouraging.
  Play one of the many games like Boggle, Scrabble, or Hangman involving spelling.
  Have your child record all activities like sports, music lessons, chores, or part-time work on the family calendar.
  Encourage your child to write legibly.

Steps to Better Spelling

Have your child follow these steps to learn to spell correctly. These steps can be applied to words frequently misspelled or to new words to be learned.

 
1.
Say the word aloud while looking at it carefully.
 
2.
Close your eyes and picture the word, seeing each letter.
 
3.
Write the word several times.
 
4.
Check the spelling–proofreading is a good habit to develop.

 

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