Learning to spell comes naturally to some kids, while it may prove a little harder for others. Thankfully, there are some really great ways to help your child spell better and have fun at the same time.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a fun game to play with your child. For younger kids, pick up a junior version and stick to the adult one for older children. If you don’t have the game why not make your own with a board and letters written on pieces of paper.
Word searches
You will find numerous word searches suitable for your youngster in kids’ magazines or you can print some out from the computer. They are great for car journeys or for helping your child wind down before bed.
Hangman
Hangman is another great game to play with your child. You can start it off but make sure your child has a go at creating the word while you try to guess. This will help them to associate a word with its spelling.
Crosswords
Crosswords aren’t just for adults and they are great at helping your child improve their spelling. They also encourage your child to think as they try to answer the questions.
Online spelling games
The internet is a great resource and you will find plenty of online spelling games suitable for kids of all ages on it. Get involved in the game with them but don’t help them. If you have to leave your child unsupervised at the computer for a few minutes, make sure you have your parental controls on.
Write stories
Have your child write stories about their day. If they ask for help with a word give it to them, but encourage them to try spell it first themselves. Buy them their very own notebook or A4 pad and encourage them to write in it as often as possible.
Name tags on items
Get your little one to stick name tags on household items such as the microwave, dishwasher and television. This will help your youngster with some of the more difficult words and by seeing the word every day they will subconsciously learn to spell it.
