Routine is key to learning new spellings

Whichever method of practising spelling you choose for your child, routine is key. I don’t know one child who begs to learn their new spellings, but as children move up through school, having gaps in spelling knowledge can result in a bit of an issue in Year 6.

There are lots of ways of practising spellings.

‘Look, cover, write, check’  - This is popular when teachers set homework as it’s easy to get your head around. Look at the new spelling, cover it, try to write it, check – and repeat if you make a mistake. Easy peasy. But it’s a bit boring!

Spelling games - Games tend to be low pressure and engaging. A good free website is topmarks.co.uk and I have used these games in the classroom too.

Visual or verbal learner? - Some children learn by seeing a word written and writing it out, some prefer to hear it and spell it out.

Post-it-notes - This can work if you don’t mind bright yellow blobs all around your house. Stick post-it-notes around the house for up to 5 key words. No more than this. Change them frequently.

Help your child with written homework - If you sit with your child while they’re writing, you’ll soon grasp which type of words they find tricky and how they help themselves work out spellings. Do they remember rules learnt in class? Use a dictionary?

Spelling books  - Again, these can be a bit dull, but done in small chunks they are manageable. 10 minutes a day is a good guide. These books are available form lots of retailers.

Good luck and go forth and spell well!