Supporting children with spelling difficulties at home is crucial for reinforcing the skills they learn at school. By making home learning adjustments, incorporating spelling apps, and using multisensory techniques, parents can help their child develop stronger spelling skills in a fun and engaging way.
Of course, like all education, it needs to be well rounded and multi-pronged. If you're a SENCo/class teacher reading this, you might want to send over the URL to a parent, so they can see what things they can try at home. However, you can also check out some other articles for: Tracking Progress, Overlearning, Spelling in the Classroom and Morphology.
Spelling for Younger Learners
This section will show tips to try at home for younger learners. To begin with it'll show some activities to try, then explore some apps.
Activities for Parents at Home
Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS)
This is an activity where the child looks at a word and then say each letter aloud as they write it down. For example, if the word is "cat," the child would say "C" while writing "C," "A" while writing "A," and "T" while writing "T." After writing the word, they should say the whole word aloud. This technique reinforces the connection between the auditory and kinesthetic senses.
Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check:
Write the word on a piece of paper. Have the child look at the word and say it out loud. Then, cover the word and have them write it from memory. After writing, they should uncover the original word and check to see if they spelled it correctly. Repeat this process with different words to reinforce spelling patterns.
Visualisation Techniques
Ask the child to close their eyes and visualise the word in their mind. Encourage them to picture the word in a specific colour or font. They can also draw a picture related to the word or use colour to highlight tricky parts of the word when writing it down. This technique engages the visual sense and helps with memory retention.
Recommended app
Spelling Shed
Spelling Shed is an engaging app that uses fun games and challenges to help children improve their spelling skills. Parents and teachers can create custom word lists and track progress, making it easy to monitor improvements. Rewards and incentives within the app keep children motivated and engaged.
Pros
Custom word lists for tailored practice.
Tracks progress over time for monitoring improvement.
Rewards and incentives to boost motivation.
Cons
Primarily focuses on spelling without extensive grammar or writing features.
Requires a subscription for full access to all features.
Recommended app
Sir Linkalot
Sirlinkalot provides a creative, innovative way for children to learn common expectation words through an interactive app. It uses memorable animations and mnemonics to help children remember tricky spellings, making spelling both visual and engaging. This method is especially effective for visual learners who need alternative spelling strategies.
Pros
Creative, visual approach to spelling.
Highly engaging for children who struggle with traditional methods.
Uses animations and mnemonics to reinforce learning.
Cons
Focuses on common expectation words, limiting scope for advanced learners.
May not appeal to students who prefer traditional learning styles.
Recommended app
Nessy
Nessy offers a range of interactive spelling games and activities designed to reinforce key spelling rules and patterns. It is particularly helpful for children who struggle with conventional spelling methods, providing a more hands-on, playful approach to learning. Nessy is also known for supporting children with dyslexia.
Pros
Effective for children who struggle with traditional methods.
Specifically designed to reinforce spelling rules and patterns.
Dyslexia-friendly and tailored to various learning needs.
Cons
Primarily focused on spelling, with fewer features for other literacy skills.
Requires subscription for full access to its range of activities.
Recommended app
Squeebles Spelling
Squeebles Spelling Test is an app that enables parents and teachers to create custom spelling tests for children to practice in a fun, engaging way. The app incorporates rewards and incentives to keep children motivated, with interactive games and colourful visuals enhancing the learning experience.
Pros
Allows for customised spelling tests tailored to individual needs.
Includes rewards and incentives to maintain motivation.
Fun and interactive design to engage young learners.
Cons
Limited to spelling without additional grammar or reading features.
Requires regular input from parents or teachers to create custom lists.
Spelling for 11+
This section will show tips to try at home for older learners. To begin with it'll show how to use assistive technology, as well as, activities to try!
Activities for older students
Lidia Stanton’s Spelling Books:
Lidia Stanton’s spelling books are simple, fun, and effective for helping children improve their spelling skills. These books are designed to be engaging and easy to use, making them a great addition to your home learning resources.
Learn the Tricky Words
Spend time with your child learning common exception words, often known as "tricky words," which don’t follow standard phonetic rules. Lists of these words can be found online, organised by age or year group.
Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check (for older learners)
Write the word on a piece of paper. Have the child look at the word and say it out loud. Then, cover the word and have them write it from memory (try to get them to do this independently).
Recommended tools
Grammarly and Spell-Checking Tools
Grammarly and other spell-checking tools provide real-time corrections and suggestions. These tools not only help correct spelling mistakes but also teach the student the correct spellings, making them a valuable resource for both learning and writing. This is particularly helpful for older learners.
Recommended tools
Speech-to-text
Assistive technology tools like text-to-speech and speech-to-text can be highly beneficial for older spellers, especially those with dyslexia or other challenges. We have written about this in another article, click here for more information.