Your little one has their best friend over for a fun after-school playdate, but they’ve also both been given a short list of spellings for a test the next day. So, before the fun and games begin, they’ve agreed to get their spellings out of the way, and then they’re going to build a huge den in the living room!

Now, as they go about practicing their spellings, with you reading out words and them taking turns to call out the relevant letters, you can’t help but notice that their friend seems to be a lot further ahead than your child when it comes to spelling. In fact, they pretty much get each spelling right the first time, while your little one even struggles with the easy words.

While you know it’s best not to compare children to one another, because it’s entirely normal for them to develop at different rates, you can’t help but worry that your child might be falling behind. So, is there anything you can do at home to help them get back up to speed with their spelling?

Thankfully, there are a ton of fun and easy games and methods you can play with your kids to improve their spelling skills, so let’s explore them and see if they appeal to you and your kids!

How do I help my child with their spelling skills at home?

Read, read, and read some more. The more your child reads, the faster they’ll memorise the spelling of words. Make sure your little one has lots of age-appropriate materials at hand and then encourage them to read to you aloud.

Play the memory game with words. Cut out lots of cards and create 2 sets, each with the same words. Spread them out with the word side facing downwards and then have your little one gradually find the pairs. Make sure they practise shouting the words out as they turn them over.

Play word games. Hangman, boggle, and scrabble are all excellent and exciting games that involve words and spelling, so introduce them to your kids and play them often.

Carry out projects that involve words. On a rainy day when you’re stuck indoors, come up with projects that involve as many words as possible. For example, you could cut different words out of a magazine and have your kids stick them down on paper in an order that creates a funny story.

Regularly practise spelling. Remember that spelling isn’t something you can teach a child once and then move on. Spelling requires lots of reviewing and regular practice.

Play the flip four steps games. Using the word cards from the word memory game or creating a whole new bunch, have your child flip over a face-down word card. If they can identify the word, pronounce it, spell it, and write it down on a separate piece of paper, they get to keep it! Once they’ve retrieved every card, they win the game.

Trace, copy, then recall. On a fresh piece of paper, draw out two columns, one labelled ‘trace’, the next labelled ‘copy’, and the last labelled ‘recall’. In the very first column, write a few words in very faint pencil and have your child trace over the first one. Once they’ve managed that, they’ll copy the word into the second column. And finally, cover the first two columns and ask them to recall the word, entirely from memory. Make your way down the list of words and be sure to praise your child when they put the hard work in (even if they don’t always get it right).

Spell while you cook and clean. When you’re busy with daily tasks, use the time to practise your little one’s spelling. Pick up the potato you’re chopping and ask them to spell “potato”. Or when you’re wiping the floor clean, see if they know the three letters that make up the word “mop”.

Use printed cards. Stick printed word cards about the house in places your child regularly sees to expose them to more words, and how to spell them.

Spelling puzzle. After writing out a few simple words on some card, cut out each individual letter and ask your child to put them back together in the correct order so that the word makes sense.

Word race. If your kids like competitive games, form two teams and prepare a list of words. After the game master shouts out a word, a player from each team must try to write out the word as fast as they can. Whoever correctly spells out the word first wins a point.

Stair steps. This is a simple but fun way to learn a new word. Write a new word down but arrange it as a falling staircase:

Ban

Bana

Banan

Banana

Reward, don't punish. Spelling is hard and requires a lot of work and patience, so reward your little one with treats, stickers, and praise when they put the work in. Positive reinforcement motivates your child to keep on learning and memorising. Punishment, however, does not.

Keep activities on the shorter side but do them regularly. Spelling can get rather boring rather quickly, so keep things short and fresh.

How to help your child's spelling skills at home (Part 1)

In part one of the three-part article, Unii looks at how to support your child's spelling at home.