Living in a modern world that is surrounded by technology and gadgets that make our lives easier, we often overlook the important things in life. For any child, having a strong academic foundation can be the determining factor between living a luxurious lifestyle or just getting by. As parents and caregivers, we aspire for our kids to reach heights that we could never achieve. An often underestimated tool in the cognitive development of any child is spelling. No child is born with a brilliant repository of knowledge and the ability to spell. Learning and spelling are skills that children acquire throughout their educational careers.
Owing to the numerous spelling checkers online that guide you down the right path, children find it irrelevant to learn correct spellings. However, these spelling checkers on the internet are an additional aid and one cannot completely depend upon them. This is where the intervention made by parents becomes so crucial. We, as parents, need to take the time to help our kids learn to spell, from the very basic spelling that they learn in pre-school to the complex ones they learn just before completing their schooling. You might be wondering, why is spelling so important or how to teach spelling to kids. If this thought has been on your mind for a while, then you’ve come to the right place. Before teaching your kids how to spell, you must be aware of how to make kids learn spellings. Before we delve into the how of the matter, let’s take a look at why your child needs to learn spellings.
Why Should Children Learn To Spell?
- To build a strong language skill foundation
- Vocabulary growth
- Enhances cognitive development
- Develops problem-solving skills
- Improves reading skills
Believe it or not, one of the main factors in determining a child’s language skills is his or her ability to spell words. Children must be taught spelling from a very young age. Spelling is not just about memorising the placement of letters to form words. However, it involves understanding how and why letters of the alphabet are placed together to form those words. A key factor when learning how to spell is learning how to hear the sounds of the letters of the alphabet. This is where phonetics comes into play. As a child learns these intricacies, his language skill also improves.
With learning how to spell new words., comes equal growth in the vocabulary of a young child. As he learns how to spell a particular word, he also learns its meaning. This improves his or her ability to not only write better but also to speak more articulately.
Learning how to spell words makes use of both short-term as well as long-term memory. This exercises the brain, by stressing the usage of patterns or sequences of letters along with the logical reasoning as to why that sequence is needed to spell a word.
Spellings come off as a challenge to young minds. This challenge allows them to come up with different ways to tackle problems. Trying to spell a word after listening to the pronunciation of the word will allow the child to think over how to spell the word. This encourages and fosters a sense of problem-solving. This skill which developed through the art of spelling will later be required by the child in various arenas of life.
One of the direct benefits of learning how to spell and spell well is that it improves one’s ability to read. One will not only be able to read more fluently, but one will also understand how to pronounce the words correctly. The sad truth is that reading is required at all stages of life so it’s a good idea to take out the time from small to master it.
Five Innovative Ways to Teach Your Child to Spell Words
- Flashcards
- Trace, Copy, Recall
- Memorization
- Stair Steps
- Spelling Train
One of the best ways to teach spelling to your little ones is through the use of flashcards. It is a good idea to make use of coloured index cards as bright colours are known to be appealing and attractive to the eye of a child. Write the word which you want your child to pronounce on one side of the flashcard and the meaning or definition on the other. So once your child learns the spelling, you can flip the card over to teach him or her its meaning. You need to say the word aloud numerous times so that your child associates the spelling of the word with its pronunciation.
This is a simple yet highly effective way of teaching your child how to spell correctly. If you’ve been worrying about how to get your child to remember spelling words, this is a great way of doing it. For conducting this exercise all you need is a sheet of paper with three columns. The first column is where you will write the spelling of the word for your child to trace. In the second column, your little one will copy the word by looking at the first column. In the last column, your child will write the word without looking at the first two columns.
One of the most traditional, tried and tested methods of making your kid learn spellings is through memorisation. You can start by showing your kid the word written on a piece of paper. After which, ask your child to create a mental image of it so he or she can visualize it. Ask your child to keep trying to remember the spelling of the word until your little one gets it right.
This is a fun and engaging way of teaching your child how to spell. As the name implies, add the letters of the word one at a time, in the same way as you ascend a staircase. For instance, if you want to spell the word ‘toy’, start with the letter ‘t’ and then add in the next one.
This is a truly effective method of teaching and testing your little ones on spelling. You start the game by saying aloud a word and then asking your child to spell the word. Ask your child to note down the letter with which the word ends and then use it to spell another word. This process can continue until your child runs out of words to use or unless he or she gets the spelling wrong.
Here at EuroKids, we ensure that each child is given the individual care he or she needs. All our lessons are tailor-made to suit the learners, thus, making use of a learner-centric approach rather than a teacher-centric approach. We focus on vocabulary building and spelling through ingenious, stimulating activities, both inside and outside the classroom. We work towards helping kids grow into adults who can realise their full potential. If you want to learn more about what we do, make sure to visit us at our closest store to you.
