Mothercare Blog

Do you often find your children scratching their heads when asked to spell a big or complicated word? Then it’s about time you take a step to fix this.

Here are some magical tips to make your kids Spell-a-Thon ready in just a few days. And, no they don’t involve casting a learning spell on your little ones!

Make them read

It is very important for your kids to read at every opportunity they get. Get them to read the morning newspaper, comics, kid’s magazines or any other written material that they prefer to skim through. This is because spelling is not just learnt from the sound of language but also from its appearance on the page. So, the next time they don’t do well in their spelling tests just have them read a couple of books instead of reading them the riot act.

Speak up

Try and say the words out loud with your children and make sure they pronounce them loud and clear. This is because the mispronunciation of words often results in the kids writing them incorrectly too. Take a few minutes out in the day and have your children repeat the words after you. A few pronunciation rehearsals after dinner or while getting dressed for school will have them ace every spelling test that comes their way.

The creative narrative

We’re all game for employing some creativity to have kids polish their spelling skills. Creation of sentences using the first alphabet of the word helps kids in memorising spellings like no other. For instance, “Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants” can help you spell “because”. Sentences like these register in the minds of children very quickly and engrave spellings there for life.

Spread the Word

It’s always a good idea to put some quotes, sayings or even posters with complicated words around the house. Frequent visibility of these can increase the child’s exposure to the words and also heed memorization. It’s not easy to forget the spellings of the words that are in front of their eyes all day long!

Look it up

Be sure to have your kids look up a word in the dictionary in case they spell it wrong. This will not only get them into the habit of checking on the words they don’t know, but will also have them add a few vocabulary gems to their diction.

Do try and follow these tips and you’re sure to break the spell of the impending fear of word tests in your child!