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Spelling is a challenging subject for most children, especially boys. Parents who homeschool their children may find that self-paced spelling is the best way to help their child develop their language ability.

Spelling, reading, and writing are closely related subjects, and improvements in one area lead to improvements in the other two.

Gentry (2007) suggests parents and teachers get rid of the traditional spelling list completely. Your child is not likely to find a spelling word important if he or she does not regularly use that word.

Instead, try to focus on teaching your child to spell the words he or she would like to use. Meaningful writing is an excellent way to practice self-expression, penmanship, and spelling.

Rather than finding an arbitrary list of grade-level spelling words, proofread your child's written work. Then, find the words they have misspelled and focus on these. Because these words are already in your child's written vocabulary, they will be used often enough for your child to become familiar with the correct spelling.

Once you have a list of words for the week, commence playing games with them. Nakata (2000) suggests having children look for their words in printed material like books and magazines.

Some parents offer a “word bounty”, a reward for spotting spelling words during the week. Your child can hunt for spelling words in library books, newspapers, and even packages at the grocery store.

Some children enjoy making up rhymes or songs about the correct spelling of a word. Many children enjoy spelling word art projects. Multimedia spelling is fun for children of any age.

Spelling words in giant letters with sidewalk chalk is an active project. Your child can focus on the different parts of the word by writing each syllable in a different color of marker. Making words out of food is an activity that most children will enjoy.

Rather than having a weekly spelling test, assess your child's progress at self-paced spelling by proofreading their writing. Look for words that have been on the spelling list previously, and see if your child spells them correctly most of the time.

Most importantly, have your child continue writing. Short stories, journals, poems, lists, and letters give your child a chance to practice their spelling without focusing too much on the subject.

Do no stress correct spelling when writing; instead, try to view your child's misspellings as an opportunity to learn. If your child becomes too stressed about spelling correctly, they may avoid using words that they don't know how to spell.

Trying out new words is an excellent way for your child to express themselves.

REFERENCES

Gentry, JR 2007, 'Spelling Counts,' Scholastic, New York, NY.

Nakata, J, 2000, Spelling Made Fun, Highlights for Children, vol 55, I 10 p 5.