Out of this World: About this Spelling Book

This spelling book is designed to help your child to develop confident spelling skills through regular, manageable practice. Each set contains five carefully selected words chosen from the government word lists and from those most commonly used by children in their reading and writing.

The Two-Week Practice Approach

Each spelling set is designed for two weeks of practice. This extended time is vital for learning success. When children work with the same words regularly over several days, they develop the ability to recognise and spell them without effort. If your child already knows the words, keep practising as this strengthens their long-term recall. Spacing out practice sessions, rather than learning everything at once, helps move spellings from short-term memory into lasting knowledge.

Daily Practice Tips

Keep practice short and positive: just two to three minutes daily is more effective than longer, infrequent sessions. Learning just before a check-up in school may only show that the words are known on that day.

¶ For phonics words: Help your child to sound out each part of the word and identify known graphemes (for example, ‘are’, ‘ow’, ‘a-e’) 

¶ For tricky words that are harder to decode: Encourage your child to spot the 'tricky part' that doesn't follow the rules and find ways to remember it.

Supporting Your Child

¶ Celebrate trying and not just getting it right.

¶ Help your child to understand that mistakes are part of how we learn. “Don’t worry. Learning takes time and practice.” This builds resilience and keeps them motivated.

¶ Make practice enjoyable and fun. Make up word searches or sentences about your child’s favourite film character. Why not try using pipe cleaners or craft materials to spell out a challenging word? For more ideas to motivate and to encourage positive conversations about mistakes, please click here.

¶ Be patient: not everyone learns at the same pace.

Retaining and applying learning

Remember: consistent practice over the two-week period will give your child the best chance to master these spellings and build their confidence as a speller. Encourage your child to write these words accurately when trying to write a sentence. This is trickier than it sounds and will take practice to write at a good pace. Some example sentences and handwriting linked to this book can be found below. Try to go back to previous words every now and again. Your child’s teacher may add words that need a little more practising to the sets at the back of the book.

Thank you for helping your child to flourish.