Supporting Spelling

Using phonics to decode words and to be able to build and spell them is the main way that children will learn to spell. For some, learning to 'grow the code' using phonics may take a little longer. In the first place, please continue to use the phonics mat (below) to support spelling and ask your child's teacher to add familiar sound buttons to your child's spelling book. This will help your child to build the word using known graphemes.

In addition to using a phonics approach, there are tips in each spelling book that will support your child in a range of ways. We individually pace the speed at which children progress through the books to allow plenty of time for the children to have spaced-repetition. Staff work with individuals in school to provide tailored practice sessions. Do talk to your child's teacher or our SENDCo for further ideas and to discuss how your child is being supported.

Below are two different ways that may help your child with tricky words or those that your child is finding harder. Every child is individual and these may not be useful for your child. Please also see more practical activities that will aid repetition (click here).

Telling Stories

Telling stories about a word can often be helpful when a particular word is proving troublesome. The key is talking through the story and asking if your child can tell the story in their own words. 

Again, where possible, please also talk about the sounds in the word. For example, 'now' ends with 'ow' grapheme. This sound is often spelt 'ow' at the end of words ('how'), but 'ou' when in the middle of words ('sound').

These cartoon examples have been taken from 'Tricky Spellings in Cartoons for Children' by Lidia Stanton and contain many of the tricky words found in the children's spelling books. 

Letter Pictures

Your child may find it useful to draw in the letters. Please avoid using capital letters where they are not needed. How high or low a letter reaches is also going to be useful. 

Again, please use phonics knowledge where possible. These images taken from Lidia Stanton's 'High Frequency Words' is useful, but it is more beneficial when discussed alongside phonics to support the use and memory of these. For example, for the word 'boy', look also at how the sound made by 'oy' can be found at the end of other words ('toy' and 'joy'), but in other words, the same sound is often found in the middle ('point' and 'boil').