Top Tips in the Book

Although the primary way of learning spellings is through using phonics, there are tricky words that need a little more help. The tips in the book provide a range of ideas - mnemonics, silly stories, spotting the tricky part, trying physical ways to repeat each word...

The tips in this book are as follows: 

Write 'has' and 'and' on the back of two envelopes. Try making sentences about this page, with your child tapping the correct card:

"The fox has a bushy tail and black paws."

Pop 'go' and 'no' on two separate cards (write the 'g' like you see here and in the LW reading books). When you show 'go' your child can run on the spot and when they see 'no', they have to quickly stop! Your child can choose the exercise and you can have a 'hoot' catching them out!

To save your child from muddling 'were' and 'where' later on, keep saying 'were' in a sentence and see if your child can think of one too.

Could, would, should - these tricky words can be fun to learn! For some children, this is useful:

o (use the letter name)

u (use the letter name)

l ucky

d uck!

'Your' and 'their' show possession (belonging). It is useful to talk about these together. Ask, "Are they your snacks or their snacks?" whilst offering them to toys or family members.

Teaming up 'there' and 'here' is also useful. They are both about positioning and one is found in the other. Show two post-it notes and invite your child to dash to you holding 'here' or across the room to the 'there' post-it. Change your mind before they reach the card to try to catch them out in a fun way.

Need more help?

There are further ways to help you with your spellings. For more ideas for children who are building the phonetic code, click here. Alternatively, try out a variety of activities, alongside the phonics mats to increase repetition over time and long-term retention. Please do not hesitate to discuss your child's progress with their teacher or our SENDCo.