How My Son Aced The Spelling Test, Kindergarten All The Way To College

Simplify Learning. Make It Easy For A Child’s Brain To Process It The Right Way Each Time. He/She Will Never Go Wrong For Life.

This is a true story. I am proud of what my son, Nicholas accomplished. I showed him the method to learn to spell the right way, just once or twice. After that, he’s never approached me with the same problem of having to spell ever again.

Making learning an enjoyable, freeing experience, will help children to love learning. Tim Mossholder Unsplash.

One evening when he was in Kindergarten (I don’t remember his actual age at that time), I remember we both were seated at the dining table. He said, “Dad, I have trouble learning to spell. These words are hard.” I took the sheet of paper from his hand. There were about 20 words on the page.

To his eyes, his mind, his brain, they were a jumble of words on the page. (View this from a 5–7-year-old’s point of view). It was up to me to simplify it, the best way possible, so he could learn and pass the test. But I had a long-term plan in mind. I wanted him to become an independent learner.

In light of wanting to keep this article short, here are the key tips to remember while teaching your kid how to spell right:

1. Children are good, fast learners. Their brain is a fresh sponge that soaks up the right information, IF presented in the right manner. Similarly, if they soak up the wrong information, they would repeat the same mistake each time. Why?
2. The brain has a shelving system. If you put the right information into the right shelves, then it is easy to get back the right information, when needed.
3. Words that have to be learned have to be broken down into meaningful pieces. These meaningful chunks constitute (form) the entire word, that creates, adds to his/her vocabulary, long term.
4. When learning spelling, do just that. Don’t sidetrack and teach vocabulary, unless they ask and want to know more about the word.
5. You can use the “power of association” to help children remember a word.
6. You can teach the right pronunciation/enunciation as you teach spelling. But don’t overdo it and make it boring.
7. Don’t overspend time on one word. Remember kids have a definite (short) attention span, so don’t drain their energy levels. Go about learning the words in a set speed and fashion.
8. Form a set method to teach spelling to your children. Stick to that method till you find ways to make it better and effective.
9. Don’t yell at your children or threaten them, get angry at them, when they get it wrong. Their brains are still processing. Patience is key till they get it right.
10. Remember to praise them when they get the spelling of the words right.

A word like “information,” can be broken down to “In-for-ma-tion,” easy for a child’s brain to process.

STEPS TO LEARNING SPELLING:

I started by sharing the words on the page with my son.

1. We went down the page reading the words aloud, at a regular speed.
2. Next, I broke down the words into their parts. example: In/for/ma/tion
3. We reread the words a few times together after this breakdown was done.
4. We did not rush through the words, we did it slowly and precisely. I did not stop to explain or bore him with details. Children don’t care. If they did, believe me, they will ask you.
5. I shared the paper, (he could look at it) and asked him the spelling of a word. He would repeat it slowly while looking at the paper. Learning was taking place.
6. If he wanted he could look at the word being learned. This step helped him to shelve the spelling of that word correctly (in his brain).
7. Then I asked him to sit opposite to me, across the dining table. He tried spelling what he had learned. If he wanted assistance, I shared the paper so he could see it. (I did not and would not expect him to learn it fast).
8. Be flexible with your child as he/she learns. This aids the brain in learning or acquiring information correctly.

Always remember, “Correct Information In, Correct Information Out.”

Yelling, threatening, beating a child only makes the learning process unpleasant and unrewarding. Lack of support from a parent or impatience from a parent or guardian will delay the process of learning.

This method is a freeing process of learning. This also helps your child become an independent learner very soon.

After a few more repeats of this exercise, Nicholas has never again bothered me to learn to spell, ever again. (This is the 100% truth).

The best part? He got 98 or 100 on each spelling test every time. I did not ask him or put pressure on him as to why he got 98 instead of 100. I was glad he got 98 and did not even bother to look at the word he had spelled wrong. I was content as a parent, and that boosted his confidence as a student. It worked perfectly well, and to this day he has no issues with his spelling. Thank God!

And don’t worry about the word he got wrong, I am sure he looked it up and found the right spelling to that word and reshelved it in his brain. Children do that themselves without assistance from their parents. Why? Because they have an inborn competitive spirit.