How to make spelling easy for your kids

Simple Kids' Activities with Short Vowel Words
Nov 6, 2008 Kalyani Candade

The most effective tool to good spelling is an amazingly simple one: "Open your mouth and say the word".

English spelling is actually not difficult, once the logic is clear. While many spellings are phonetic and are spelt as they are spoken, the confusion arises from groups of words that are drawn from different European languages. Here are some simple exercises you can do with your child to create strong fundamentals.

Make your Child Say the Word Aloud
This is the golden key that can unlock the secrets of the English alphabet. Say the words aloud with your child, play with the sounds of the alphabets, show him or her how the shape of the mouth correlates with the sound made.

Start with the Vowels, the Triangular "A"
Identify about five words with a similar "A" sound and make her repeat the words, for example: Hay, May, Gay, Day, Way. Let her get familiar with the sound of "A". Demonstrate the triangular shape the mouth makes when you say the "A". Experiment with the changing sounds when the shape of the mouth changes. Move slowly into a long "aah", and start making a list of words with that sound; like Car, Bar, Mar, Par, Far. Play around with the many different sounds of "A". You could act, or mime, if you feel like it. Have fun!

Move on to the Circular "O"
After a while, turn the "A"’ into a slow "aaaoooo’"and then make a full "O". Talk about how the mouth makes a complete circle. Move to "O" words. For your examples, use short "O" words like Hot, Got, Dot, Pot, Rot.

Smile your Way into a Wide "E"
When you’re finished with "O", stretch your mouth into a wide smile, and move into an "eeee". Point out the shape of the mouth and the correlation with the sound. Use words with a double "E" for your examples: Feet, Meet, Sweet, Greet, Beet.

Then, slowly, mouth still open in a smile, shorten the 'ee' sound to an ‘eh’. Move to words like Pet, Bet, Red, Ten, Pen. Discuss how the shape of the mouth stays the same, but the sound is shortened.

Experiment with the Shape of "I"
After "E", it’s time to move into the slightly less defined "I". Continue the exercise. Discover, along with your child, how the shape of the mouth changes to make the various "I".sounds. For your examples, use words making the short "I". sound; Bit, Kit, Hit, Pit, Lit. Highlight the plosive "I".; play around with the short, expulsive sound and maybe create simple mimes around it.

Discover the fun of the Pursed "U"
Introduce the "Ooh" sound dramatically. Make a long, drawn out sound complete with pursed mouth, and make your child do the same. Repeat it a couple of times for effect and fun. Then create your words; use the long "ue" words to demonstrate the sound of "U"; Blue, True, Glue, Cue, Hue. Explain that "U" often likes to have another vowel along for company. Do not tackle the odd "U" words like "but" and "put" at this stage.

Repeat the Activity and Make it a Game
At the end of this exercise, your child should have a fair understanding of the standard sounds of the vowels, and should begin to enjoy vocalizing the sounds and understanding how they work. It is important that the word groups that you choose should be standard and easy to follow; do not introduce odd spellings or exceptions right now. Repeat this a couple of times, always taking care to choose a simple and predictable set of words. Catch the odd moment, throw it around, surprise each other. Once your child starts enjoying the game, it’s time to move on to activities with vowel combinations like the long "ee" diagraph , the long "a" sound and the long "o" diagraph.



Read more at Suite101: How to Make Spelling Easy for Children: Simple Kids' Activities with Short Vowel Words http://kids-educational-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_make_spelling_easy_for_children#ixzz0rG0MLDqj