Spelling can be a challenging skill for many children, but with the right tools and strategies, you can help them build confidence and improve their abilities. If your child is struggling with spelling, the first step is to assess their foundational knowledge, starting with letter-sound correspondence. Once you’re confident they recognize and understand the 26 letter sounds, you can introduce CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and gradually work up to more complex patterns, such as blends (e.g., “st,” “bl,” “fr”) and digraphs (e.g., “ch,” “sh,” “th,” “wh”).

By breaking the process into manageable steps, you can create a supportive learning environment for your child. Here’s a detailed guide to follow:

Step 1: Say the Word

Begin by saying the word aloud. For example, if the word is “cat,” say the entire word clearly.

• Tip: Encourage your child to repeat the word after you. This ensures they hear the sounds correctly and are actively engaged in the process.

Step 2: Segment the Word

Next, have your child break the word into its individual sounds. This is called segmenting.

• Ask them to say each sound they hear in the word, one at a time. For “cat,” they would say: /k/ /a/ /t/.
• Encourage them to raise a finger for each sound they identify. This physical action helps reinforce the connection between sounds and letters.

Step 3: Match Each Sound to a Letter Name

After segmenting the word, your child should identify the letter that corresponds to each sound.

• For “cat,” they would match:
  • /k/ to “C”
  • /a/ to “A”
  • /t/ to “T”

Step 4: Write the Word

Once they’ve identified the letters, it’s time to write the word. Encourage your child to say each letter name or sound aloud as they write it.

• This step reinforces the connection between the auditory (hearing the sound), v