Spelling is an important skill but one that can be a problem for many children.

However, there are some simple strategies you can use to help your child develop confidence in their spelling ability.

What you can do to help your child with spelling:

• Explain to your child that some words can be sounded out, but not all English words can be spelt correctly by ‘sounding out', eg the words ‘you' and ‘said'. 
• Talk to your child about how you spell, and what you do when you don't know how to spell a word. 
• Encourage your child to write at home on paper and on the computer. For example, filling in forms, writing notes to family members, writing phone messages and reminder notes, making lists, replying to letters and emails, and sending cards. 
• Provide a dictionary and use it together. Remember that dictionaries are more useful if your child knows about the alphabet and how a dictionary works. 
• Encourage your child to first try spelling unknown words themselves, and then praise the parts of the word that are correct and suggest what else is needed.