How to help your child with writing.
Parents of beginning writers often look at their children’s sentences and see
something like this: We wnt on a rid it wuz fn. Translation: “We went on a ride. It
was fun.”
When children are first learning how to write, they often use phonetic spelling,
Phonetic spelling is when children listen to the sounds they hear in words and write
down the letters that make those sounds. Words like "cat" or "pin" are usually
spelled correctly under the phonetic system, but irregular words like “special” or
“the” are often incorrect.
Using phonetic spelling is an important stage in your child’s development as a writer.
In first grade, especially, children are still learning and practicing which letters make
which sounds. Using phonetic spelling is a great way for children to practice which
letter-sounds go with which letter! This practice will improve both their writing and
reading. Rest assured, your child will develop standard spelling as he or she gets
older. Use these guidelines to know how and when to help your child with spelling:
Do have your child stretch out the words she is spelling to try and hear all the sounds
in the word. For example, “cat” should be stretched out /c/ /a/ /t/. Have your child
say the word slowly and listen to all the sounds that she hears. If he doesn’t hear a
sound in a word (let’s say he writes “ct” for “cat”) gently push him to listen carefully
to the word once more (going with the “ct” example, ask him what sound comes
between the “c” and the “t”).
Don’t correct your child’s spelling. Children should feel like successful, independent
writers. If children feel like they can’t write without perfect spelling, they will not
think of themselves as writers. Children also may develop a tendency to rely on
grown-ups to tell them if their spelling is “right.” Instead of focusing on correct
spelling, encourage your first grader to write phonetically. If first graders are
representing all the sounds they hear in words, they will be able to read their own
writing. That’s what we want from young writers-- standard spelling will come later.
Do find out what sight words/spelling words your child is learning in school. If your
child’s teacher has taught the students the words “the” and “and”, then your child
should be consistently spelling those two words correctly in his writing. You can hold
your child accountable for words that he has spent a long time learning about and
practicing in school. Sight words will be sent home monthly.
Don’t worry if you can’t read your child’s writing. Try to point out why it is important
for your child to be able to read her writing. Talk with her about including all sounds
in the words she’s writing and remind her to put spaces between her words. Often
kids will not be able to hear all the sounds in words-- that’s okay. However, this will
develop, so don’t worry.
Finally, and most importantly, DO encourage a love of writing! Writing should be a
fun, low stress activity. Take the pressure off your child to spell all words correctly
and instead praise him for his imaginative story or interesting details. When your
child values writing, he will see the importance of writing to be understood, and this
will encourage him to develop more conventional spelling later.
How to help your child with reading.
1. Choose the right book using the "five-finger rule." Have your child open the
book to any page in the middle of the book and read that page. Each time she
comes across a word she does not know, she should hold up a finger. If she
gets to five fingers before she finishes reading the page, the book is too hard.
If she doesn't hold up any fingers, the book is probably easy for your child
and can be used to build reading fluency. If she holds up two or three fingers,
the book is likely to be at a good level for her reading to grow.
2. Use sound strategies to tackle a new word.
a. Ask your child to sound out an unknown word. Look at the letters in a
difficult word and have your child pronounce each sound, or
phoneme. Then see if he can blend the sounds together to pronounce
the word.
b. Help him memorize irregular words. Explain that words likewhere,
hour, or sign are hard to sound out since they don't follow normal
sound patterns. Point these words out when you're reading to help
your child learn to recognize them on his own.
c. Use suffixes, prefixes, and root words. If your child knows the
word day, guide him to define new words like yesterday or
daily. Similarly, if he knows what pre- means, it's easy to learn new
words like prepare or preschool.
3. Use the story to help your child learn.
a. Ask your child what word or idea would make sense in the plot of the
story when she gets stuck on an unfamiliar word.
b. Encourage your child to look at illustrations, pictures, titles, or graphs
to figure out the meaning of new words.
4. Give support and encouragement.
a. Challenge your child to figure out new words, but always supply the
word before he becomes frustrated.
b. After your child has read a story, reread it aloud yourself so that he
can enjoy it without interruption.
5. Be a good role model. Let your child see you reading, and share your
excitement when you enjoy a great book of your own.
6. Make reading a priority. Whether it's 10 minutes every night before bed or
an hour every Sunday morning, it helps to set aside a specific time for
reading. This kind of special "together time" can go a long way toward getting
your child interested in books.
7. Create the right atmosphere. Find a quiet comfortable place to listen to your
child read. While you don't need to build a special reading nook, it helps to
ensure that, even in a busy home, there's a quiet place for reading.
8. Keep reading aloud to your child. Don't stop reading aloud to your child once
she learns to read by herself. When you read to her, you let your child enjoy
books that are beyond her independent reading level and build her
vocabulary by exposing her to new words. Reading aloud is also a chance for
you to model reading smoothly and with expression.