How I Teach Spelling to a 4 year old

Formal spelling doesn't generally begin until Grade 2, but what do you do with a child who is 4 years old and WANTS to do spelling just like her big sisters?

Yep, you oblige.

1.  I select a multiple phonogram { ea } to work on.
2.  I select 5 words in which to study this sound.
3.  I write these 5 words out in a list on a scrap piece of paper.
4.  I have her then read the sound and the words{ sound out the word }.
5.  I have her copy out the words in an exercise book.
6.  I then have her underline the multiple phonogram in the words.
7.  Then we make the words on our magnetic board with the letter tiles that I made { concept from All About Spelling - before I got to see them in real life - so it just goes to show you that you don't always need to purchase or see items in real life to get the gist of something that will work. }  I've done some show and tell on these tiles before HERE.

So, can we see some show and tell on it?

Sure.

{ The book work }

{ The tile work }

The alphabet sits up top.

I keep the vowels in red, the consonants in white, and qu in the same color as the multiple phonograms, to help remind the girls that it has more than one letter when in use.

Multiple phonograms are in a gakky green.  See / ea / on the board.  All the others are in a little baggie so the board isn't conjested.  The digraphs are in blue, prefixes in purple, suffixes in dark green, hopefully you'll get to see them sometime.

So she just cycles through making the words.

I did originally make several copies of each letter / phonogram set, but it was too cumbersome to use and locate the desired sounds.  So I minimised it along the same lines as All About Spelling, and voila, much more usable.

Additionally, the child can continue on and make more words with the same sound.

And there you have it.  Spelling for a 4 year old.  You don't even need a workbook, or a curriculum for it either.  You just need a good word list to go with your selected phonogram, and a tile set { totally optional, but heaps more fun and interesting at that age }.

If you'd like a FREE tile set just click HERE.

Just print, laminate, cut, and adhere a magnet on the back.  I used one that has one side magnet and one side sticky on the magnet so that it could stick on without any problem.  I bought a roll of the stuff from a local office supply store. { Officeworks }

The file is designed to make 4 sets at a time.  Great for classroom use, or multiple children in the family.

Just a couple more examples for fun:

This week I am linking up with:



and



I hope you will join us.

Thanks for visiting.