What to Do When Your Child Struggles with Spelling: A Weekly Routine

Spelling can be one of the most challenging hurdles for homeschool families. Many children struggle with spelling for years, and it often feels like no matter how much effort you put in, progress is slow. The good news? With consistent, evidence-based strategies, your child can improve their spelling skills step by step. Here, we’ll explore strategies to support struggling spellers and show you how to structure a week of spelling practice to build confidence and success.

Why Systematic, Explicit Spelling Instruction Matters

Systematic, explicit spelling instruction builds strong readers and confident writers. By teaching patterns and rules step by step, we empower kids to decode and write with ease. Spelling isn’t just about memorization—it’s about understanding how language works.

For struggling spellers, breaking down the process into manageable steps makes all the difference. Here’s how you can approach spelling instruction with practical strategies and a weekly routine.

Strategies for Struggling Spellers

1. Focus on Letter-Sound Correspondence

*Using a* *Primary Spelling Notebook* *to map spelling words.*

The foundation of strong spelling is understanding the connection between sounds (phonemes) and the letters or groups of letters (graphemes) that represent them. One effective way to teach this is through phoneme-grapheme mapping. Have your child break down words by sound and think about what letter(s) correspond to each sound. This approach helps demystify words and gives your child a strategy they can rely on.

2. Use a Multi-Sensory Approach

Struggling spellers benefit greatly from multi-sensory techniques that engage more than one sense at a time. For example, your child can:

Trace letters in sand or on a textured surface.
Build words with letter tiles or magnetic letters.
Say sounds out loud while writing.

*Moveable alphabet tiles from* *Treasures by Jennifer*.

By combining movement, touch, sight, and sound, you help make spelling lessons more engaging and memorable.

3. Add in Sentence or Phrase Dictation

Once your child has practiced individual words, move on to sentence or phrase dictation. This step connects spelling to real-world writing and encourages your child to think about how spelling works in context. Start with simple sentences that include the patterns or words you’ve already taught. Dictation helps bridge the gap between isolated practice and application in writing.

4. Hold Your Child Accountable for Their Spelling

Accountability is key to reinforcing spelling skills. If you’ve explicitly taught a pattern or rule, expect your child to apply it in their written work. After they’ve completed a writing assignment, guide them through an editing process where they review and correct misspelled words. This process helps solidify their learning and encourages them to take ownership of their spelling progress.

A Week of Spelling: Building Consistency

Here’s how we structure a week of spelling practice to incorporate the strategies above and ensure consistent, meaningful progress:

Day 1: Introduce the New Pattern

The week begins by introducing a new spelling pattern. To make this hands-on, we use moveable tiles to build words that follow the pattern. This step helps kids connect the sounds they hear to the letters and patterns that represent them. The tactile experience of moving tiles reinforces their understanding and keeps the process interactive and fun.

Day 2: Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping

Day 2 is all about reviewing the spelling pattern and practicing writing words using phoneme-grapheme mapping (learn more here). This involves breaking words into individual sounds (phonemes) and matching them to their corresponding letters or letter combinations (graphemes). This strategy deepens their understanding of how sounds and letters work together, building a solid foundation for spelling.

Day 3: Word Chaining or Word Sorting

On the third day, we strengthen connections with word chaining or word sorting. Word chaining involves making small changes to words, such as swapping one letter for another to create a new word (e.g., cat → hat → hot). Word sorting involves grouping words based on shared patterns or sounds. Both activities help kids recognize relationships between words, making remembering patterns easier.

Day 4: Dictation Practice

Dictation brings everything together. On Day 4, we practice applying the week’s spelling pattern in real-world contexts by writing dictated sentences or phrases. Dictation reinforces spelling and improves sentence fluency, punctuation, and overall writing skills.

Hold Them Accountable

After teaching a spelling pattern or rule, it’s important to hold kids accountable for applying it in their writing. When they complete assignments, guide them through an editing process to correct any misspelled words based on what they’ve learned. This accountability helps reinforce learning and builds independence.

Start Small and Build Confidence

Improving spelling doesn’t happen overnight, but consistent, intentional routines can make a huge difference. Start with small, achievable goals and celebrate your child’s progress along the way. It’s not about perfection—it’s about growth and giving them the tools they need to succeed.

For more detailed guidance and practical resources, check out my Spelling Instruction Guide, where you’ll find step-by-step strategies, tips for choosing a curriculum, and tools to help your child become a confident speller.