How to Teach Spelling at Home

Part of my ‘How to Teach English at Home’ series for homeschooling parents. 

Introduction

Let’s look at how you can support your child's spelling development without spending hours learning lists of words or completing endless worksheets.

Spelling is something that develops over time. Children need opportunities to notice patterns, practise using them and encounter familiar words repeatedly in their reading and writing. The good news is that you can support all of this quite naturally at home.

Focus on spelling patterns, not just word lists

English spelling can be tricky! There are rules and patterns that children can learn, but there are also plenty of exceptions. Rather than simply asking your child to memorise a long list of words, help them notice how words are put together.

For example, you might explore:

• Words with the same letter patterns, such as light, night, bright and fright
• Different ways of making the same sound, such as ai, ay and a-e.
• Common prefixes and suffixes, such as un-, re-, -ing and -ed.
• Words that share a root, such as help, helpful and helpless.

When children begin to recognise these patterns, they can use what they already know to help them spell unfamiliar words too.

Little and often is best

Spelling practice doesn't need to take up a huge part of your day. In fact, short, regular sessions are often much more useful than one long spelling session each week.

A simple routine you can try is look, cover, write, check:

1. Look: Ask your child to look carefully at the word and notice any tricky parts or spelling patterns.
2. Cover: Hide the word so they can no longer see it.
3. Write: Ask them to write the word from memory.
4. Check: Reveal the original word and check the spelling together.

If they make a mistake, don't worry! Look at the word again, talk about what was tricky and have another go.

You could practise five words at a time, focusing on a particular spelling pattern or a few words your child has recently struggled with in their writing.

Make spelling a little more interesting

Not every spelling activity needs to involve a pencil and paper. Changing the way your child practises can make spelling feel much less like work.

Here are a few simple ideas to try:

• Chalk outside: Write spelling words on the patio or pavement and ask your child to complete missing letters.
• Magnetic letters: Use fridge magnets to build words, change letters and explore different spelling patterns.
• Writing in sand or water: Let your child practise spelling words using their finger, a stick or a paintbrush.
• Word spotting: Look for particular spelling patterns in books, signs or everyday reading.

The aim is to give children plenty of opportunities to see, build, write and use words in different ways.

Useful resources

Here are some useful resources to check out:

• BBC Bitesize KS1 Spelling: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zcgv39q 
• BBC Bitesize KS2 Spelling: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zt62mnb 
• Some spelling games to play: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/english-games/7-11-years/spelling-and-grammar 

You can use these alongside your usual home learning rather than relying on online activities to do all the teaching.

Final thoughts

Remember, becoming a confident speller takes time. Your child won't necessarily remember every word after practising it once, and that's perfectly normal.

Keep spelling practice short and regular, help them recognise patterns and encourage them to use new words in their everyday writing. Gradually, those spelling patterns will become more familiar, and your child will become more confident at working out how to spell words independently.

You don't need to turn every spelling mistake into a lesson. Sometimes, simply noticing a word together is a great place to start!

Related reading

Learning how to teach spelling at home is an important part of homeschooling, but it is only one piece of providing a well-rounded education. Understanding how spelling fits into the wider homeschooling journey can help you support your child's learning with confidence.

For a complete overview, you can explore the full guide here: The Complete Guide to Homeschooling