When and how do you correct your child's spelling attempts?

[Hulababy]

DD has just turned 5 and is in first year at school. This term they are doing more independent writing, and as a result DD tends to be doing more at home.

However she is spelling phonetically. For example tonight she wrote a letter to her friend, which says this:

To Elie Plees can yuo cum to mI hows for tee. Love from xxx

She can read all of these words spelt correctly in books BTW. Now she is obviously very pleased and proud of what she is doing. So I don't want to upset her by correcting her. So what and how, if anything, do I go about this?

I don't correct - dd is in yr2, ds in reception.

If they ask how to spell something, I'll help them.

I think there is still a difference for a while between asking them to spell a word (like in their spelling tests) and their free writing where they won't necessarily spell the words correctly because they are thinking about the content iyswim.

I know some of the older yr2 girls write freely and manage to spell properly but we're not there yet.

I agree. dd is in yr 1 as well and will still spell a lot of words phonetically. I rememebr at the beginning of yr1 going to an open evening and seeing some of her writing and not been able to work out what the story was about.

Her teacher though said it didn't matter one bit (and she hadn't corrected the spellings), she said that the spelling will come in time. For now she should have fun writing a story.

I try to praise the work overall, and then, preferably later, point out to them how to spell something they misspelt. It does depend on what stage of writing they are at, though. Your DD's little message is lovely and I think it would be a shame to 'correct' it.

Thanks all.

Looks I should just leave her alone then on the whole. She isn't always asking how to spell, just trying it on her own at present. So I shall leave her to it, and let the teacher correct as and when necessary then. And just correct if she asks me about a specific word. I would imagine we start spelling lists and tests from next year anyway.

At the moment she seems preoccupied with writing letters and envelopes to her friends. They have been learning about the post office this term, hence this. She loves it though, so will continue to praise and encourage

She does have the key word magnets and a printed list of the reception words. I ought to print a list of some of the other main words she uses too really then. She does sometimes refer to it but generally just gets on on her own instead. I shall try to get her to remember it.

Thanks again.

I too think your daughter's message was very sweet. But have to say, I've always corrected my daughter's spelling (from ever since she started to write) - and now, in year 3 (age 8), she is very good at it. I think you should correct and point out mistakes otherwise how do they learn to spell? I'm now tackling punctuation tee hee!!!

Could you display the triky words for her copy (ie the ones that can't be spelt phonetically). You can download them from Sparklebox.com (sometimes you have to pay but most are free) so she could look at see how to spell my and come and you.

I correct my children on the tricky words they have learnt. But I woudl not correct words like house and please as we have not covered these spelling patterns yet.

As a teacher I would not correct free writing at this age but continue to work on keywords through reading and word games etc., Your daughter sounds delightful BTW! x

I am not sure to what extent they have done spelling at school yet. We certainly have not had any spellings sent home to learn.

DD already has a printed list of the reception key words which I will hunt out and stick on the wall above her desk.

I certainly wouldn't be happy to correct every word she spelt wrong as I just think that would end up being way too demoralising for her at this stage.

I would leave them for now.

(I presume) She doesn't know that 'ou' makes a ouch sound yet - so she won't have a clue to use 'ou' instead of 'ow' in house. Once she does learn a new 'sound' then you could talk through a letter like this onlong the lines of "what other letters make an 'ou' sound?" YOu could then get her to write both and ask her which one she thinks looks 'right'/has seen in her story books. We are just starting to do this with DTDs as they start to progress to these more 'advanced' phonetic sounds.

She does know most of her blending sounds for reading - for example she can read the word house, and knows that ou also makes the ow sound. But automatically would write ow, not ou.

Like I said I wouldn't worry about her spelling - as the teachers have said it is not important at this age. DTDs (6) teacher has asked us to concentrate a bit more on the correct proununciation of words as that is causing them to stall a little with their spellings (If they don't hear the sounds properly how are they supposed to write them...) - but as you have said your DD has all the correct sounds in her 'letter' anyway.

TBH I was shocked when the teacher told us at parents evening that they do not correct spellings - I guess I assumed it would start bad habits - but actually they are getting much better as they learn more sounds and become more familiar with the different letter combinations that can make a given sound (don't you just love the english language ).
I was also surprised (but not criticising)when DTDs got a thankyou letter from a girl who I thought would be pushed to perfection and it was full of spelling similar to your example - so it gives me more confidence to let them develop their own spelling themseves IYSWIM.

We only 'help' DTDs if they
a)ask for help or
b) (occassionally) the spelling should be obvious based on the phonetics they do know.

HTH

Thanks. All good info.

Not worried at all BTW. Was just curious whether I ought to or not, have no intention of doing anything particular though as I don't want to do anything to halt her enthusiasm.

Thanks. All good info.

Not worried at all BTW. Was just curious whether I ought to or not, have no intention of doing anything particular though as I don't want to do anything to halt her enthusiasm.

I've thought about this a lot, too Hulababy. And being just a humble parent, rather than a teacher, it can feel like you're doing the wrong thing. But I err on the side of not correcting (some of the mis-spellings are so charming, LARF instead of LAUGH etc). So I just gently persuade DD (in Yr 1) to correct some of the straightforward words I think she could be able to spell now, and leave the more difficult ones for later. Overall, encouragement to carry on writing and spelling freely, rather than feeling she is constantly making mistakes and therefore hesitant and self-conscious, is the best way forward. For us, anyway.

Yes I think so.

I was a teacher but only taught older children at secondary, and never English. So all this learning to read and write, etc. is very new to me!