How to improve your child’s spelling

Reading does the groundwork

Children absorb spelling patterns by seeing words repeatedly in context, which makes reading the foundation here as much as anywhere. Keep a mix of fiction and non-fiction going, some of it read aloud together and some read independently; matching early books to your child’s interests keeps it part of the day rather than a task on a list.

If your child loses concentration reading alone, share it: take turns by page, or read aloud while they follow the text. Following along as the words are spoken helps them absorb the correct spelling instead of guessing at it, and it gives you a natural moment to point out a tricky word as it passes.

Make it a game

Hangman, word searches, crosswords and magnetic letters on the fridge all make a child think about how words are built while it stays a game. A rotating word of the day keeps a pattern in view all week for no effort at all.

These few-minute goes add up: your child sees the same patterns again and again across the week instead of cramming them once and moving on.

Test little, test often, then write

Short, low-stakes tests are how new spellings stay learned. They don’t need a table and a list: five words on the walk to school works as well as a formal test, with none of the dread. A small reward for beating last week’s score keeps it a game.

Then put the words to work in writing. Ask your child to fold this week’s spellings into a story or a few sentences, and check the result together; their writing shows you exactly which patterns still wobble. Checking together also builds the habit of proofreading their own work, which earns marks in every written exam they will ever sit.

Top tips

• Read aloud together a few times a week, on top of independent reading.
• Keep tests short, frequent and playable, with a small reward for progress.
• Group tricky words by pattern rather than testing at random.
• Have your child write a sentence with each new word as well as spelling it out loud.
• Track progress somewhere visible. Small improvements are easy to miss and very motivating to see.
• Keep a word of the day going on the fridge, so the week’s pattern stays in view.

How to prepare

Spelling improves fastest when it’s practised alongside your child’s regular exam practice. Our spelling and vocabulary series is built around the kind of spelling, synonym and word-choice exercises your child will meet in the English and verbal reasoning papers, in both digital and physical formats. Pair it with our 11+ vocabulary list for a ready source of words to test.

Spelling improves with short, regular practice. Five or ten minutes a day on a handful of words is all it takes, and it sits easily alongside practice papers.