Spelling is one of the biggest challenges and difficulties for people with dyslexia, child and adult alike. Though most people with dyslexia can with the right support learn to read well, spelling seems to be a struggle that continues throughout life for most people with dyslexia. It is not entirely known why this is the case.
Though spelling is something that most people with dyslexia might always find difficult, there are methods that parents and teachers can put in place to support learning.
There are some simple activities you can do with your child to help improve their spelling:
Write words in different coloured pens to make a rainbow or in shaving foam, flour, or sand repeatedly to help your child remember them
Look with your child at the bits in the words which they find difficult – use colours to highlight just the difficult bits.
Use flashcards or play matching games to let your child see the words lots of times – the more times they see the word, the better they will be able to read and spell it.
Use cut out or magnetic letters to build words together, then mix up the letters and rebuild the word together.
Praise your child: children love it when they are praised. Use these positive, encouraging statements with your child: Well done for trying so hard! /You can do it! /I like the way you sounded out that word/ You did well to remember how to spell that word.