Helping Your Child Study Their Spelling Words...

     This past week I was helping my youngest son, Konnor (7), study his spelling words. We have a large white dry-erase board in our dining room area where I list all of his words for the week and he has to write them out 3 times everyday. Wednesday I decided to give him a mock spelling test. He still has problems with certain words so I say them in a sentence, enunciate when necessary, etc. No big deal, right? Ha! 
     
     He came home Friday a happy kid, he told me he made a really good grade on his spelling test. Of course we are all really proud of him and I told him his hard work paid off. Here's the funny part, he tells me "And I didn't spell 'people' with a 'u'!" We had to correct him a few times when he would write it out 'peuple'. I told him that was great and that practice makes perfect. He says "No mom, I remembered it because you never say 'I don't like YOU People' you always say 'I don't like thOse People'". Yup, he put a lot of emphasis on the 'YOU' and the 'O' in 'those'. I kind of laughed it off, thinking to myself 'Oh great, my son spells his words correctly while associating them with his mom's social problems', but hey, whatever works right? 

     Well then he informs me that he also spelled 'dent' correctly and I immediately cringe. He would write dent out as 'dint'. The difference in sounding out 'e's and 'i's is lost on him sometimes, so again I had given him a sentence enunciating the 'eh' in dent. Here was my sentence "There is a d-eh-nt in the van", in my mind I finished off that sentence with "And mom is p-i-ssed". Apparently I didn't say it just in my mind. Obviously, since both Konnor and my oldest, Kaleb, about fell off my bar stools laughing hysterically. 
     I decided NOT to ask him how he remembered the spelling on that one. I can only imagine the teacher saying "Okay, your next words is 'dent'" and Konnor smiling to himself while remembering his mom's minor fail in saying what's on her mind out loud.

     Moral of the story? Make practicing their spelling words funny, if not somewhat embarrassing. They are more likely to remember it if it made them laugh. 

*Disclaimer* Be aware that your child may repeat something you say that they found funny and used it to help them remember. Parent-Teacher Conferences here are right around the corner... Yea, I'll be attending fully aware that Konnor's teacher might want to ask me about our "studying style". 

;-) Happy Studying! ;-)