I constantly feel like I have NO clue how to help him/teach him this stuff.
Tonight he's using letters from a puzzle and spelling words.
"Monster" is "MOSTR"
I think it's AWESOME that he's just doing this on his own as a form of play.
What do I do?
I've already told him how impressed I am that he's spelling such big words.
Do I attempt to help him understand about missing vowels? Help him sound the word out better so he can spell it correctly?
Or praise like heck, keep it fun and let him continue to spell them (technically) wrong?
I'm SOOO out of my element here!!!
Re: Ugh.... advice on teaching reading/spelling?
THANK YOU!! That's exactly what I needed to hear. I have no idea what to do so I did stop at simple encouragement.
Thanks for your concern!
If it makes you feel any better I don't push them. My oldest is very bookish by nature (so was the 15 yr old). While I do read with them often and have provided hand me down work books I don't push either of them to do this stuff. The oldest is the one who goes and gets the work books out so he can do "home work" like his older (15 yr old) brother.
I don't intend to stop them from doing things they're interested in just because they're academic in nature!
Tonight the 4.5 yr old could have just as easily pulled out Buzz Lightyear and flown him around the house with Woody in hot pursuit. Instead he pulled out a puzzle and started trying to spell words by sounding them out. After that they put together Lightning McQueen puzzles. Later on tonight I have no doubt he'll be flying airplanes around the house as he's obsessed with them. They're very well rounded kids - I just don't happen to post about their antics with toys or games on this particular board.
I come to this board for advice on academic based things because it's the pre-SCHOOL board. It doesn't mean our lives revolve around academics.
Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.
THANK YOU!!
I was so shocked that he was doing this that I was stumped.
I didn't know that invented spelling is a step in the process and to encourage it just as it is.
It does make good sense the way you explained the progression.
I appreciate the feed back!
Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.
I will probably be going through this soon too.
Do you guys ever watch Word World on PBS? They do a lot of things like rhyming and sounds/combinations.
We have a puzzle that consists of pictures of various animals - cat, bat, cow, dog, etc. so it gets DD used to forming the words.
Also there are beginning reading books, I haven't had luck with too many, but there were some phonics books I saw a while back, maybe that would help? (Like word world, it had stuff like rhyming combinations of letters).
Not sure if thtt helps.. sounds like he is doing a great job!
Nest Bio ~ ~ Baby Food Blog
Hey, I appreciate you being cool about my response. After I typed it I was afraid it came off as kind of b!tchy, even though I didn't intend that. I don't post a lot & just seeing those couple of posts from you gave me the impression that you may be a little overly concerned with being too "formal" about it at their ages, but seeing your response I can see that's not the case. I was also amazed when my DD started kinder & the teacher had posted the phases of learning to write/spell etc on the wall- I think there are 5-6 of them and they are very distinct. Looking at that- because she was writing down words (albeit with incorrect spelling or inventive), I could see exactly where she was at. I hadn't known that before. Sounds like you have bright little guys!
Thanks! I'll go google the phases so I won't be so lost when the next one appears.
And FWIW I don't think they're particularly bright. I just think they have an interest in learning.
The flip side to it is that my oldest has ZERO interest in anything athletic. As a boy I know that might impact him socially (it did with the 15 yr old).
There are pros and cons to having an interest in almost anything!
Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.
Nest Bio ~ ~ Baby Food Blog
Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.
Developmental spelling is the hardest thing to encourage a child to do. They do not want to be wrong. If he is already doing it, you have crossed a major K teacher's challenge. Encourage him to add more words but do not push. "I wonder how we can spell monsters jump" and see what happens. Write it correctly underneath and he will notice that their are more letters involved. I explain that they have a "license to spell." They use the license to play with letters. They write what they hear, I write underneath, but they should not erase because they did their very best. Few do after a routine is established. Ask him to illustrate...it also helps bring out more words later. Do not spell anything for him but help him sound out if he asks.....walk around the house talking like a K teacher......m aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa t....mat, etc. RHYME.....a huge indicator if a child will read well is if he can rhyme. Be silly.....they do not have to make sense. Encourage writing by using things other than crayons.....sidewalk chalk when it gets warm, glitter pens, fun markers, shaving cream on teh table...wipes right off, finger paint, etc
Have Fun!
Also, I do not think it is pushing at all. Love of learning needs to be cultivated. Your child will not be bored when he gets to school because a good teacher recognizes the level that EACH child is at and adapts accordingly. A child that would write for me without blinking is encouraged to go back and add anther word where as the child that can just write the beginning letter is whooped up as well.
My daughter is only 2 but I rhyme everything for her and she knows all of her letters. Will she be bored in school.....I doubt it. I even plan to hold her back for a grow year because she is a summer birthday and I do not want her to be the youngest in K. So, she will know all of this already and is still starting school a year later. Because, from experience, I know that her teachers will meet her where she is. Let them learn if they want to learn. Let them veg when they need to do that. Its all about a happy medium!