young speller

[mmpmelmack]

D is 3.75 years old. In the last 3 months he has gone from not knowng his letter sounds to reading. We use OPGTR, and he is on lesson 55. He has slowed down slightly with the phonograms. He would really like to be able to spell. he asks me constantly how to spell words, and then he goes and types them on his computer. and not just short words, long ones like kangaroo, and button. the CVC words he sounds out and types on his own. This has brought me to wondering if I should start spelling with him.

This is where I really struggle, is he asking for more? and if he is should he actually be doing it? I really struggle with his age and the amount of school work I should LET him do. I say LET, becasue he is very angry when we dont do what we do now.

right now 4 days a week we do 30 minutes of violin, 10 minutes of OPGTR, 10-20 minutes of Rightstart A, 3 days a week we do 30 minutes of a unit study, and he reads to me 10 minutes a night at bedtime.

I dont want his whole preK years to be filled with school, and yet he clearly wants to know how to spell words. so do i go ahead and start spelling with him once or twice a week? and if so what shoudl I use? I had planned all about spelling in about a year and half from now. I am not sure its the right choice if I use something now. what about spelling workout?

any thoughts would be appreciated.

[kmacnchs]

I hear AAS is great for young spellers (lots of hands on)

We do not use it ($$$) but that is what I hear...I hope you get more responses :)

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

We started AAS when dd was 4 years, 2 months old and had been using similar methods since she was about 3.5yo. It has worked out well. Level 1 has been spread out over a long time as we've been quite busy with a big move and a pregnancy/new baby.

[Donna]

I don't know that your son is "asking" for a formal spelling program but he is showing an interest in spelling and I believe the best way to learn during the preschool years is through play. My dd was very interested in spelling before she started to read. She enjoyed playing with magnetic letters on the fridge or bathtub letters or spelling on a Magnadoodle. We didn't use a formal spelling program but had fun playing with words whenever she asked, nearly daily because it was a fun game, between the ages of 18 months and 5yo. She'd ask to spell something or I'd spell something for her to sound out then she'd change a letter to make a new word..changing cat to pat or rat or splat to split, etc... I also helped her sound out words or with more irregular words when she asked.

She knew her letter sounds very young so spelling was fun for her, the reverse of reading, and probably helped her learn to read because we never used a formal reading program either and one day at 3.5yo she brought me a book and read it fluently.

Today she is a natural speller who rarely spells a word incorrectly. I didn't start a formal spelling program with her until she was 5yo and she has worked quickly through 7 levels of Spelling Power in the last 2 years even though we only do spelling from September until February or so every year. It still doesn't seem to be a subject she "needs" to do but I feel better if we cover it a bit every year to look for any holes and she doesn't mind because it's quick and easy.

[krisp]

AAS is nice and gentle (in case you deal with wiggly boy who gets tired of the lesson) but can also be condensed easily.

You might also look at Spelling Workout A, depending on how much writing he likes to do. My ds is newly 5, but he's doing the SWO workbook at about 20 pages/day (only in spurts, though). He loves to write, though.

Since he's your oldest, you probably could do more of the fun spelling games the pp suggested. My ds tends to have to wait until dd is finished with school...

[Quad Shot Academy]

Another vote for AAS! ;)

[abbeyej]

Personally, I'd just keep telling him all the words he wants to know, but I wouldn't add spelling as a subject at this point. He's got a system, and it's working well for him. He's making progress and enjoying it. And if you leave him alone (continue with phonics; tell him the spelling for words he wants to know; tell him *why* a word is spelled the way it is, if you can), I suspect you may not ever need to do formal spelling with him.

[mmpmelmack]

Personally, I'd just keep telling him all the words he wants to know, but I wouldn't add spelling as a subject at this point. He's got a system, and it's working well for him. He's making progress and enjoying it. And if you leave him alone (continue with phonics; tell him the spelling for words he wants to know; tell him *why* a word is spelled the way it is, if you can), I suspect you may not ever need to do formal spelling with him.

I think this is what I am leaning towards, I dont know that we will skip spelling alltogther, but I am uncomfortable adding to our routine at this point. I swear though, I feel like I am in spelling bee all day long

mom how do you spell bird B I R D bird, mom how do you spell nest N E S T nest...over and over and over....Maybe I'll get him a talking dictionary:lol:

[abbeyej]

I think this is what I am leaning towards, I dont know that we will skip spelling alltogther, but I am uncomfortable adding to our routine at this point. I swear though, I feel like I am in spelling bee all day long

mom how do you spell bird B I R D bird, mom how do you spell nest N E S T nest...over and over and over....Maybe I'll get him a talking dictionary:lol:

Oh, I didn't mean that you should *plan* not to do spelling with him. Just that he may, by six or seven, already be able to spell on a late elementary or middle school level, and then you might decide just to spend your time on other things. If he's not a natural speller by then, of course you would add in some formal spelling. But if he's reading now and focused on the correct spelling of words at this point, I suspect he may never need formal spelling instruction. Just wait and see. :)

[StartingOver]

I would just start with phonical spelling of words he is learning to read. Letting him sound them out if he isn't already. I would also continue to give him the spelling of any word he asks for. My son is at this stage, and as much as I like the idea of AAS, I don't want to start it yet. We do a lot of spelling on the white board, with blocks, magnets etc.

[krisp]

mom how do you spell bird B I R D bird, mom how do you spell nest N E S T nest...over and over and over....Maybe I'll get him a talking dictionary:lol:

:lol::lol: My ds is JUST like that and was even before he was reading. "Mommy, how do you spell....." and he'd write little sentences (in all caps with the letters all run together) and draw pictures. I wish I could say it stopped when he stopped needing as much help spelling :D

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

I would just start with phonical spelling of words he is learning to read. Letting him sound them out if he isn't already. I would also continue to give him the spelling of any word he asks for. My son is at this stage, and as much as I like the idea of AAS, I don't want to start it yet. We do a lot of spelling on the white board, with blocks, magnets etc.

There are some rules in AAS level 1 but most of it is just this, teaching a child to sound out words and put the correct phonograms with these sounds.