My 4yo wants to do spelling...

[KellyGirl]

My ds4 has been begging to do spelling and have regular spelling tests (like his big brother). He is reading on at least a second grade level and I have been giving him pages out of an old 1st grade phonics book that is really easy for him, but gets him writing. He can write although he hasn't much formal writing instruction yet.

My school budget for the fall has already been exahusted (and then some) but I can swing one more workbook if I really need to. My 9yo is using Spelling Power, and I did see there is a way to adapt it for youngers...should I do that? Of course, with the boys in the same cirriculum, there is the fear of 4yo outpacing 9yo (not gifted). So, what would you do? If not Spelling Power, then what?

[JenneinAZ]

I would look at the Explode the Code books and see if any of them would work if he likes workbooks.

If you are just looking for word lists, try doing a google search for second grade spelling lists. There are plenty of them out there. Or take interesting words from the books he is reading.

[AnneC]

My 4yo is a natural speller and I just give him lists of words from a really old spelling book that I picked up second hand. My 5yo is not a natural speller and I'm struggling to find something to teach her that isn't boring.

About your younger catching up to your older, if it is going to happen it will and they'll figure it out anyway, sometimes it is an incentive for the olders to put more effort in, of course it can work in reverse as well.:001_huh:

[summer]

When my son, who is 6 now, asked to do spelling a while back, I got him one of those workbooks..I think by School Zone or something, from Walmart or Target..probably Walmart. Of course, later, I got him Spelling Workout which he was also excited about. Silly guy!

[threetreasurs]

My middle child (now 16) was/is a natural speller. We were using Writing Road to Reading when she was 4 or so and I went ahead and used that with her. She did surpass her older brother, but they dealt with it.

She also ended up loving Spelling Workout, which my other two kids did not, and finished all the levels.

I am fairly certain that she would have surpassed her siblings in this area, no matter what program we used.;)

[KellyGirl]

Thanks for the input! I did google spelling lists and will start with that since it is free. He lit up like a Christmas tree when I handed him a word list. If the charm of word lists wears off too soon, I will look at some of the workbook options.