A Mom Just Like You.....My Journey through Life with 8 Children....
• Aug. 27, 2007 - Creative Spelling....
Creative Spelling.....
Some of my children were born natural spellers while some of them were not. Several of my children spell just for the fun of it, while the others spell out of necessity. I truly wanted spelling to become a fun and enjoyable activity for all of my children so I set out to work on finding a method that would do just that.
In addition to the traditional method of handing out spelling lists followed by spelling tests, I decided to also incorporate a fun and sure way to teach my children how to learn to spell. Here is what I came up with, I named it  the "Word Hunt" game.
The "Word Hunt" game consists of my children going about the house seeking out new words, that they would later spell. It was up to them as to how and where they would find these new words.lol
On the next day I would remind them of the words they spelled on the previous day. I found this step wasn't always necessary. The reason being is that when something is fun for a child they tend to have a good memory all on their own. lol They were then expected to spell out their new words. They had several options of how they could do that; a)use the letter tiles, b)use magnetic letters on the fridge, c)type them out on the computer, or d)do a very relaxed at hock spelling bee that even the 3 yr old twins would join in on. lol
Here were the rules to the game; whatever words they were able to spell right the first try they did not have to spell again. But if they got a word wrong they would spell it daily until they could spell it correctly on their first try the following day. It never took my children very long to learn how to spell a word. I wholeheartedly believe the reason for this is because we kept the learning fun and enjoyable. Wouldn't you better retain something if you were to learn it in a way that was enjoyable to you? When you learn in such a way it keeps you much more interested than if you had learned something in a boring, mundane or stressful way. All my children now enjoy spelling and no longer dread it. They actually play a spelling game and occasionally bicker over who will get to play first lol.
So if you find your children are struggling with spelling. If you find they are resisting you when it comes to learning new words. Give this method a try. See if your precious ones begin to flourish by playing the "Word Hunt" game during your school day. Another thing to try is to maybe put a musical tune to the spelling of a word. Music is a very effective way of helping someone retain a memory.
I feel as a mother, I must always find ways to get creative when it comes to teaching my children. This applies to all areas of their life not just their education. God created everything, He is our Creator, He created us in His own image. Therefore He expects me to be creative in all I do also.
Teaching my children to have a mindset to overcome will be one of the most important and beneficial things I will ever teach them in life. When I don't teach them to think as an over comer I am in turn teaching them to accept defeat. I don't ever want to set my children up for failure dear sisters. I could of given up on the children who weren't good spellers and admitted defeat. I could of rationalized, "They are just poor spellers." "This is just the way it is." But because I chose not to do that, and I chose to be creative. I invested my efforts to bring about positive results. Besides learning to spell my children learned to overcome their weaknesses by exercising their efforts, and they learned to never submit to defeat. They not only are becoming good spellers they are also building great character! One that endures.
Dearest Lord, thank you for teaching me so much through the lessons I teach my children! Life's lessons are never ending! There is always something new to learn and something new to overcome. My goal is to never admit defeat in life's lessons but there are times that I do fail. During those times Lord I want to thank you for standing by me and never leaving me. Thank you for helping me to get back up on my feet and encouraging me to try again! In Jesus name I pray, Amen~
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