Teaching spelling at home
Why sounds come first, how to study a word, and games that make practice short.
The What Works Clearinghouse guide on elementary writing says children should become fluent with handwriting, spelling and sentence construction, and its reading guide says to teach word reading and writing together. Practical spelling at home is a few words a day, said, written, checked and written again, with the sound patterns taught in order and copywork or dictation to practice.
Checked October 29, 2026.
This is a plain-words summary, not legal advice. Laws change: check your state's current law and its education department before you act.
A way to start
- Pick five words from your child's own writing or reading.
- Look, say, cover, write, check. Repeat any missed word the next day.
- Teach one sound pattern a week (like -ight or -tion) and collect words that use it.
- Do a short dictation once a week.
The free path
Curriculum, if you want one
Language arts programs compared. They are listed side by side with no ranking, and each one carries a one-word faith-based or secular label.
You don't have to be good at this to teach it
English spelling is hard for everyone. A dictionary and a patient habit beat a perfect memory.
Check your state
Some states list the subjects a homeschool must cover. See the law page for your state.
Sources
- US Department of Education, What Works Clearinghouse: Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers (2012, revised 2018) (checked October 29, 2026)
- US Department of Education, What Works Clearinghouse: Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (2016, revised 2019) (checked October 29, 2026)