Don’t worry if children don’t spell words ‘correctly’ at this stage. If it makes sense phonetically (ie. it sounds right, then it is right!). Take a look at the picture above – the correct spelling would be ‘calm,’ but at this stage of learning ‘cam’ is perfectly acceptable.

Children will sometimes make what we like to refer to as ‘alien words’ – these are words that do not make sense in the English language (see the picture above). Encourage your child to spot the difference between ‘proper’ words and ‘alien’ words. Even making and discussing alien words has learning value. Practice your gluing skills and see if the word sounds right!