When we teach kids to speak, we’re so nice. We take all their misspoken words and laugh delightedly and jot them down in the baby book. We treat thise words like sacred text and family lore— like the risky adorable self expression that they are!
Why don’t we do the same thing when our kids are first learning to write? Why aren’t we thrilled at their attempts to spell?
Your youngster is not a bad speller.
Your child is inventing written language to represent the firehose of words and ideas that they can say easily. Spelling lags behind oral speech because writing is harder. But it requires the same opportunity for risk and support.
What was your child’s first spoken word? Do you remember how proud you were?
Do you remember one of the first words your child tried to write that they misspelled? Can you see it now with delight?
For more support, Growing Brave Writers helps parents teach their kids to write following a natural developmental process.
