Helping a child who makes lots of spelling and punctuation mistakes
Lots of spelling and punctuation mistakes can worry parents, but they are fixable. The key is to work on a few things at a time, keep it low-pressure, and not let mistakes stop your child from writing.
Separate ideas from accuracy
Praise the ideas first, always. Treat spelling and punctuation as a separate job done afterwards, like proofreading. Children who are afraid of mistakes tend to write less and use only words they can spell.
Fix the common ones first
- Capital letters at the start of sentences and for names, and the word I.
- Full stops at the end of sentences. Reading aloud shows where the breaks are.
- Common words they use often, such as because, friend and said.
- Apostrophes for short forms like don't, before the harder uses.
Pick two or three words at a time
Choose the words that appear most in their writing and practise those. Look, say, cover, write, check works well: look at the word, say it by syllables, cover it, write it from memory, then check.
Use their own writing
Words from their own work matter more to them than a list. Keep a small "my words" page and add two or three each week.
Read it aloud
Reading their writing aloud, exactly as written, helps a child catch missing words and punctuation. Do it together and let them make the fixes.
When to ask for more help
If spelling and writing are very hard compared with other work, or your child is distressed by it, talk to their teacher. Some children benefit from extra support, and an early conversation helps.
Common questions
Should I correct every spelling mistake?
No. Choose two or three words and fix those together.
Does reading more help spelling?
It helps, because children meet words in context, but it works best alongside short, regular practice of common words.
Get feedback on your child's writing
LiteracyLab AI reads a child's own writing and gives specific feedback: what worked, one thing to try next, and a corrected version, matched to their year and curriculum. The Free plan includes 3 pieces a month and needs no card.