Introduction to Spelling Words for 7 Year Olds

If your child is between the ages of 6-7, you might have noticed that their vocabulary is expanding rapidly. At this stage, introducing them to spelling bee words can boost their overall language development.

However, this activity needs to be fun and interactive, for it to be a rewarding experience for your child. Encouraging them to participate in spelling activities can enhance their linguistic skills as well as boost their confidence.

By nurturing your 7-year-old’s curiosity and enthusiasm for language, you can pave the way for lifelong love for language learning.

Key Spelling Words For 7 Year Olds

If you want to set a strong foundation for your 7-year-old’s spelling skills, you should regularly expose them to written language and fun word games based on it. Encourage your child to read books, signs, and labels out loud as it will help them develop vocabulary.

Remember, they’re only 7-years-old, so be patient and practice these activities often. By doing so, you’ll help them master new words and improve their spelling accuracy.

Common Spelling Expectations

Before moving on to spelling more advanced words, there are certain common spellings that your child must have already mastered, such as:

• Sight words (frequently used words that they should recognize instantly), like “the,”and,” etc.

• CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, like “cat,” “run,” “sit,” etc.

• Digraphs (two letters that make one sound), like “th,” “ch,” “sh,” etc.

• Blends (monosyllabic consonant combinations), like “fl,” “str,” “bl,” etc.

But don’t worry if your child hasn’t mastered all of these yet. Positive reinforcement, patience, and using interactive learning tools can help them get there.

In addition to the spelling words for 7-year-olds mentioned above, there are a few other skills that will help them move onto spelling-bee-level words.

Additional Language Skills

Here are a few linguistic skills that can help your child prepare for the oncoming challenge:

• Long Vowel Sounds: Learning to identify and differentiate between similarly spelled yet different sounding words.

• Prefixes and Suffixes: How to modify a word and change its meaning by using prefixes and suffixes.

• Silent Letters: Understanding the concept of silent letters and being able to spell words that contain them.

It can be a challenge for young minds to grasp these concepts at this stage, but the moment they do, you will see their faces light up in wonder.

Next, let’s take a look at some spellings that might prove to be a challenge for your child, yet could set them up for success at spelling competitions.

List of Spelling Words For 7 Year Olds

To participate in spelling competitions like the spelling bee, 7-year-olds need to master basic words that include digraphs, blends, long vowel sounds, prefixes/suffixes, and silent letters. Here are a few examples of such words:

We have selected these specific spelling words for 7-year-olds as they will not only be challenging, but also help them practice different phonetic patterns.

To successfully learn to spell all these words can seem like a lot. Children could be struggling with grasping all the spelling rules, which is not uncommon at this stage.

Common Challenges in Spelling

Even if a child excels in reading, spelling can present a different challenge. That’s why it is common to see a gap between reading and spelling skills at this age.

Common challenges in spelling words for 7-year-olds may include:

• Understanding and applying phonics rules, especially with irregular words.

• Distinguishing between words that sound the same but have different spellings (e.g., “their” vs “there”).

• Knowing which words use double consonants (e.g., “happy”).

• Differentiating between long and short vowel sounds (e.g., “cat” vs “cake”).

• Understanding the concept of prefixes and suffixes.

The first step toward helping kids overcome these challenges is understanding what they’re struggling with. You’ve got to be patient and encourage their efforts, and gradually offer solutions that help them overcome the challenge.

Supporting Spelling Development at Home

To ensure that your child continues to develop their spelling skills, you need to get involved in their journey. But we still want to keep it fun, so using creative and engaging spelling activities is the key here.

The first step is to help your child create a routine for spelling homework and writing exercises because no strategy can replace consistent practice. However, the writing exercises can be disguised as fun spelling games or creating silly sentences that incorporate spelling challenging words.

To get you started, let’s explore some activities that you can do with your kids.

Multisensory Activities for Spelling Development

Here are some activities designed to engage multiple senses to enhance spelling development and retention in kids:

• Visual aids: Using colorful flashcards, word walls, or games that display words visually help reinforce spelling patterns and sight words.

• Auditory techniques: Listening and repeating words aloud, spelling words in a rhythmic chant, or mnemonics to associate sounds with spelling patterns.

• Kinesthetic activities: Writing words in the air with their fingers, using sand trays for spelling practice, or using letter tiles, magnets, or building blocks for kids to physically move and arrange letters to form words.

• Multi-sensory games: Activities like spelling bees, word scavenger hunts, or spelling relays that combine movement, sight, and sound.

By understanding what spelling words kids need to work on and their unique learning style, you can incorporate these multisensory approaches to help children learn to spell advanced words.

Also consider using the right resources to help their spelling development.

Find the Right Resources

There is a wealth of resources available at your disposal that can help your 7-year-old learn to spell better. Here are few them:

• Books, like:

• First Steps in Spelling: Year 3 by Margaret L. Strong & Pamela J. Willis.

• My Spelling Workbook: Year 3 by Blake Publishing.

• Wipe-Clean Spelling Aussie Words Ages 7-9 by Scholastic Australia.

• Online resources, like:

• Australian Spelling (Android app)

• ABC Reading Eggs (Website)

• Wiggly Words (iPhone App)

• Spellzone (Website)

By using these resources and the multisensory activities listed above, you can support your 7-year-old’s spelling development at home.

Along with engaging your child with these activities, it is important that you celebrate their progress. Praise their efforts and add fun rewards to celebrate small milestones. This kind of positive reinforcement can boost their confidence and motivate them to keep learning.

With regular practice and a little time, you may find that your 7-year-old is on the yellow brick road to the next spelling bee contest!