I've come to believe that if a child is struggling with memorizing spelling words, she might also have difficulty with reading – and vice versa. The figure below shows the process of sound-spelling pattern acquisition and how a child uses it to advance in reading.
I have worked extensively with children who struggle with reading. If there is a gap in understanding, that gap might as well be a mile wide. Many gaps arise from teaching reading in a sequential, left-brained manner. Right-brained kids will not learn material that is presented verbally, sequentially, and abstractly.
That is the fact that so many non-traditional learners learn best through images and hands-on experiences. What many of these children have in common is they think in pictures, not in words. What follows is that presenting new concepts via image and hands-on experience helps them learn using their strongest abilities.
What we can do is change how our children learn the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. If we can utilize visuals and play, kids will gain the knowledge they need, but will not feel the stress of “doing school” too early. Best of all, using visuals and play will have the effect of cutting “school time” greatly.
If your child is struggling or simply not enjoying school, instead of teaching in traditional ways, try a multisensory teaching method, which simultaneously engages all of the senses
