Food for Thought: Invented spelling

Using invented spelling can strengthen your child's spelling and reading ability, while opening up fun ways to write letters and stories.
Lately Isadora has enjoyed writing notes to her friends. I think this stemmed from the activity we did with the Valentine's letters, because she now will list friends from preschool that she wants to write letters to - although I know it is just a ploy to break out the glitter and go crazy with the glue! In any case, we don't write a lot on them at all - just the names of her friends in fact. Instead of me writing the name for her though, I'm having her help me sound out the words using invented spelling. Invented spelling is where Isadora can sound out her friends name Koen, and write "KON" on her paper. When we wrote her friends name Eloise the other day, it looked like LOES. Before students can make sense of conventional spelling, they can use the sounds that they do know to construct words. This also helps them strengthen their ability to sound out words using phonics. Here is a great video clip that helps illustrate the strategy a little more. Although it is a video clip with first graders, you can easily see 1) how you can use invented spelling with your own preschooler, and 2) how you can gradually transition your child into conventional spelling as they become better able to sound out words.