Read with a child. Reading is an invaluable tool to help emergent spellers become familiar with words. As you read, ask the child questions about the pictures in the book. For example, if the book is about animals, ask the child to identify the animals on the page, and then point to the names of the animals in the text. Identifying a picture with its corresponding word in the book helps children associate the meanings of those words. Read the same books again and again to familiarize children with the words and concepts in those books. Encourage the child to read the book to you. If he gets stuck on a word, give him clues. For example, if the word is "zoo," you might say, "We visit this place to look at lots of animals." Choose a new book and help the child pick out familiar words.
Ask the child to draw a picture, such as a scene from her favorite movie, her pet, or what she ate for dinner. Ask the child to write a couple of sentences describing the picture. Some emergent spellers will write in scribbles instead of letters, some will write from top to bottom instead of left to right and some will combine both uppercase and lowercase letters. The focus of the emergent stage should be on meaning rather than form. Ask the child to read her description aloud and discuss her drawing. Positive feedback enables children to view writing as an enjoyable form of expression and communication rather than a daunting and challenging task.
Write words next to a corresponding picture and ask the child to trace over the words. For example, you might write "apple" next to a picture of an apple or "dog" next to a picture of a dog. Tracing the letters of each word gives the child a sense of proper form when writing. Additionally, he will begin to associate the words with the pictures, which will strengthen his reading skills.
Songs and finger plays actively involve children in learning to spell. Emergent spellers benefit from the recitation, enabling the development of memory and recall skills. Simple melodies engage children in an enjoyable learning technique. For example, the song "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" uses basic hand movements -- such as the crawl of the spider as he moves up the water spout -- that help children associate meanings with words. The finger play "Ten Fingers" uses the same technique of simple hand movements to convey meaning: "I can shut them up tight (hands in a fist), I can open them wide (open hands)."
Label various objects around the room, such as "book," "shelf" and "table." Ask the child to read each label. This activity will help her identify words as well as associate them with their meanings. Make a grocery list and discuss it with the child. Take her to the grocery store and encourage her to pick out specific items from the list, such as milk or apple juice. Allow her to refer to the list as she decides if the word on the paper is the same as on the item in the store.