SpellQuizzer

Spelling came easy for me, but I remember my mom drilling my younger brother on his spelling words every night over and over. I'm sure would have LOVED a spelling program that would do it for her. That is basically just what SpellQuizzer is! It is a simple spelling software that lets you (or your child) enter in the list of words to be studied, along with a sentence or phrase using that word (either typed or verbally through a computer microphone). The child then practices their list over and over. If they misspell a word the correct spelling pops up in green and the spelling they typed in red. After going through all the words, it re-quizzes them on words they missed.

I used this program primarily with Tyler (age 6). His lists included mostly phonetically standard words or "challenge" words that he commonly uses in writing, like "love" and "said." When I recorded the sentences, I tried to make them fun because I knew if they were silly he would think it was a game. He thought the personalized sentences were hilarious! Many of my sentences requested an action. dog: Can you bark like a dog? mom: Stand up and say, "My mom is the best."

Later, I let Ryan (age 8) enter in a list and sentences. The software was easy enough that Ryan could do that without problems. I didn't give him a set list, but told him any 3 letter words that were easy to sound out would be fine. He had fun making the list for his brother and then made one for himself using words he misspelled in his writing.

My 3 year old also wanted a turn, so we recorded letters for her. b:buh, boy and she would have to type the letter. She thought it was fun and it was good practice for hearing the sounds.

In addition to practicing spelling words, there are side benefits to this program as well. It is helping my younger kids become familiar with the keyboard, keeps the 3 year old quiet while I'm putting the little ones down for a nap, and it can be used for lots of things besides spelling. It can basically be used to practice any quiz information as long as the child can spell the answer.

It is not a flashy program, there is nothing to distract from the task at hand. It's easy to use and my kids thought it was fun. I would recommend it for kids who struggle with spelling and need the drilling. You can try this spelling software free for 30 days, or buy it for $29.95.

You can also get it free two different ways: (I suggest option 1 if you have a blog).

1. Use the contact form on the website and tell the owner Dan Hite that you would like to write about the software on your blog, like I did. Anyone who has an established blog can get a free license by posting about SpellQuizzer. There are no conditions on whether or not the post is positive or negative.

2. Through a service called TrialPay where you sign up for goods or services from qualifying companies and get a free license for SpellQuizzer for doing so. Some of the offers cost nothing (signing up for a Discover Card, agreeing to a free trial for a service like FreeCreditReport.com, etc.). You can check it out at http://www.spellquizzer.com/PurchaseByTrialPay.htm.