Children in Key Stage 1 are building the foundations of literacy. At this age, spelling is closely linked to phonics — and a child who can decode words confidently is also likely to spell them well.
Why KS1 spelling matters
The Year 1 and Year 2 National Curriculum spelling lists cover common exception words (also called "tricky words") that children need to read and write from memory. These include words like said, come, were, and there — words that don't follow typical phonics patterns.
Getting these words into long-term memory takes repeated, low-pressure practice. That's why frequency and fun both matter more than the length of any single session.
Tips for home practice
Keep sessions short. Five minutes, three or four times a week, is more effective than a long session the night before a test. Little and often is the golden rule.
Use multi-sensory approaches. Saying a word aloud, writing it in the air, then writing it on paper engages different parts of the brain and strengthens the memory trace. Magnetic letters on the fridge work just as well.
Celebrate effort, not just results. A child who gets five out of ten but tried hard has done more useful work than one who rushed through.
Mix it up. Use look-cover-write-check, magnetic letters, or an app like spelling.live that includes handwriting mode and word games alongside a standard spelling test.
What the research says
Studies consistently show that distributed practice — spreading learning over several sessions rather than cramming — produces better long-term retention for young learners. Even two minutes of daily spelling practice outperforms a single longer session the week before a test.
The way words are practised also matters. Spelling a word aloud, then writing it, then checking it (rather than just copying it repeatedly) forces the brain to actively retrieve the word, which strengthens the memory.
Common exception words to focus on in Year 1 and Year 2
The National Curriculum lists include words in two phases. Year 1 covers words like the, a, do, to, today, of, said, says, are, were, was, is, his, has, I, you, your, they, be, he, me, she, we, no, go, so, by, my, here, there, where, love, come, some, one, once, ask, friend, school, put, push, pull, full, house, and our.
Year 2 builds on this with words like door, floor, poor, because, find, kind, mind, behind, child, children, wild, climb, most, only, both, old, cold, gold, hold, told, every, everybody, even, great, break, steak, pretty, beautiful, after, fast, last, past, father, class, grass, pass, plant, path, bath, hour, move, prove, improve, sure, sugar, eye, could, should, would, who, whole, any, many, clothes, busy, people, water, again, half, money, Mr, Mrs, parents, and Christmas.
Starting the conversation at home
Many children feel anxious about spelling tests. If your child gets upset about mistakes, try reframing: "Every spelling you get wrong is one you're about to learn." That simple shift can remove a lot of the pressure.
With the right tools and a little consistency, most KS1 children can build real spelling confidence — and that confidence carries forward into reading and writing across every subject.