Stretch spelling has been referred to as: inventive spelling, kid writing, phonetic spelling, and temporary spelling. Regardless of the label, stretch spelling involves children spelling words the way they sound. A word is stretched by saying it slowly and listening for all the sounds heard in the word. Stretch spelling promotes an awareness of speech and letter-sound/sound-letter relationships. As children learn letters, they begin using them in their writing. They may begin using letters at random, but gradually organize them according to the sounds that they make. For example, a child my write mrbl for marble, or hws for house. Stretch spelling usually begins with clusters of consonants, followed by the use of vowels as their phonetic awareness develops. As sight word recognition progresses, children begin inserting sight words between nouns to attempt sentence formation. Here are some actual examples of stretch spelling written by last year's kindergarteners. Try practicing some of these stretch spelling exercises with your child.

As children are encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas on paper, stretch spelling allows children to experiment with written language without feeling the restraints of the correct rules of punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Journals and free writing activities are good opportunities for children to explore with their writing. In kindergarten we provide sharing time so that students can read their written work to their classmates. This benefits both the reader and the classmates as they make the connections between the sounds of the spoken words and the letters used to represent those sounds. Children must be encouraged to take risks with their writing in order to become successful communicators. Stretch spelling helps children evolve from the iconic stage (making symbols) to the symbolic stage (reading symbols). Visual learners, as well as students at various ability levels, will benefit from stretch spelling. Children who need phonetic reinforcement may benefit from the LAUNCH Program.

The role of the teacher is key in the stretch spelling process, since this is meant to lead to correct spelling, not replace it. Children develop spelling strategies based on what they know about the letter names and the sounds they make. Teachers must use the “encourage, not frustrate” approach to early writing in order to promote language development. Stretch spelling is just one part of a comprehensive approach to language development; therefore it must be supported with the use of word walls, references to text, and spelling instruction. Teachers and parents must encourage future attempts to explore the language by making limited writing corrections on the children’s papers. Most stretch spelling is discouraged by the end of second grade.