Spelling Tips and Tricks – Kids’ Club Rule

by Marie Rippel

Spelling can be easy if you know the right tips and tricks!

Spelling is not as hard as you may have been led to believe.

For example, helping your child know when to use C and when to use K to spell the sound of /k/ may seem difficult.

Is it kitchen or citchen?

Kettledrum or cettledrum?

If you don’t already have a visual memory of the word, how do you decide whether to use C or K? It’s easy if you know the “Kids’ Club Rule.”

What is the Kids’ Club Rule?

This graphic explains when to use a C and when to use a K for the /k/ sound.

See? I told you it wasn’t hard!

We call it the Kids’ Club Rule because kids and club are great examples of this rule—and after your kids learn this rule, they’ll be part of the club, too!

Tips and tricks like this one are taught throughout the All About Spelling program. Here’s a lesson plan from Level 1, showing how we teach when to use C and when to use K to spell the initial sound of /k/.