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How My 3-Year-Old Son Became A Spelling Bee Expert

July 7, 2009 By Abel Cheng

He got stung by his elder sister.

You see, on a regular basis, my preschooler daughter and also K’s sister, J, has spelling exercises to do as her homework. And I will help her practice at home before the actual spelling tests.


Looking on the sidelines are a pair of eager eyes. K attentively listens to me pronouncing word by word for J to polish up her spelling skills.

We can’t discount the influence siblings have on each other. Sooner than I thought, K was slowly catching up with his spelling skills too – after seeing his sister in action for a few times.

One fine day, he told my wife, J and me that he knew how to spell a word which I forget what it was.

Anyway, it’s not important. What is more important is K always spells out the same word – every time – for different words.

Don’t get it? Let me give you some examples.

“Mommy, I know how to spell “kite”, then K says, “T-O-N-U-S-E!”

“Daddy, I know how to spell “kangaroo”, then he continues, “T-O-N-U-S-E!”

“Mommy, I know how to spell “elephant”, again K says, “T-O-N-U-S-E!”

That’s right, every word in English has the same spelling, regardless of the word. That’s how powerful K’s spelling skills are.

God knows what “T-O-N-U-S-E” means.

Warning: When K is spelling out a word, every one present must keep quiet and listen to him thoughtfully (at least pretend to be). Otherwise, he will be mad at you for not paying attention. And please don’t try this either: even though you know the next alphabet he is going to spell out, don’t echo him as this will upset him too. Because he's afraid you'd steal the limelight…

Filed Under: Blog

About Abel Cheng

I am a work-at-home father and chauffeur to my 2 children. I love minimalist lifestyle with emphasis on quality over quantity. Lastly, I am the founder of ParentWonder, which shares tips on becoming better parents.

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