SPELADD New Zealand Inc

11/05/2026

06/05/2026

Whether it’s literacy, numeracy or life skills, our young people learn best when they feel connected. If we want our boys to thrive in the classroom and beyond, we need to keep doing what so many teachers already do so well: see them as a whole person first, and the learning will follow.
The brain science behind keeping boys engaged in the classroom. Nathan Wallis July 28, 2025

04/05/2026

Puzzling Children quote - ORGANISATION AND PLANNING SKILLS
Some children have a different awareness of time and may lack the ability to recognise and reproduce sequences, these children have a great deal of difficulty in planning and organisation. Some children can never find their pencils or the right books, and even after they have been told what to do they often look quite blank. Prioritising is difficult for some. So, instructions and expectations need to be made very specific and concrete. It is far better that the children achieves small successes than total failure. It also has to be remembered that it takes the learning disabled child far longer to complete tasks than other children.

22/04/2026

The MOE have a free resource called ‘About Dyslexia, Supporting Learners in the Classroom’:
This resource is for teachers, learning support coordinators, literacy leaders and school leaders in primary and secondary schools with students who show signs of dyslexia. About Dyslexia supports the teaching and learning of literacy, and provides practical, strengths-based approaches for:
• identifying students who show signs of dyslexia.
• planning targeted teaching strategies that support literacy learning.
• building supports, accommodations, and modifications into learning programmes to reduce barriers to learning and cognitive overload.
• establishing a whole-school approach to understanding and meeting the needs of learners who may have dyslexia.

Practical strategies supporting a phonics-based approach to literacy learning. Classroom accommodations that support learners with dyslexia to access the curriculum in NZ primary and secondary school settings.

20/04/2026

“SPELADD looks at the whole person, from what they eat to how they move, feel, hear and see and how they cope with learning and developing their self-esteem and social skills. All these improved abilities for the child, and parents learning advocacy skills, means a happier family and a happier community”.
On 8 June 1999 Elizabeth started SPELADD. Since then, she has reviewed every assessment (almost 3000) that have passed through the office, and is still the charities President.

15/04/2026

Primrose the Princess Warrior is now available in our shop.
Written and illustrated by Jo Melville.

13/04/2026

Listening Skills [https://speladd.org.nz/product/book-listening-skills/]
A 15-week programme to help children learn to listen and process information. The book is written for teachers and parents and can be used with individuals or groups.
Week 1 example:
Specific listening
Clap every time you hear the number 3.
A 3, 3, 4, 1, 3, 5, 3, 2, 0, 8, 3

Week 10 example:
Specific Listening and Memory
Divide the class into groups e.g. boys/girls
Give each group a mystery word to listen for
e.g. boys – “tiger”, girls – “lion”

When pupils hear their group’s mystery word they know that the message is for them,
e.g. “tiger” – touch your nose
“lion” – stretch your arms in the air

Week 13 example:
Specific Listening (True/False)
Stretch your arms in the air if what I say is correct/true. Touch your nose if it is false.
A Snow can only be cold.

B Cows can fly.

08/04/2026

In the SPELADD shop you will find Visual timers.
These timers are effective for children in transforming the abstract, invisible concept of time into something concrete and tangible. The visual timer shows time passing.
They can be used for many different tasks from cleaning teeth, to getting dressed, to reading time, to bedtime. The visual timer helps children navigate daily routines with less stress and more independence.
https://speladd.org.nz/product/silent-visual-timer-with-night-light/

06/04/2026

Break the code and write the letters in the boxes to find out what it says.
Then colour the pictures.