About Button Learning
Rooted in neuroscience. Enhanced by AI. Made to look beautiful. A joy to use. Learning that lasts a lifetime. In the future, all learning experiences will be like this. Some are already.
Button Learning is an educational technology company based in west London. Our mission is to give everyone better ways to learn. We use a powerful blend of neuroscientific research, outstanding graphics and user-centred design to deliver highly effective learning experiences.
Our first product, Button Spelling, teaches spelling to primary school children. Currently available as both a card game and a set of posters, Button Spelling helps children focus on and remember the difficult parts of commonly misspelled words and muddled homophones. The resources have been extensively tested by teachers and children in the classroom. Our highly innovative approach makes learning to spell much more engaging, successful and fun!
Read our full story here, discover the secrets behind our visual mnemonics, and get some tips on how to play. If you have any questions or you're interested in working or partnering with us, please email hello @ buttonlearning.com - we'd love to hear from you.
Button Spelling Card Game Y1-Y3
Button Spelling is a card game for 2 players. It uses specially-developed visual mnemonics to help children learn difficult irregular spellings and commonly confused words. Players take it in turns asking each other to spell the words on the cards; if they get the spelling right, they win the card. If they don't, the card goes to the bottom of the pile. Once all cards have been won, you add up your scores, with more points for the hardest words.
Without realising, both the child asking the question and the child spelling the word are learning. The cards at the bottom of the pile get asked time and time again, giving extra practice for everyone on the trickiest spellings. For more tips on playing the game, see our how to play page.
The Y1-Y3 pack contains 30 illustrated cards, 10 for each year group. They start with high-frequency sight words that all children in Reception and Year 1 need lots of practice with, moving on to slightly trickier high frequency words and homophones suitable for Y2 and Y3.
Year 1 words (red tops): they, what, said, when, here, hear, there, where, two and too (too much).
Year 2 words (orange tops): which, witch, too (as well), you're, their, our, are, they're, friend, February.
Year 3 words (yellow tops): peace, piece, business, island, potatoes, guard, dessert, desert, favourite, Wednesday.
Printed on thick 450gsm paper, with a matt finish on both sides and rounded corners, these A7 cards are tough enough to cope with hours of home or classroom use. They come in a handy storage box, with full instructions on how to play and score included on the back.
Button Spelling Card Game Y4-6
Button Spelling is a card game for 2 players. It uses specially-developed visual mnemonics to help children learn difficult irregular spellings and commonly confused words. Players take it in turns asking each other to spell the words on the cards; if they get the spelling right, they win the card. If they don't, the card goes to the bottom of the pile. Once all cards have been won, you add up your scores, with more points for the hardest words.
Without realising, both the child asking the question and the child spelling the word are learning. The cards at the bottom of the pile get asked time and time again, giving extra practice for everyone on the trickiest spellings. For more tips on playing the game, see our how to play page.
The Y4-Y6 pack contains 30 illustrated cards, 10 for each year group. The Y4 and Y5 cards include some of the most commonly misspelled words in written English, whilst the Y6 cards will challenge even the best spellers - children and adults alike!
Year 4 words (green tops) are: tomatoes, loose, lose, it's, its, tongue, knowledge, separate, broccoli, possess.
Year 5 words (blue tops) are: forty, vegetable, observant, hesitant, fiery, knight, committed, stationary, stationery, necessary.
Year 6 words (purple tops) are: privilege, compliment, complement, cemetery, pavilion, yacht, who's, whose, embarrassed, accommodation.
Printed on thick 450gsm paper, with a matt finish on both sides and rounded corners, these A7 cards are tough enough to cope with hours of classroom use. They come in a handy storage box, with full instructions on how to play and score included on the back.
Button Spelling Posters, Y1-Y2
Most children follow a structured phonics programme at primary school, starting in Reception. By the time they reach Year 1 and Year 2, some children may still be getting to grips with the sound-letter associations of regular English words (such as c-a-t, then moving on to more complex sounds, such as split digraphs). Other children may have already become fluent readers and writers.
However, there are many irregular spellings that do not follow the regular phonic pattern, and need to be learned individually. These words are sometimes called exception words, or tricky words. They include some of the most high-frequency words used in written English, and every child needs to master these to become a fluent reader and to convey meaning accurately when writing.
This pack of 20 A5 posters using our specially designed visual mnemonics will help children remember the correct spelling of many high-frequency irregular words, and help them differentiate between words which sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, such as hear and here. For hints on using the posters, see our how to play page.
The Y1-Y2 pack of 20 Button Spelling posters includes the following words:
Year 1 words (red tops): they, what, said, when, here, hear, there, where, two and too (too much).
Year 2 words (orange tops): which, witch, too (as well), you're, their, our, are, they're, friend, February.
The posters are perfect for display boards, group teaching or one-to-one work, in the classroom or for use at home. Printed on one side only on thick 350gsm paper, A5 sized, with a matt finish to give excellent legibility, the posters won't tear or fade even after extensive use.
Button Spelling Posters, Y3-Y4
As children move through Year 3 and Year 4, they are expected to have mastered the basic phonic code of English and be able to spell most words that have a regular pattern of sound-letter associations. However, there are still a number of high-frequency words with irregular spellings that all children struggle with as they do not follow the rules. Children will increasingly encounter words that have come into English from other languages which can cause confusion. Homophones continue to be challenging.
This pack of 20 A5 posters using our specially designed visual mnemonics will help children remember the correct spelling of many high-frequency irregular words, and help them differentiate between words which sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, such as peace and piece. For hints on using the posters, see our how to play page.
The Y3-Y4 pack of 20 Button Spelling posters includes the following words:
Year 3 words (yellow tops): peace, piece, business, island, potatoes, guard, dessert, desert, favourite, Wednesday.
Year 4 words (green tops) are: tomatoes, loose, lose, it's, its, tongue, knowledge, separate, broccoli, possess.
The posters are perfect for display boards, group teaching or one-to-one work, in the classroom or for use at home. Printed on one side only on thick 350gsm paper, A5 sized, with a matt finish to give excellent legibility, the posters won't tear or fade even after extensive use.
Button Spelling Posters, Y5-Y6
During Year 5 and Year 6, children will be preparing for and sitting exams, whether they are Y6 SATS, the 11+ exam, pre-tests for Common Entrance and other assessments. Children will be expected to be able to spell a wide variety of words, but there are always some that trip everyone up (and most adults too). These include words like accommodation and privilege, and frequently muddled homophones like stationary and stationery.
This pack of 20 A5 posters using our specially designed visual mnemonics will help children remember the correct spelling of many high-frequency irregular words, and help them differentiate between words which sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. For hints on using the posters, see our how to play page.
The Y5-Y6 pack of 20 Button Spelling posters includes the following words:
Year 5 words (blue tops) are: forty, vegetable, observant, hesitant, fiery, knight, committed, stationary, stationery, necessary.
Year 6 words (purple tops) are: privilege, compliment, complement, cemetery, pavilion, yacht, who's, whose, embarrassed, accommodation.
The posters are perfect for display boards, group teaching or one-to-one work, in the classroom or for use at home. Printed on one side only on thick 350gsm paper, A5 sized, with a matt finish to give excellent legibility, the posters won't tear or fade even after extensive use.