When I first started homeschooling my children, I didn’t have to work very hard at teaching spelling. My oldest was in 2nd grade, an eager reader, and spelling came natural to her. My other two children learned to read without difficulty, but spelling hasn’t come with as much ease to them.
They had different learning styles than their sister, and much more energy to use up each day, so I had to be creative. Rewriting their spelling words wasn’t going to cut it for them.
Maybe you’re in a similar situation, trying to find some different, fun ways for your student to learn how to spell. I hope the following list will give you some great ideas for practicing spelling this upcoming school year.
5 Tips for Your Weekly Spelling Practice
- Practice spelling every weekday.
- Start the week by reading the spelling list and taking a pre-test. Then you will know what words will need to be practiced for the week.
- Use different ways to practice, so it doesn’t get boring.
- Test at the end of the week.
- You may want to carry over a couple of words, if they are still getting them wrong by the end of the week.
Kinesthetic Spelling Practice
If your student learns best by hands-on learning here are some great ideas on how to practice spelling with them.
- Legos- Use your legos to build words. This post has a printable letter sheet to stick to your legos.
- Magnetic letters- Most of us have the good old magnetic letters. Have your students spell their words on a cookie sheet or the fridge.
- Games with Letters- You more than likely have a game already that has letter tiles: Scrabble, Bananagrams, or Boggle.
- More Games- You can also add letters to turn games like Twister, Hedbanz, and Connect Four into spelling practice.
- Education Cube- Place your spelling words in this cube and use these printables to roll it, read it, and write it.
- Alpha beads- Have your child lace up some alpha beads.
- Paint with water- Get some water and let your student paint their words on the chalkboard or on your Aquadoodle.
- Bendaroos- These are great for bending into letters and making words.
- Chalk on sidewalk- Sometimes it’s just more fun to do school outside.
- Window Markers or Crayons- I have had no problem getting these washed off my window and it’s a new fun way to write the words.
- Typing- Type the words on a keyboard, whether it’s plugged in or not.
- Stamp Letters- I found these in the dollar section and my kids enjoy stamping their spelling words.
Active Spelling Practice
If your student is regularly full of energy or just needs some movement while still getting school done, here are some great ways to do that.
- Toss a Ball- Spell a word while tossing a ball back and forth.
- Body Spelling- Your child can make the shape of each letter with their body as they spell the word.
- Bounce Spelling- make a dial pad on your driveway with the letters. Have your child bounce the ball in each letter square as they spell the word.
- Hopscotch Spelling- Put your letters in a hopscotch squares and have them skip around the squares as they spell the words
Sensory Spelling Practice
If your student likes feeling different textures, here’s some ideas for their spelling practice.
- Yummy Spelling- Use your food to spell words.
- Sand Paper Letters- Make these sand paper letters to trace with their finger or have them write the words with a crayon on sandpaper.
- Shaving Cream- Who wouldn’t want to get their hands a little messy in shaving cream.
Visual Spelling Practice
Visual learners learn by seeing the words. Use these printable visuals to help your student spell better.
- Reading- While your students read, they are seeing the how the word is put together with the letters. This is a great, easy way for your child to learn how to spell. Some curriculums will even have the reading books coordinate with the spelling lists.
- Tic-Tac-Toe- Use these printables to give your child an opportunity to choose their own way to practice.
- Phonogram Tiles- Print out your own letter tiles for more visual learning fun.
- Spelling Dictionary- This is year-long project, but would be great for review.
- Bingo- Bingo is a fun way to learn your words. Check out this free printable.
- Read it, Stamp it, Write it- This printable will provide your student with a great visual aid.
- Handwriting Practice- Print out their list and have them trace and or rewrite their spelling words.
- Word Search- This is a great way for your student to learn how to spell. They have to find the right letters in the right order.
- Spelling City- They not only have a great website, but they now have a new app!
Auditory Spelling Practice
If you have an auditory learner they will learn best by hearing the words they are working on.
- Baseball or Basketball- These are fun games that could be played with multilevel students.
- Record on the computer- Most computers these days have some sort of microphone built-in. Let your student record themselves saying and spelling their words. Let them try it in different voices to make it even more fun.
- Verbal review- Reading and spelling the words aloud will be a great practice for your student.
- Rhyming words- Whether you just rhyme with similar words or make a poem of it, this will be a fun way to learn.
- Make up a song- This will be easier when your student is spelling shorter words, but you could also make up a little ditty to go with the phonics rule that goes with certain words they’re learning.
Practicing spelling can get very monotonous, especially if you are doing it the same way day after day. I hope after you’ve looked at this list you have found some fun, new ways to practice spelling with your students.