There are some kids who enjoy spelling, and then there are those who don’t. For those that don’t it is key to constantly find fun new ways to make spelling fun for them. Even for those who enjoy spelling you will want to keep it exciting for them. As a homeschooling parent, I have often tried to be creative with making up spelling games that will help to keep the school day interesting. If you have a student who is struggling with spelling perhaps you can give the four ideas listed below a try. Keep in mind that each game does not have to be competitive, instead you could just play for fun.
1. Flower Spelling
During spring and summer you may like the idea of bringing some of the elements of the season into your lesson plans. Flower spelling is a great way to start. First you will need several large pieces of construction paper. Draw a flower with very large petals on the paper. Write out your child’s spelling words for the week onto each of the flower petals. Next cut out the flower, and cut along the edge of each petal. What you will end up with is basically a floppy flower. The petals will still be attached to the center circle. If you want a stem to go with the rest of the flower you can use a paper towel roll. Simple glue the center of the flower to the top of the paper towel roll. Make sure that the words on the petals are face up. Next turn the flower upside down and write numbers on the back side, (basically numbers one through four). Write down which number goes with which word on a small index card. The person conducting the game holds the cards. Each child will need to have their own flower with their own set of words. To start the game keep the flower upside down. The first player calls out a number and the word is then read to them. If they spell the word correctly they can then pull back the flower petal, (You can do this by gently folding it back). The first person to pull back all the petals on the flower they have wins.
2. Puzzled spelling
First you will need to write out the spelling words for the week on a large piece of construction paper. Using a pencil draw jigsaw-shaped pieces over the words. The basic idea is to break up the words so that you only see pieces of them. Next cut out the pieces using the jigsaw lines you have made. Place the puzzle pieces in a Ziploc bag. When your child is ready to practice their spelling, have them put together the puzzle pieces. This game also works really well if you use cardboard instead of construction paper.
3. Spelling with cards
Construction paper cut into small rectangles will work well for this game. You will want your rectangles to be the size of a basic deck of cards. Cut out about twenty cards. One the first ten cards you will want to write a few word parts. For example word parts can include est, st, and ay. Write as many of these word parts you can think of until all ten cards are full. On the other set of ten cards you will put only consonants or their blends. When you are finished making the cards place them in two separate decks face down. Each player turns over one card from each deck to make a word. Once the decks are finished the person with the most words wins.
4. Cut out a word
After you have finished reading the newspaper or looking through the store flyers, give them to your child. Have them cut out letters from the papers to make their spelling words. After cutting out the letters they can glue them to a piece of construction paper. When they are done they will have all of their spelling words nicely pieced together.
