Take a pretest, spell a word wrong, write it three more times, take the pretest again...
Let's face it, practicing your spelling words everyday by just writing with a paper and pencil can be quite boring for both adults and kids. Week after week the same paper and pencil is used to practice new words. With in a few weeks, you're faced with spelling practice meltdowns and refusals - all because of a stale spelling routine. Good news, this year can and will be different. It is our goal to make spelling fun again!
We have searched high and low, near and far, to bring you 50 fun-filled, money back guaranteed, spelling activities to try at home. Check out the last three to appeal to your technologically savvy student. Some are simple and some are more involved but if you surprise your third grader with the following activities, they will be begging to practice their words!
1. Scrabble- Use Scrabble tiles to build the words. Here are printable scrabble tiles you can make at home.
2. Magnet Words- Use magnetic letters to build the words on a cookie sheet.
3. Type-it- Have the students use a typewriter or a keyboard (doesn't need to be connected to anything) to practice spelling words. Bonus- type in a word document and pretend to mom and dad's secretary!
4. Shake It Up! Take an empty clear bottle and fill with spelling words and some sort of filler (sand, glitter, pom poms, etc.). Toss and turn the bottle to discover the words, when found, write the word down.
5. Paint with water- Dip a Q-tip in water and practice spelling the words on a chalkboard. The words will disappear like magic, leaving the chalkboard clean! Regular ole paint is great too!
6. Shaving Cream Practice- Have a table that needs deep cleaning? Feeling brave? Have the students practice their spelling words in the shaving cream.
7. Scratch n' Sniff- Use a new sensation to teach the alphabet or spelling words. Write letters with glue on paper, then sprinkle with Jell-O. Makes a super scratch n' Sniff when tracing over the letters.
8. Finger Paint Bags- Freezer strength zip lock bags and fingerprint make great writing slates. Place a dab of finger paint (tempera paint can work, although, not as well. Hey, look! A use for all that semi-dried up paint!) in the zip-lock bag, tape the bag closed for extra strength. The student then lays the bag flat on the table and writes the word on the bag with a finger. The word will disappear like magic.
9. Record a Word- Have students use a tape recorder to practice their spelling words.
10. Flannel Board Practice- Students use a flannel board and letters made out of felt pieces to practice their spelling words.
11. Word Cubes- Write letters on small wooden blocks and have the students arrange them and to spell their weekly words. This could turn into 3D Scrabble!
12. Spelling Magic- Try a little magic to teach spelling words! Have students write words on white construction paper with white crayon. Then have them paint over the paper with watered down tempera paint or watercolors. Words appear like magic!
13. Partner Word Step- On large piece of butcher paper print the letters of the alphabet. Have two partners pair up together to play this game. Have one student read the word aloud. The other child must step on the letters to spell the word. Twister with a spelling twist!
14. Egg Spellers- Write the weekly spelling words on small pieces of paper and places them inside plastic eggs. (Now you know what to do with all those plastic Easter eggs after your kids are bored with them.) Students pick the eggs from an Easter basket. The students then must write that word.
15. Spelling Keys- Write the words for the week on construction paper keys. The keys are placed on a shower curtain ring. The students can use keys as flash cards to help them practice the weekly spelling words. On Friday, after the spelling test they can tear off the keys that they learned to spell. The words that they missed remain on the ring; this allows the student to continue to practice the words they need help on. If the student can spell these words on the review test they may then tear off the keys to take home.
16. Individual Chalkboards- Have the students practice writing their spelling words on small chalkboards. They love it!
17. Tissue Paper Tracing- Write the weekly spelling words on a large piece of paper. The students then place tissue paper over the words and trace over them with crayon.
18. Contact Paper Chalkboards- Make 5" x 7" cardboard pieces, cover half the cardboard with the special chalkboard contact paper. (You can also do this with chalkboard paint!) Then write the spelling word on the other half. The students look at the word and then copy it on the chalkboard side.
19. Paint Your Words- Have the students use small paintbrushes to paint their words 5 times each.
20. Salt Box Spelling- Pour salt in the lid of a box (approx. 1/4"). The student then practices the words in the salt. You can try sand too!
21. Alpha-Bit Spelling- Use cereal to reproduce their spelling words. Don't forget to have a snack with the words you make.
22. Window Writing- Use window markers (dry erase markers work on glass too!) to write spelling words. The change of scenery is fun!
23. Pudding Practice- Try using instant pudding as finger paint to practice spelling words. Spelling can be yummy too!
24. Palm Reading- Write a spelling word with your finger into the student’s hand, have the student guess the word.
25. Pyramid Power- Have students write their words in order of difficulty. They write their easiest word once at the top of the paper near the middle, the next easiest twice, and so on. Students will have a pyramid shape when they are finished.
26. Sandy Words- Have students write their spelling words in glue, sprinkle sand over the glue. The students then trace over the words with their fingers for practice. They make terrific flash cards!
27. Rainbow Words- Have the students practice words with markers, colored pencils, or crayons. Alternate colors for a rainbow look.
28. Put It In Print- Have the students cut out the letters from a newspaper to spell the weekly spelling words.
29. Spell It With Beans- The students use lima beans to spell the weekly spelling words. The students can also glue the beans in place for a 3-D flash card.
30. Spelling Squares- Students practice their words on graphing paper. The students use 1 box for each letter. Have the students figure out which spelling word is in the shortest, longest, etc. . . .
31. Rainbow chains- Rainbow chains are a great way of keeping track of the words a student knows. The student writes the words he successfully spelled on Friday's final test on a construction paper chain. The children love to see their chains grow!
32. Pipe cleaners- Children use these to form their spelling words. You can use toothpicks and popsicle sticks too!
33. Alphabet Stamps- Stamp your words on a piece of paper.
34. Word collage- Design a collage using all of their words using markers, colored pencils etc.
35. Design a word- They pick one word and bubble letter it and design it.
36. Magazine letters- They find the letters in a magazine and glue them onto construction paper.
37. Play dough- I have cookie cutters that are letters of the alphabet. The kids also like to form the dough itself into letters. Feeling hungry? Make alphabet cookies and spell the words! Make sure to wash your hands first!
38. Twist-Tie Spelling- Use the twist-ties from the store to form letters to spell the words.
39. Sky Writing- You might not be able to rent a skywriting plane on short notice but you can lie back in the grass and write the word with your finger!
40. Connect the Dots- Make a square of 4 rows of dots with 4 dots in each row. Before taking a turn, the player must spell a spelling word. If the word is correct, he connects two dots. When a player forms a square, he can write his initials in the box. Player with most squares at the end wins.
41. Stair Steps- Write the words as if they are stairs, adding one letter at a time.
42. Pasta Words- Arrange alphabet pasta or spaghetti to form your spelling words. Glue onto a piece of paper.
43. Tic-Tac-Toe- There are a ton of cool ways to play with this old game! Create a larger-sized board and play tic-tac-toe where each player uses a spelling word. Or have each player use a ‘X’ or ‘O’ but in order to place a mark on the board, they have to spell a word correctly.
44. Karaoke- That karaoke machine can double as a super-fun spelling machine if you turn it on and allow your child to spell their words into it! A make believe spelling bee in the making!
45. Squiggly Spelling Words- Write your spelling words two times. First write in regular letters. Then write the words again in squiggly letters!
46. Video Record- Pull out the ole video camera or flip cam and take a video of your child spelling the words. Have them put on a funny hat, dress-up, or use a silly prop to add to the fun. Watching the final product is a fun treat!
47. Trace, Copy, Recall- Fold three columns on a piece of paper, and label one column ‘trace’, the next ‘copy’ and the last ‘recall’. Write the word in the first column, and have your child trace the letters. Next have them copy the word by looking at what they just wrote. Finally, have them fold (and hide) the first two columns and recall the spelling on their own as they writes the word independently.
48. Let them Sing it: Type in a spelling word on this site, and the word is sung back to your student. This one is bound to get giggles!
49. Spelling City: Head over to Spelling City, have your child type in the spelling words, and then he can learn the words, play games with them, and be tested. This site is a gem!
50. Puzzlemaker: Have your child type in all of the week’s spelling words and then let her search for them using this cool resource from Discovery!
Let's face it, practicing your spelling words everyday by just writing with a paper and pencil can be quite boring for both adults and kids. Week after week the same paper and pencil is used to practice new words. With in a few weeks, you're faced with spelling practice meltdowns and refusals - all because of a stale spelling routine. Good news, this year can and will be different. It is our goal to make spelling fun again!
We have searched high and low, near and far, to bring you 50 fun-filled, money back guaranteed, spelling activities to try at home. Check out the last three to appeal to your technologically savvy student. Some are simple and some are more involved but if you surprise your third grader with the following activities, they will be begging to practice their words!
1. Scrabble- Use Scrabble tiles to build the words. Here are printable scrabble tiles you can make at home.
2. Magnet Words- Use magnetic letters to build the words on a cookie sheet.
3. Type-it- Have the students use a typewriter or a keyboard (doesn't need to be connected to anything) to practice spelling words. Bonus- type in a word document and pretend to mom and dad's secretary!
4. Shake It Up! Take an empty clear bottle and fill with spelling words and some sort of filler (sand, glitter, pom poms, etc.). Toss and turn the bottle to discover the words, when found, write the word down.
5. Paint with water- Dip a Q-tip in water and practice spelling the words on a chalkboard. The words will disappear like magic, leaving the chalkboard clean! Regular ole paint is great too!
6. Shaving Cream Practice- Have a table that needs deep cleaning? Feeling brave? Have the students practice their spelling words in the shaving cream.
7. Scratch n' Sniff- Use a new sensation to teach the alphabet or spelling words. Write letters with glue on paper, then sprinkle with Jell-O. Makes a super scratch n' Sniff when tracing over the letters.
8. Finger Paint Bags- Freezer strength zip lock bags and fingerprint make great writing slates. Place a dab of finger paint (tempera paint can work, although, not as well. Hey, look! A use for all that semi-dried up paint!) in the zip-lock bag, tape the bag closed for extra strength. The student then lays the bag flat on the table and writes the word on the bag with a finger. The word will disappear like magic.
9. Record a Word- Have students use a tape recorder to practice their spelling words.
10. Flannel Board Practice- Students use a flannel board and letters made out of felt pieces to practice their spelling words.
11. Word Cubes- Write letters on small wooden blocks and have the students arrange them and to spell their weekly words. This could turn into 3D Scrabble!
12. Spelling Magic- Try a little magic to teach spelling words! Have students write words on white construction paper with white crayon. Then have them paint over the paper with watered down tempera paint or watercolors. Words appear like magic!
13. Partner Word Step- On large piece of butcher paper print the letters of the alphabet. Have two partners pair up together to play this game. Have one student read the word aloud. The other child must step on the letters to spell the word. Twister with a spelling twist!
14. Egg Spellers- Write the weekly spelling words on small pieces of paper and places them inside plastic eggs. (Now you know what to do with all those plastic Easter eggs after your kids are bored with them.) Students pick the eggs from an Easter basket. The students then must write that word.
15. Spelling Keys- Write the words for the week on construction paper keys. The keys are placed on a shower curtain ring. The students can use keys as flash cards to help them practice the weekly spelling words. On Friday, after the spelling test they can tear off the keys that they learned to spell. The words that they missed remain on the ring; this allows the student to continue to practice the words they need help on. If the student can spell these words on the review test they may then tear off the keys to take home.
16. Individual Chalkboards- Have the students practice writing their spelling words on small chalkboards. They love it!
17. Tissue Paper Tracing- Write the weekly spelling words on a large piece of paper. The students then place tissue paper over the words and trace over them with crayon.
18. Contact Paper Chalkboards- Make 5" x 7" cardboard pieces, cover half the cardboard with the special chalkboard contact paper. (You can also do this with chalkboard paint!) Then write the spelling word on the other half. The students look at the word and then copy it on the chalkboard side.
19. Paint Your Words- Have the students use small paintbrushes to paint their words 5 times each.
20. Salt Box Spelling- Pour salt in the lid of a box (approx. 1/4"). The student then practices the words in the salt. You can try sand too!
21. Alpha-Bit Spelling- Use cereal to reproduce their spelling words. Don't forget to have a snack with the words you make.
22. Window Writing- Use window markers (dry erase markers work on glass too!) to write spelling words. The change of scenery is fun!
23. Pudding Practice- Try using instant pudding as finger paint to practice spelling words. Spelling can be yummy too!
24. Palm Reading- Write a spelling word with your finger into the student’s hand, have the student guess the word.
25. Pyramid Power- Have students write their words in order of difficulty. They write their easiest word once at the top of the paper near the middle, the next easiest twice, and so on. Students will have a pyramid shape when they are finished.
26. Sandy Words- Have students write their spelling words in glue, sprinkle sand over the glue. The students then trace over the words with their fingers for practice. They make terrific flash cards!
27. Rainbow Words- Have the students practice words with markers, colored pencils, or crayons. Alternate colors for a rainbow look.
28. Put It In Print- Have the students cut out the letters from a newspaper to spell the weekly spelling words.
29. Spell It With Beans- The students use lima beans to spell the weekly spelling words. The students can also glue the beans in place for a 3-D flash card.
30. Spelling Squares- Students practice their words on graphing paper. The students use 1 box for each letter. Have the students figure out which spelling word is in the shortest, longest, etc. . . .
31. Rainbow chains- Rainbow chains are a great way of keeping track of the words a student knows. The student writes the words he successfully spelled on Friday's final test on a construction paper chain. The children love to see their chains grow!
32. Pipe cleaners- Children use these to form their spelling words. You can use toothpicks and popsicle sticks too!
33. Alphabet Stamps- Stamp your words on a piece of paper.
34. Word collage- Design a collage using all of their words using markers, colored pencils etc.
35. Design a word- They pick one word and bubble letter it and design it.
36. Magazine letters- They find the letters in a magazine and glue them onto construction paper.
37. Play dough- I have cookie cutters that are letters of the alphabet. The kids also like to form the dough itself into letters. Feeling hungry? Make alphabet cookies and spell the words! Make sure to wash your hands first!
38. Twist-Tie Spelling- Use the twist-ties from the store to form letters to spell the words.
39. Sky Writing- You might not be able to rent a skywriting plane on short notice but you can lie back in the grass and write the word with your finger!
40. Connect the Dots- Make a square of 4 rows of dots with 4 dots in each row. Before taking a turn, the player must spell a spelling word. If the word is correct, he connects two dots. When a player forms a square, he can write his initials in the box. Player with most squares at the end wins.
41. Stair Steps- Write the words as if they are stairs, adding one letter at a time.
42. Pasta Words- Arrange alphabet pasta or spaghetti to form your spelling words. Glue onto a piece of paper.
43. Tic-Tac-Toe- There are a ton of cool ways to play with this old game! Create a larger-sized board and play tic-tac-toe where each player uses a spelling word. Or have each player use a ‘X’ or ‘O’ but in order to place a mark on the board, they have to spell a word correctly.
44. Karaoke- That karaoke machine can double as a super-fun spelling machine if you turn it on and allow your child to spell their words into it! A make believe spelling bee in the making!
45. Squiggly Spelling Words- Write your spelling words two times. First write in regular letters. Then write the words again in squiggly letters!
46. Video Record- Pull out the ole video camera or flip cam and take a video of your child spelling the words. Have them put on a funny hat, dress-up, or use a silly prop to add to the fun. Watching the final product is a fun treat!
47. Trace, Copy, Recall- Fold three columns on a piece of paper, and label one column ‘trace’, the next ‘copy’ and the last ‘recall’. Write the word in the first column, and have your child trace the letters. Next have them copy the word by looking at what they just wrote. Finally, have them fold (and hide) the first two columns and recall the spelling on their own as they writes the word independently.
48. Let them Sing it: Type in a spelling word on this site, and the word is sung back to your student. This one is bound to get giggles!
49. Spelling City: Head over to Spelling City, have your child type in the spelling words, and then he can learn the words, play games with them, and be tested. This site is a gem!
50. Puzzlemaker: Have your child type in all of the week’s spelling words and then let her search for them using this cool resource from Discovery!
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