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The following games and activities are intended to help your elementary school students increase their spelling ability. Whether your student is in the first grade or the eighth grade, these games will help them succeed in spelling. The games can be easily adapted depending on the various needs and abilities of different students. You can also use the same games with any number of students with varying spelling ability. They can be geared towards high and low achievers without bringing attention to them.
Eventually, the children will be able to play most of the games on their own. Advanced children can play with special needs children and help them increase their spelling ability.
The following games may be used with any child from grades 1-8.
MIXED UP WORDS
-Make up teams and give each team a dictionary, paper and a pencil. Each team is given a list of scrambled words that fit together in a category somehow. For instance, some could be fruits and some could be people. Each team has to figure out the correct spelling of the scrambled word and which category it would fit into. After time is up, each team checks their answers and then uses the dictionary to check the correct category.
LIMERICKS
-This activity uses rhyming words to encourage spelling. Write a limerick but in every other line, leave out the last word. Then have the child or children think of a missing word that would rhyme with the word that was given in the other lines.
WHAT’S MISSING?
-This activity has children looking for missing letters in words. They have to think about what the word is, remember how it should be spelled and then insert the correct letters that were left out. Words can either have just vowels missing or consonants or a mixture of both.
WORD JOURNAL
-Have the child keep a word journal that contains words they are unfamiliar with. These words can come from school, books or even a newspaper. Then have the child look the words from their list up in the dictionary and when they become comfortable with them, they can cross them off the list in their journal.
HOPSCOTCH SPELLING
-Children can practice their spelling ability by writing words on cards with numbers on them that match the numbers written outside in chalk on a hopscotch board. Then as they land on a space, they have to spell the word that is on the numbered card in order to stay. This game can work for any age child that plays hopscotch. The words that are written on the cards can range from CAT to ENDEAVOURS.
BOGGLE
-Children can play either the actual game or a written version of boggle. Write various letters in boxes, which form the shape of a square. Then have the child find words by connecting the letters that touch each other. If the game is being written for a child, you could use words that the child is having trouble with. For older children, the actual store-bought game would be more of a challenge.
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