8 Fun Ways To Teach Spelling

Posted by Amy Bayliss | 0 comments

We all know that teaching spelling can be tedious at times so I’ve collected a few ways to make the experience more than bearable… fun even, perhaps? You be the judge.

1. Scrabble To Spell. I found an old Scrabble game at a thrift store and we use it to practice spelling. The kids spell out their spelling words on the rail and if they get it right then we add it to the board. Bonus plan: we add up the points on the tiles from the words to find out what the most “valuable” spelling word of the week is.

2. Practice with Disappearing Chalk. Using a cotton swab and small container of water, have the child wet the tip of the cotton swab and use it to write on the chalkboard. The “writing” will disappear like magic. Bonus plan: easy clean up and you can give a brief lesson about evaporation!

3. Cake Pan Boogie. Fill a square or rectangular cake pan with enough magnetic letters to spell the words. You can get the magnetic letters for the dollar store for only a buck. Start timing after the spelling word is called out. Have the child spell the word, using the letters, on the side of the cake pan. As soon as they are done spelling it they must turn the cake pan around and show it. Record all of the times and do it again. If the child beats their time for the majority of the words then they get to have the first piece of cake once it is baked!

4. Type It Out. Have your child practice spelling their words on the computer. We usually go for ten times. Bonus plan: typing practice too!

5. Pudding Paint Practice. This is a really fun one. I make about three batches of pudding in different flavors then I lay out waterproof tablecloth over the table. Then I have the kids finger paint their spelling words using the pudding. They love it because they can lick their fingers clean. I get the tablecloths from the dollar store. You get two for a buck.

6. Personal Whiteboard. I use sheet protectors with a blank piece of paper inside as a personal whiteboard for the kids. You simply use dry erase markers and wipe clean when done.

7. Cereal Speller. I purposely purchase alphabet shaped cereals so that while the kids are eating breakfast I can call out a few words to them and have the search for the letters to spell it. The kids that gets the most words right doesn’t have to clean the table!

8. Surplus Spelling. I let the kids use all of the leftover letters from scrapbooking projects to practice their words. They get a break from the everyday way of learning them and I get the advantage of knowing they didn’t go to waste and were used for a good purpose!

You can find a couple more ways here: Paint Cans, Loose Leaf Binders, and Index Cards.

Married to her best friend and “main squeeze”, Amy Bayliss is a 4th year homeschooling mom to three boys. She enjoys writing about the eclectic teachings that bring a glimmer of curiosity to the eyes of her sons. In addition to being the co-owner of Heart of the Matter, she writes for Internet Cafe Devotions. Be sure to visit her blog, AmyBayliss.com and her family’s homeschool blog: Integrity Academy.