Make Spelling Fun Again!

Mary Christy
Elementary Lead, 2nd Grade Teacher

Chances are when you hear the word spelling, you think back to your own days as a student in school writing words over and over again while sitting at your desk with plain lined paper and a pencil.  Repetition leads to memorization, right?! 

Although that may be true, there are far more engaging ways of utilizing repetition to have fun with spelling words!  If you’re ready to help eliminate the dreaded feel that may come along with studying spelling words, keep reading!

First, I want you to think about your child.  How do they like to learn?  Below I have broken down some ideas that you can utilize based on how your child learns best.

MUSIC

I don’t know about you, but music can be magic for memorization.  Did you know that there is a fool proof musical way to help your child learn any word that is 3-10 letters long?  

• Three letter words – sing them to the tune of Three Blind Mice
• Four letter words – Are You Sleeping?
• Five letter words – Row, Row, Row, Your Boat
• Six letter words – Happy Birthday to You
• Seven letter words – Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
• Eight letter words – Are You Sleeping?
• Nine letter words – Head and Shoulders
• Ten letter words- Row, Row, Row, Your Boat

HANDS ON-hands only

The trick is simple…sign language!  You can go online and print out a simple page with the ASL symbols for each letter.  Next, take your child’s spelling list and learn how to sign each word.  By activating both the mind and the hands, it can help students put actions to what they are doing.  As a teacher, I’ve used this with my students before and had to chuckle when a student would pause to sign a word (yes, sometimes even during the test), but the best part was they got it!

HANDS ON-creating

If you have elementary students chances are you have pipe cleaners, Wikki Stix,, play doh or something similar around your home.  Take one, or multiple of these things and have your students create their spelling words.  If your child is a creative mind, it helps them really focus on what they are building while shaping each tool to make the letters of their words.

GAMES

Need a quick game to play with your child…classic tic-tac-toe with a spelling twist!  Each player selects a word from the spelling list (then turn the list over so there is no peeking).  On a player’s turn instead of placing an X or O the player will write the spelling word they chose.  Continue until you have a winner and the word is spelled correctly each time.  

SOMETHING MORE TRADITIONAL

Your child may do well with the traditional approach of writing their words repeatedly and that’s okay.  Just try to mix it up a bit.  Rather than just a pen and paper here are some ideas of how or where to practice those words:

• Chalk on the sidewalk or driveway
• Tub crayons in the bath
• Shaving cream on the counter (it also serves as an excellent cleaner) and write the words with your finger
• Paint in a zip lock bag will also allow you to write the word, then squish it around and try another word
• Put rice (not cooked) on a cookie sheet and write the words in it
• Use markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc to mix it up

These are just a few ideas to try to mix things up and make spelling be a fun activity and not a dreaded chore.  The possibilities are endless!  The key is consistency.  Consistently practice those words, but try mixing it up with some new ideas!