Let’s face it – spelling can be dry, but sometimes part of our jobs as teachers is to put lipstick on a pig, take something boring and present it in such a way that kids have fun. If you’re on the lookout for a few new ideas to turn spelling practice activities into something a little more lively, you’ve landed on the right scroll. In this post, I’m sharing eight fun and active spelling practice activities to engage and excite your students about learning. Say goodbye to traditional pencil and paper activities and hello to fun and interactive spelling.
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Spell & Seek Safari:
- Embark on a spelling safari in your classroom or the great outdoors! Print off several alphabet cards (download a free set here) and hide letter cards around the space, each featuring a letter from the spelling words. As students find the letters, they must arrange them in the correct order to spell out their words. The thrill of the hunt and the joy of spelling unite in this adventurous escapade.
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Spelling Sculptures:
- Dive into the world of three-dimensional spelling! Provide students with playdough, modeling clay, legos, or whatever building materials you have around. As they spell out their words, they mold or build each letter into a miniature sculpture. Not only does this engage their spelling muscles, but it also taps into their artistic side.
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Hopscotch Spelling:
- Transform a classic into a spelling spectacular! Create a hopscotch board with all the letters of the alphabet, or draw a blank hopscotch board and tape a letter card inside each one. Call out one of the spelling words and let students hop their way through, spelling out the word as they land on each letter. A hop, skip, and jump into spelling brilliance!
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Spelling Relay Race:
- Divide your students into teams and have them compete in a spelling relay race. Each team member takes a turn running to a whiteboard, writing down a spelling word you have called out before running back to tag the next person in line. This one is simple, but it’s a crowd-pleaser because it taps into your middle graders’ sense of competition and gives them a chance to move and cheer each other on.
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STEM Spelling
- Whether it’s toothpicks and marshmallows or toilet paper tubes and pipe cleaners, choose your favorite STEM engineering supplies and challenge your students to engineer their way through spelling practice activities by building spelling structures that can hold weight. To test out the structures you can add pieces of paper to the top to see which spelling words can bear the most weight.
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Paint with Spelling Words
- Provide your students with paint and have them paint pictures using their spelling words. They can use their fingers or brushes to paint the words. These spelling practice activities are great for artistic students who prefer a hands-on approach to learning.
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Sticky Letter Spelling Practice Activities
- For these spelling practice activities, pair students up and give them a small stack of sticky notes. Have students prepare for this activity by writing one letter on each sticky note (they only need to use the letters that will be needed for this weeks spelling list). If you don’t want to use sticky notes, you can print out letter cards and have students add a piece of tape to each one. Have each pair of students find a blank space of wall to work with. When you call out a spelling work, students will use the sticky letters to spell out the word and stick it to a wall.
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Handwriting Art
- These spelling practice activities are a bit artistic. Have your students write their spelling words in large block letters on a sheet of paper, making sure that the letters are open. Then, have them color in the letters with various designs and patterns to create a unique design. This activity helps improve muscle memory and helps with spelling retention.
With these whimsical spelling practice activities, studying becomes less of a bore and a lesson filled with laughter, movement, and artistic expression instead. May your spelling sessions be nothing short of magical!
Check out this post on word work ideas for even more ideas!
And to round out your ELA routines, grab a year-round daily language review resource!
