Spelling can occasionally be one of the most boring things for kids to learn, but it is incredibly important for their cognitive development and for helping them to succeed in all stages of academia.
Because it can be so boring to learn to spell, how can you possibly go about teaching spelling to kids in a classroom?
Well, one of the best ways to implement spelling into the classroom in a more engaging way is to use some spelling games!
But what are some of the best spelling games that you can implement into your class schedule?
If you’ve been searching for perfect spelling games, then you simply need to read on below, because today we have listed some of our very favorite spelling games to implement into your class.
Let’s dive right in!
Tic Tac Toe
Tic Tac Toe is a very versatile game that can easily be adapted in a number of ways to work perfectly as an educational game.
To make this game perfect for teaching spelling, you only need to do a couple of things.
Have the children divide into groups of two, and give each pair a tic tac toe board to play on, and some flashcards with simple words on them.
In order for each child to draw an ‘x’ or an ‘o’ on the board, they will need to correctly spell a word. Have one of the children in each pair read a word to the other child.
The other child must spell the word out correctly in order to add their shape to the board.
This helps to add a competitive element to the task of spelling, which will encourage children to think more carefully about how they spell each word so that they can gain the upper hand in the game.
Dictionary Challenge
If your school has plenty of dictionaries that you can easily pass out, then this is a great game to use them in.
This game is intended for children of slightly higher grades because it depends on them having a basic ability to navigate their way through a dictionary.
Divide all of the children into small groups, and give each group a dictionary. From here, call out a word to the children, and have them race to be the first team to find the word in the dictionary.
This is a really great fast-paced game that has an incredible competitive element to it.
The game not only helps with spelling but also helps older kids to further internalize the alphabet so that they can more quickly navigate to the correct section of the dictionary.
Once the kids reach the correct section of the dictionary they will have to think about the correct spelling of the chosen word and the order in which the letters are organized in order to quickly find the word.
This can be a great way to help the kids to internalize the spelling of certain specific words that might be proving challenging
Missing Letters
A great way to help kids to internalize the spellings of certain words is to have them identify problems in spelling.
This simple game can be played by writing down a large word on the whiteboard, but replacing some of the letters with dashes. For example, ‘Pirate’ might be written as ‘P__AT_’.
Once the word is written, call out the word, and have the children raise their hands for the opportunity to suggest a letter to add to the word.
When they get a correct letter, ask them which dash it belongs on top of.
You can adapt this game in a number of ways to make it more challenging, as you see fit. For example, you could write out a few letters of the word but not call it out.
This will cause the children to think about which letters are most important in order to help them figure out the word using the process of elimination.
You can also add an element of tension to the game by adapting it to be similar to the popular game of hangman.
Every time a student offers up an incorrect letter, add an extra part to the hangman image.
This will cause the children to have to think even harder about what the right letters are to spell a specific word.
Board Slap
Board slap is easily one of the best games to help children to internalize their spelling knowledge, as it forces them to quickly recognize certain words and their spellings in order to compete in the game.
In order to play this game, divide your class into two halves. With a pen write out a number of spelling words on the board for the children to recognize the spellings to.
These words can be simple or slightly more complex depending on the age group you are teaching. Just make sure that all of the children can reach all of the words for fairness.
If you need to fit more words on the board, you can always give each of the children a fly swat to reach higher on the board.
From there, take one player from each team and have them stand with their backs facing the board.
Call out a word from the board, at which point the children should turn around, face the board, and find the spelling that best corresponds to the word you’ve called out.
The first player to hit the correct word with their hand or the fly swatter is the winner for that round, and the team earns a point.
This game is incredibly beneficial because it encourages the children to think quickly about the spelling of each word, which further helps them to internalize it, so that they can remember it!
This game is also great for playing in the classroom because it allows the children that aren’t up at the board to still get directly involved.
They can shout out the answers to help out their teammates, which in turn helps them to better memorize and internalize the spellings of each word.
Word Jumbles
This is a great game that encourages the children to challenge one another to improve their spelling.
To start this game, divide the children into small teams and then give them some small flashcards with words on them, as well as some paper to write on.
One kid per team will take one of the flashcards, and then scramble up the letters and write their new jumbled-up word on the paper.
It is up to the other children to decipher the original word and call it out. The player with the most correct guesses wins.
Allow the kids to give each other clues along the way if they are finding it too difficult to guess what each word is.
Word Battle
This is one of the best games on this list because it has a great competitive element that really allows each player to improve on their spelling ability.
In order to play the game, pair each of the children up with one another and have them compete to spell the most words correctly.
Give each child in each pair a piece of paper and a pen. Each child should then write a list of 20 words that they will ask their paired player to spell out.
The objective here is for each child to write down words that they think will prove challenging to the other player.
From here, the children take turns saying one of their words and then wait for the other player to spell the word.
Every time a player spells a word correctly, they earn a point. The player with the most points by the end of each list is the winner of that pair.
This game is great because it allows the children to challenge each other to achieve greater feats of spelling knowledge while also allowing them to internalize their existing spelling knowledge as they will need to make sure that their chosen 20 words are spelled correctly ahead of playing!
To Wrap Up
These are just a few of the best games involving spelling that you can implement into your classroom to help your students to improve their spelling and their vocabulary.
Each of these games offers a different level of challenge, so you can easily pick the perfect one for the spelling ability of your class.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Poor Spelling Mean Dyslexia?
While poor spelling could be criteria for diagnosis, it does not necessarily have to be indicative of dyslexia.
Why Can My Child Read Well But Not Spell?
The reason your child may not be able to spell well while being able to read well may be because they are suffering from dyslexia.
Does Poor Spelling Indicate Intelligence?
Definitely not. Someone can be incredibly intelligent and still have significant trouble spelling.
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
