FUN SPELLING ACTIVITIES

Spelling is a key literacy skill which aids communication. Some children are naturally good at spelling and with minimal effort, achieve full marks each week in their spelling test. Other children will require a little more help. Either way, learning to spell doesn't need to be a boring chore.

Educators and parents should base spelling activities upon:

*word origin and history - where the words came from, their pronunciation and their meaning (etymology);

*syllable patterns and units of meaning, including prefixes, suffixes and compound words (morphology);

*letter patterns - the sounds which letters make individually or when they are combined (phonics)

If you need some engaging activities for teaching spelling, forget about endless copying out onto paper and try these enjoyable hands-on ideas instead. They're perfect for home or school! It is also worth noting that cursive writing, rather than printing is of great benefit when learning to spell, as it helps with muscle memory and the way that a word 'feels'.

Rainbow Write: Write the word in pencil and then trace over each word three times using a different coloured crayon or colouring pencil.

Rainbow Scratch Notes: Write the spelling words on scratch notes. These are readily available in shops or online.

Keyboard Words: Use a real keyboard or print a keyboard image out on card. Type each word out three times. This activity will also help with typing skills!

Roll a Spelling: Roll a dice and write the spelling that number of times in the colour listed.

Hidden Words: Write each word using a secret marker or spy pen. Reveal the spellings using a UV pen or ask children to check that each other's spellings are correct.

Scrabble Spelling: Use scrabble/magnetic letters to make the spelling words. If you have a set of letter stamps, children can also make their spellings using these.

Tablet Typing: use Notes (or similar) to type out the spelling list. Again, this activity is useful for developing typing skills too.

In my TPT store you can find editable spelling activities and phase 2, 3 and 4 high frequency word games.