Creative Ways to Practice Spelling

Are you tired of the same old, same old when it comes to spelling practice? Are you tired of having your students write their spelling words five times each or having them write their spelling words in sentences? If so, keep reading. In this post, I present to you four strategies that have helped my students with spelling over the years. I didn't invent these strategies... these strategies have been around for years. But these are the strategies my students have enjoyed the most and have gotten the most benefit from. I hope they'll help your students too. Enjoy!

This is an updated version of a blog post I wrote in 2015.  Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Rainbow Words 

Doing rainbow words is a fun... and pretty... twist on writing spelling words five times each. For many children, using different colors to write their words is a unique way to keep them engaged and paying attention.

To do rainbow words, all you need are five colored crayons, pens, or colored pencils. (Markers are NOT recommended. The colors bleed together and make a muddy mess.) Instead of writing the spelling words in a list, students write their spelling words on top of each other using each color one time. Athena (age 10) modeled how to do rainbow words in the photo. She chose rainbow colors to make the words pop on the paper. However, children can choose any five colors they'd like to do their words with.

Triangle Words

Triangle Words... also known as 'pyramid' words... use repetition and adding on to help children master their words. The children start with the first letter of the word and write it on the line. On the next line, the children write the first two letters. Then they write the first three letters on the next line. Then four on the next line. Then five... until the children get to the end of the word. Athena modeled how to do triangle words. As you can see, they are called triangle words because they form the shape of a triangle when done.

Word Scramble 

After children have had a chance to practice their spelling words, word scrambles are a fun way to check for mastery. Teachers, parents, older siblings, or other classmates can make a scrambled word list and give it to the children learning the words to solve.

Red and Blue Words

To do red and blue words, children only need two things... a red and a blue crayon, pen, colored pencil, or marker. Children then write their spelling words, writing consonants in one color, and vowels in the other. This is a simple task, but it can be very helpful for some children. For example, the two different colors can highlight silent letters (like the e in because) or vowel combinations (au in because), making it easier for children to see and remember various patterns in words.

Can you think of any other ways for children to practice their spelling words? What are some of your favorites? Share them in the comment section below!

(Next Article: Let's Make a Pizza Busy Bag!)