Teachers know that one of the things students dislike the most is studying for a spelling test. Memorizing spelling words can be boring, and oftentimes students tend to forget how to spell the words soon after the test is over. Classroom games incorporating spelling provide students with a fun way to learn words, they help students remember words over a longer period of time, and they give students an understanding of how words are formed. Incorporating classroom games about spelling into your weekly schedule will not only reinforce words that students need to learn, but they will also reinforce good spelling study habits.
Here are a few fun classroom games about spelling to incorporate into your weekly lessons.
Spelling Word Relay
Word relay is a fun and competitive spelling game for all ages.
How to Play:
Divide students into two teams. Have each team stand in a line (just like you would in a relay race) one behind the other. When the teacher says go, the first team member of each team races to the board and has to write a spelling word that begins with the last letter of the word that was written on the board. For example, the teacher would draw a line down the center of the board and on each side would write one word. For this example the word is “clock.” The team member that is at the board would have to write a spelling word that starts with a “k” such as knock. If they do not have a spelling word that starts with a “k,” then they move to the letter before, which in this example would be “c.” Once the team member writes the word they quickly pass the chalk or marker to the next person on the team, and so on, until all of the members have gone. The first team to finish wins!
Sink and Spell
Sink and spell is just like the game Battleship. It is a fun spelling game that is played with a partner to help reinforce spelling words.
How to Play:
Pair students together and give each student a sheet of paper. Have students draw a grid with letters on the top and numbers on the side. Then have students write about five of their spelling words in boxes on the grid they made. Students take turns calling out boxes. If they call out a box and a letter isn’t there then that is considered a miss. The goal of the game is to find the spelling words. The first one to find all of the words wins.
Spelling Squares (Tic Tac Toe)
This is a Tic Tac Toe spelling game to help reinforce spelling words.
How to Play:
Divide students into teams of two. Each team gets a pile of their spelling words, along with a tic tac toe board. The first player draws a card from the deck and reads the word to their partner. The partner then spells the word. If they get it correct they draw an “x” or an “o” on the tic tac toe board. If they get it wrong then they cannot place anything on the board. Then the next player goes, and so on. This continues until someone gets tic tac toe.
Spelling Boom!
Spelling Boom is a fun hands-on spelling game to reinforce spelling words. This game can be played with a partner, in a large group, or with a small group.
How to Play:
To play Spelling Boom you must write spelling words on popsicle sticks or small index cards. Make sure to write the word “Boom” on a few of the sticks or cards. Each player blindly draws a stick or card and hands it to the teacher or another player to read the word. If they spell the word correctly they get to keep the stick or card. If they answer it incorrectly then they must put it back into the cup or pile. If the student chooses a Boom stick or card they must put back all of the words that they have collected so far. The person with the most sticks or cards at the end of the game wins!
Word Jump
Word jump is a physical classroom spelling game to help students remember their spelling words.
How to Play:
The teacher writes a few spelling words on a piece of paper and places them on the floor. The goal is to have students see how many words they can jump on correctly when the teacher says the word. For example, the teacher would say the word “fox” and students would look on the ground and have to be the first to jump on that word.
Try and incorporate as many classroom spelling games into your weekly schedule as you possibly can. Not only are they beneficial for students, but they give students something to look forward to. Games are fun!
