Dear Parents/ Carers,
Here is a list of active spelling ideas that you can use with your child to help them learn how to spell the common words.
Active Spelling strategies
Write a word in one colour. Trace over it in lots of different colours to make a rainbow word.
Give your child a newspaper or leaflet. Ask them to circle letters in colour, in the right order, to spell out their words.
Make a word search with your words. List them underneath.
Play charades with your words. When someone has guessed the word, spell it.
Write your words in colourful bubble writing.
Write your spelling words forwards and then backwards and then spell them out loud forwards.
Make a square of 4 rows of dots with 4 dots in each row. Before taking a turn, the player must spell a spelling word. If the word is correct, he/ she connects two dots. When a player forms a square, he can write his/her initials in the box. Player with most squares at the end wins.
Draw and colour a picture then hide your words inside the picture. Let someone try to find your words and check if you wrote them with the right spelling.
Write each word in your list in a pyramid. The first letter in the word should be at the top, the next two below then three underneath that and so on.
Write your words in a list and the rewrite them in ABC order.
Write all your words out and then trace over the vowels in each word in colour.
Write out all your words in normal writing, and then write them all out in squiggly writing.
Count your spelling words. Draw a shape for each word and then write your words inside the boxes. Or write the words around the outside of each shape.
Write your words with a finger in the air for a parent to guess the word you have written.
Write your words one at a time with your finger on your mum or dad’s back. They should then try to guess the word you wrote.
Write the entire list end to end as one long word with each word in a different colour.
Write each of your words in a box of sand.
Draw a hopscotch board outside on the ground with chalk. Put in letters instead of the numbers and hop your words as you spell them out.
Cut the letters for each of your words from an old newspaper or magazine and stick them down on a sheet of paper with glue.
Draw a picture of a great big flower with lots of petals. Write each of your words in colour on the petals. Add more petals if you need to.
Draw a picture of bees. Add a word to each bee. Then add some flowers.
Type your words on the computer on a Word document then change each word to a different size and font.
Use a voice recorder and spell each of your words without looking at them. Play it back and check with the sheet to see if you got them right. Repeat until you get them all right.
Use Scrabble tiles or alphabet pasta to spell out your words.
Make up a song or rap that includes saying and spelling out your words.
Make your words with Plasticene or play dough.
Miss Brooks
