ESL spelling

20 Fun Spelling Activities & Ideas to Use in Your Classroom

Students are often taught about the importance of spelling and grammar in schools. However, there is a lot of debate about how much time should be dedicated to these activities in the classroom. Teachers know that exposure and more practice to learn spelling techniques are key, find some fun spelling activities in this post to use in your classroom or with your kids at home!

20 Fun Spelling Activities to use in your classroom. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

Some people believe that over-focusing on spelling and grammar can be detrimental to creativity. I also have a huge list of fun ways to teach sight words, which also come in handy when teaching spelling.

In this section, we will look at some of the ways that teachers can incorporate spelling into their lessons without taking too much time away from other important topics.

In the past year, I have gone to the moon and back looking for and collecting some amazing ideas to teach spelling. It is one of those things where you just need some interesting and fun ideas to keep learners interested in the topic.

Using flashcards and simple dictation activities are great – but sometimes we just need to get more interesting games and strategies to help these kids remember their rules and spelling. 🙂

Fun Spelling Activities that won’t bore the kids

So I’ve compiled these activities in one post for you so you can save them and come back to them if you like.

  1. Spelling Hoptscotch. This is a great game for kinesthetic learners. It’s simple to make. The idea is from Simply 2nd Resources. Picture credit is also from Simply 2nd Resources.

Spelling Activities ESL

The ESL students are often not good at spelling because they have not been taught enough about the English language. They are also often unfamiliar with the conventions of written English.

The ESL students need to be taught about spelling in order for them to improve their writing skills in English. Teaching ESL students all about spelling is a gradual thing. For example having a list of resources you could turn to when teaching ESL students is essential. Like tis SUPER differentiated Spelling printables bundle.

2. Word Builders. Use some printable word building mats to help students spell their words. You can print those out and use them in centers. You don’t even need the printable letters – use scrabble tiles. The mat below is from my Spelling Fun Bundle Pack for first grade. You can check it out HERE.

hide an seek spelling

3. Print, Stamp or Dough activities. The ideas from this blog post are simply amazing! Check them out HERE. Picture from Homeschool Mom.

4. Reading, Reading & more Reading. One effective way to indirectly help students master their spelling is simply by reading. Instill the love of reading by using some leveled passages by topic. These nonfiction passages help keep students intrigued and wanting to learn more about the topic. Best of all they are leveled and ready for differentiation. Check out a few topics here; pumpkins, spiders, weather and ocean animals.

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5. Treasure Hunt Activity. This activity is simply adorable and it HAD to make the list! It is so simple to make and you can adapt it to any picture. Check it out here from Hands On As We Grow. Picture below also from Hands On As We Grow.

Make a treasure hunt to make sight words!

6. Fix It Heroes. Use some adorable printable and interactive pages to help your students independently practice sight words and spelling. These are from my Fry Fix it Heroes Pack.

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7. Construction Site Scoop and Spell. This will definitely appeal to the boys! It is such an adorable activity which can be made with simple construction toys that you probably have on hand in the classroom or at home. Check it out here from The Imagination Tree. Picture below is from the Imagination Tree.

kinaesthetic spelling activities

8. These are simple pages where students read the words in context and practice writing them. You can print two pages onto one A4 single that way you save paper. The picture below is from my Spelling Fun Activity Pack which uses all the Dolch Sight Words along with the spelling list from Journeys First Grade. Check out the growing pack HERE.

rainbow spelling template

Below is also an activity page from the pack which requires the students to color the words to make a hidden picture.

sight words spelling worksheets

9. Spelling Hangman. Oh this one is just too cute! You can easily use a board, paper or even a dry erase mat which you can easily create for the class. This will make for a great and easy filler if you have 5 minutes at the end of a lesson. Check out how to set it up from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas.

hands-on spelling activities

10. Picture Books. This one is a simple idea which is easy to implement with no prep. You could simply use picture books to get the students reading and extracting key words from their book. Easy and fun way to help them remember their spelling and sight words.

spelling activities for kids

How to teach spelling in a fun way

Teaching spelling can be a difficult task, especially when the tools that teachers have to work with are not as effective as they should be.

Teachers often rely on word lists and workbooks that are not very engaging for students. Fortunately, there are many ways to teach spelling in a fun way.

Incorporating Hands-on spelling activities in the classroom and at home has never been easier. These ideas serve to help kids learn the correct spelling of the word in a fun way!

One way is by using games such as Scrabble or Boggle. These games allow students to practice their spelling skills while also having fun at the same time. Another way is by using technology like smartphones or tablets.

More spelling activities pdf you might like:

There are many educational apps available today that allow students to practice their spelling skills in a digital format which makes it easier for them because they can do it anytime and anywhere which is more convenient than paper-based word lists and workbooks.

One way to make spelling more fun is to use a game-based approach.

In order to teach spelling in a fun way, teachers should create games that will help students learn the words they need to know. This can be done by making up games or playing games like Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, and Boggle with the students.

11. Valentine’s Day Making Words. Use this FREE printable to practice making words with your students. Allow them to freely choose their own words. The activity can be found HERE from Buggy And Buddy.

free spelling activities for any list

12. Vocabulary Emergent Readers. You can easily use these to practice spelling words along with handwriting. Who says you can combine practicing two skills in one? 🙂 Check out the free Thanksgiving booklets from the blog post HERE.

spelling activities free

13. Sensory Spelling Word Practice Cards. These cards are so easy to make whether you are homeschooling or in a classroom. Check out A Mom With A Lesson Plan to see how she set this clever idea up!

spelling word practice idea - easy to make sensory cards

Spelling Sight Words Worksheets

Sight words are words that are most commonly used in English language. They are important for children to learn because they will see them often in books, newspapers and magazines.

Some of the sight words include: I, a, is, you, to, and we.

The word list is taken from the “1000 most common words in English” list, which includes words that are both high-frequency and high-utility.

Sight words are used for reading because they can be identified without sounding out each letter. This makes them easier to recognize and faster to read. They are also called high frequency words or “sight vocabulary.” Sight words are not just a list of the most common English language words, but rather a list of the most frequently used letters in those words.

Some of my favorite spelling sight words worksheets:

14. Sight Word Tab Readers. These readers help young students just beginning to read in learning their wight words along with reading fluency. Check out the pre-primer set HERE and the primer set HERE.

You can also download the FREE set here.

spelling word games

15. Spelling Puzzles. This simple idea is from No Time for Flashcards. It is great as you can DIY with puzzles you already have at home! Check out how to set it up HERE.

spelling activities puzzles

16. Word Race. This simple game can be setup using some scrabble tiles or any letter tiles really! The idea is that the learners will make as many words as they can with 3 vowels and a few other consonants depending on what you want them practicing. They race to make these words and write them down. You check their words and see if they’ve written them correctly and give them the reward!

fun spelling activities

17. Spelling Printables. You can’t go wrong with some simple spelling printable activities. Whether you are using them for assessment or for practice. The practice page below is from my Fry Spelling Activity Pack.

rainbow spelling

18. Dot Sticker Scramble Find. Stickers and spelling! That is a winning combination. This idea is also very simple to plan and use. Check it out from School Time Snippets.

hands-on spelling activities

Ideas for teaching spelling

One way to teach spelling is by using the following technique:

1. Take a word and break it into syllables.

2. Write the word on a piece of paper and circle each syllable.

3. Say the word out loud, drawing out each syllable as you say it, then write down how you said it

4. Have students repeat the process for another word

5) Have students create their own words with letters that they do not know how to spell

Teaching spelling is one of the most difficult tasks for teachers. It is a tedious and time-consuming process that takes up a lot of their time. It would be much more productive if they could teach students how to spell words without spending so much time on it.

There are many ideas that can make teaching spelling more efficient:

– Spelling tests (students have to spell words in writing and orally)

– Spelling games (students play games with their peers in which they have to spell words correctly)

– Spelling lists (teachers give students lists of words to memorize)

19. Sight Word Dough Activity Mats. These mats are so simple to use and setup. You can place them in dry erase pockets or simple print in black and white if you want to hang the students’ work. Simple and fun! You can find them HERE. Or you can check out the bundle with alphabet, numbers and shapes practice here for savings.

playdough spelling activities

20. Spelling Garage. A fun way to incorporate spelling and playing with cars. Check it out here from 123Homeschool For Me.

Spelling Games - practice spelling words with hot wheel cars

I hope this article inspired you with some ideas to teach spelling in a fun and meaningful way. 🙂

Teaching spelling is important because it will help children to read better. In this way, they will have a better chance of succeeding in school and life.

The first step in teaching spelling is to introduce the letters of the alphabet. The second step is to introduce the sounds made by each letter and how those sounds change when a letter appears at the end of a word or syllable. The third step is to teach children how words are formed by combining letters, such as “cat” or “bat”.

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