Taking a spelling test can be a scary prospect for any child in elementary school, but there are ways that parents can help their child practice the words so she'll be ready for the test. Using an arsenal of games and interactive activities will help children learn their spelling words and have fun at the same time. These activities will strengthen the spelling lessons children learn in the classroom.
Most children love to play with computers, so they may enjoy practicing their spelling words by typing them. Using basic word processing software allows kids to type their spelling words and have them well in mind. Kids can experiment with different fonts and colors as they type words from the word list. They can even make the words appear tiny or large.
If a family has old newspapers and magazines lying around the house, they can put them to good use by helping a child prepare for an upcoming spelling test. Provide the child with a pair of safety scissors and let her cut letters from the magazines and newspapers. She can then use the letters to spell her spelling words. Give her a glue stick, and she can paste the words to a piece of colorful construction paper or poster board.
Children of all ages will enjoy scrawling their spelling words in shaving cream. Buy a can of inexpensive shaving cream from a dollar store and spray it on the kitchen table. The child can then use her word list to practice writing her spelling words. Parents can call out each word and wait for the child to spell it without looking at the word list. This type of hands-on activity enables the child to practice writing the words without making her feel like she's doing homework.
Another way to practice for a spelling test is to ask the child write a story or silly sentences with words from the spelling list. If a child loves to tell stories, this may be an ideal way to provide her with spelling practice. Children use their creativity to write stories utilizing all the words on the spelling list. They can even make their own books by stapling a few sheets of paper together. After the story is written, children can illustrate their books with crayons and markers.
Kids who enjoying puzzles can turn their spelling list into a word search. This can be done by visiting an online word search generator like puzzle-maker.com. Kids can also create the word search using a pencil and a sheet of notebook paper.
Some kids might like to make a spelling word memory game. Children can write their words on index cards. Each spelling word should be written on two cards so that they become a pair. The child places the cards face down on a table and tries to find a matching pair of words. By using these methods, children can learn the words and have a better chance of passing the spelling test.
