The key to reducing spelling-practice boredom is to make memorizing fun.
If you are like most families, helping your children learn to spell can be a challenge—often full of frustration, sweat, and even tears. Spelling requires memorization, dedication, and practice. If the traditional method of writing words out multiple times isn’t working, what can you do to help your child get the grades they deserve?
Utilize the mediums you already have in your home to help your little speller have fun while learning their weekly words. Here are a few ideas to aid your child in the long-term goal of becoming a world-class speller.
ART
Turn arts-and crafts into interactive spelling lessons. Set aside the pen and paper, and think outside the box.
EXERCISE
Get moving! Try combining your weekly spelling words with your favorite physical activity. Studies show people retain more when they combine learning with some form of exercise.
GAMES
Get the whole family involved in playing your favorites—like hang man and Crossword puzzles—or have your family invent a fun, new spelling game with Scrabble tiles.
MUSIC
Putting your child’s spelling list to a familiar, catchy tune will help them remember the spelling of a word. For example, use the tune of B-I-N-G-O, and bingo was his name o, with any five-letter word.
TECHNOLOGY
Practice weekly spelling lists by experimenting with font sizes, colors, and shapes.
Websites like pbskids.org offer spelling games that engage children while making spelling fun.
Try several, or all, of these methods—keeping your child’s preferences in mind. Then, switch it up, add your own twist, and get your children on a fast track to spelling S-U-C-C-E-S-S.