Some ideas to make spelling fun and memorable:
1. Display the word families you are covering over a period of time. (KS2)
EXAMPLE YEAR3: ‘ckle’ ‘able’ ‘cle’ ‘le ‘ ‘dle’
EXAMPLE YEAR 4: ‘’ight’ ‘tion’ ‘tious’ ‘ial’ ‘ough’
Now read out a word and get the children to decide which family the word belongs to.
If the children are unsure they can refer to the display.
The purpose of this game is to get the children to listen to and look at specific words
carefully.
2. IDENTIFYING THE ROOT WORD (KS2)
Show children words from their list of families e.g. horrible and get them to
whiteboard the root word.
Purpose of this activity is to get children to look at words derive from root words.
3. I SAY YOU SAY (KS1 AND KS2)
The teacher says the first letter of a word the children say the second, the teacher
the third and so on.
A variation of the game is to get the children to do this in pairs. If they are unsure
they can refer to the display of the focus words.
Purpose of this game is to get the children to practice spelling the words again and
again in a fun way.
4. FIND THE CORRECT SPELLING (KS1 AND KS2)
Put up 3 words, of which only one has the correct spelling. Children to identify correct
spelling and say why by stating the rule.
Examples: helpping, helping, helping
hoping, hopeing, hoppeing
runing, ruing, running
Purpose of this game is to reinforce the specific spelling rule.
5. PREFIX/SUFFIX GAME (KS2)
Give the children a list of words and get them to identify which suffix or prefix
matches each word.
Examples:
Which prefix do I need to select to create a new word from each of the following root
words? Write on whiteboard and show.
‘dis’ ‘un’ ‘mis’ ‘im’ ‘in’ (Year 3)
•
well
•
honest
•
order
•
behave
•
possible
•
visible
•
like
•
popular
6. SUFFIX YEAR 4/5: ’ful’ ‘ly’ ‘ive’ ‘ist’
Which suffix do I need to select to create a new word from the root words? Write on
whiteboard and show.
•
hope
•
correct
•
art
•
quick
•
balloon
•
create
•
explode
•
curious
Purpose of this activity is for children to secure their skills in using prefixes and
suffixes correctly to spell words from root words.
7. BASKET BALL SPELLING: (KS1 AND KS2)
Children imagine they have a basketball and bounce it as they say each letter of a given
word and they shoot the goal on completion, as they say the word.
EXAMPLE: h/o/r/r/i/b/l/e/ horrible
8. SAY THE SPELLING BACKWARDS. (KS1 AND KS2)
All the children stand up. The teacher starts saying the word backwards. Children sit
down as soon as they recognise the spelling. Pick one child to spell the word.
9. GUESS THE WORD. (KS1 AND KS2)
Select one child. Say the last two letters of a word and the child has to guess the word
and then spell it. If they can’t pass it on to the next child who gets the last three
letter. If they can’t pass it on to the next child who gets four letters and so on.
This game can be played starting with the first two letters of the word and so on.
10.MAKING WORDS WITIHN WORDS (*KS1 AND KS2)
What words can you see within the following words:
another: an, other, the,
together: to, get, the,
explanation: plan, an, nation
11. UNJUMBLE THE LETTERS (KS1 AND KS2)
Write words on the board which are jumbled up e.g. hte, (the) tnwe, (went)
Children have to write the word on a whiteboard in the correct answer or could
chatterbox with their partner the correct spelling.
In Year 1 and Year 2, if using words From Reception or Year One/Two list, children can
have the cards in front of them, or displayed on the IWB, to help them recognise and
re-arrange the letters correctly.
Alternatively, they could be the focus spellings of the week, which are displayed for
children to refer to.
12. SPARKLE (KS1 AND KS2)
In a circle the children go round, saying one letter of a given word. If a child cannot
remember the next letter it goes on to the next child. On completion of the spelling of
the word the next person says SPARKLE and the person next to them sits down. Game
continues with a new word.
Children love this game and it really makes them focus.