Engage and Educate with 15+ Spelling Games for Lower and Upper Elementary Students

Inside: A list of spelling games that you can use for both your lower and upper elementary students!

Are you looking for creative ways to make spelling lessons more engaging and interactive for your elementary school students? Spelling games can turn mundane memorization into an enjoyable learning experience. In this blog post, we’ll explore a variety of spelling word games designed for both lower and upper elementary students. These games are not only fun but also effective in helping students improve their spelling skills. Let’s dive in!

Oh, wait! Before we start a quick spelling word game tip: I like to make clear instruction cards for each game prior to playing them with my students. I pass them out so that each student can see the instruction cards whether that is one per student or one per table. This way everyone knows how to play the game. Check out the Spelling Activities for Any Word List to get the instruction cards (and accompanying worksheets) already made for you!

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Lower-Elementary Spelling Games

• Word Focus Worksheet: Encourage students to choose a spelling or vocabulary word to study in-depth. The worksheet helps them explore and understand their chosen word better.
• Roll It Worksheet: Pair students up and give them a numbered die. They take turns rolling and answering prompts related to sight words, spelling words, or new vocabulary words.
• Trivia Cards: Divide the class into teams and have them choose categories and point values. Reveal a word, and a team member must complete a task related to that word. Correct answers earn points.
• Shaving Cream Spelling: Make learning tactile by having students spell words in shaving cream spread on their desks. It’s a messy, fun way to practice.
• Magic Words: Encourage creativity by having students write their spelling words with white crayons and then reveal them with colored markers. The words magically appear as they color over them.
• Spelling Charades: Divide the class into teams, and players act out spelling or vocabulary words. Teams must guess the word correctly to earn a point.
• Rainbow Writing Worksheet: Make spelling colorful! Students write each word in one color and then trace it with five different colors, creating a vibrant display.
• Vocabulary Memory: Create pairs of cards with words on one and definitions on the other. Students play a memory-matching game to reinforce vocabulary and definitions.
• Bingo Card: Give students blank BINGO cards and have them fill in spelling or vocabulary words. Draw definition cards and see who can get five words in a row first!
• Popcorn: Teams compete to identify words based on their definitions. The first person to correctly identify a word wins a point for their team.
• Fly Swatter: Test students’ quick thinking and coordination by having them swat the correct word on the board when you read a definition. Points go to the quickest team.
• Go Fish Cards: Adapt the classic card game for spelling practice. Prepare Go Fish cards with selected words and have students play as they would in traditional Go Fish.
• Word Stacking: Foster teamwork by having students build towers of cups with words on them. To place a cup, students must read, spell, and optionally define the word.
• Playdough Words: Engage tactile learners by having them shape playdough into letters to spell out words.

Upper-Elementary Spelling Games

• Word Focus: Encourage students to select a vocabulary or spelling word for in-depth study.
• Roll It: Similar to the lower-elementary version, students take turns rolling dice and responding to prompts about words.
• Trivia Cards: Teams compete to answer questions related to selected words and earn points.
• Comic Strip Worksheet: Foster creativity by having students create comic strips featuring a weekly vocabulary or spelling word.
• Acrostic Poem Worksheet: Challenge students to compose acrostic poems using their weekly words.
• Jigsaw: Divide students into groups, assign words from the list, and have them research and present information about the words in creative ways.
• Word Up: Incorporate vocabulary words into a class read-aloud, with students holding up their word cards when they hear the word in the text.
• Memory Activity: Create pairs of cards with words on one and definitions on the other, and have students play a memory-matching game.
• Bingo Cards: Provide students with Bingo cards and call out definitions for them to mark off words.
• Tic-Tac-Toe Worksheet: Play a word-themed version of Tic-Tac-Toe to reinforce spelling and vocabulary.
• Word Sort: Have students group words into categories and name those categories, promoting word association and organization skills.

These spelling word games cater to different learning styles and offer a refreshing change from traditional spelling lessons. They not only make learning more enjoyable but also enhance retention and understanding of vocabulary and spelling words. Incorporate these games into your lessons and watch your students’ spelling skills improve while having a blast!

For more about spelling games listen to our spelling activities episode of Wife Teacher Mommy: The Podcast.

Want your spelling games done for you? Check out ALL of the fun spelling activities from Wife Teacher Mommy!

From spelling activities for any word list to premade lists with spelling games to holiday spelling activities we’ve got it all plus more!