Memorizing spelling words can be challenging for students, and often, the words are forgotten soon after a test. Classroom games offer an engaging and effective way to reinforce spelling and improve retention. Incorporating these classroom activities into weekly lessons can make learning fun and help students learn to spell while developing good study habits.

Spelling Word Relay

Spelling Word Relay is a competitive and fast-paced game perfect for all ages. It encourages quick thinking and collaborative problem-solving.

  • How to Play:
    1. Divide students into two teams.
    2. Each team lines up as they would for a relay race.
    3. The teacher writes a starting word on the board for each team.
    4. The first player on each team races to the board and writes a new spelling word. This word must begin with the last letter of the previous word.
    5. For example, if the starting word is “clock,” the next word must begin with “k” (e.g., “knock”).
    6. If a word cannot be found for the last letter, the student can use the second-to-last letter of the previous word instead.
    7. Once a player writes their word, they pass the marker to the next teammate.
    8. The first team to have all members complete their turn wins.

Sink and Spell

Similar to the classic game Battleship, Sink and Spell is a partner-based game that reinforces spelling words in a strategic way.

  • How to Play:
    1. Pair students together and give each a sheet of grid paper.
    2. Students draw a grid with letters along the top and numbers down the side.
    3. Each student secretly writes five of their spelling words within the boxes on their grid.
    4. Players take turns calling out coordinates (e.g., “A5”).
    5. If a player calls a box that contains a letter from a word, it’s a “hit.” If not, it’s a “miss.”
    6. The goal is to be the first player to correctly guess the location of all five of their partner’s spelling words.

Spelling Squares (Tic-Tac-Toe)

This game adapts the classic Tic-Tac-Toe to create a fun, interactive spelling challenge for pairs.

  • How to Play:
    1. Divide students into teams of two.
    2. Provide each pair with their list of spelling words and a Tic-Tac-Toe board.
    3. Player 1 draws a card from their spelling word deck and reads the word aloud.
    4. Player 2 attempts to learn to spell the word correctly.
    5. If Player 2 spells the word correctly, they get to place an “X” or “O” on the board.
    6. If the word is spelled incorrectly, they lose their turn and cannot place a mark.
    7. Players continue to take turns until one person achieves three marks in a row.

Spelling Boom!

Spelling Boom! is a high-energy game that can be played with a partner, or in a small or large group, offering a unique risk-reward dynamic.

  • How to Play:
    1. Write spelling words on popsicle sticks or small index cards.
    2. Write the word “Boom” on a few of the sticks.
    3. Place all the sticks in a cup or container.
    4. Players take turns blindly drawing a stick.
    5. They must correctly spell the word on the stick to keep it. If they are wrong, the stick is returned to the cup.
    6. If a player draws a “Boom” stick, they must return all of their collected sticks to the cup.
    7. The person with the most sticks at the end of the game wins.

Word Jump

Word Jump gets students moving and thinking on their feet by connecting physical action with spelling recognition.

  • How to Play:
    1. Write a few spelling words on separate pieces of paper and place them on the floor.
    2. The teacher calls out a spelling word (e.g., “fox”).
    3. Students race to be the first to jump on the correct word.
    4. This can be played with individual students or in teams.

Hangman

This classic game is a fun way to practice spelling and reinforce phonics. It can be played with a partner or in small groups.

  • How to Play:
    1. One player thinks of a spelling word and draws a series of blank lines representing the letters.
    2. They also draw a gallows for the hangman figure.
    3. The other players take turns guessing letters.
    4. If a guessed letter is in the word, the first player writes it on all the correct blank lines.
    5. If the guessed letter is not in the word, the first player draws one part of the hangman figure.
    6. The game ends when the word is correctly guessed or the hangman is fully drawn.

Spelling Scavenger Hunt

This game is a fun way to get students active while they practice spelling. It works best with a large open space.

  • How to Play:
    1. Write spelling words on small pieces of paper and hide them around the classroom or schoolyard.
    2. Give students a list of the words they need to find.
    3. Students then go on a scavenger hunt to find the hidden words.
    4. Once a student finds a word, they must correctly spell it aloud to a teacher or another student before they can collect it.
    5. The first student or team to find and correctly spell all the words on their list wins.

Incorporating a variety of these classroom games into your weekly routine can transform spelling lessons from a chore into something students genuinely look forward to. Classroom activities like these provide a fun, engaging, and highly effective way to reinforce learning.

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*Updated September 2025