letter to parents about spelling homework

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Spelling/ Word Work Letter to Parents

by Lynn Hahn | Aug 21, 2017 |

                                                                                                       August 21, 2017

Dear Parents,

Your child brought home their first Words Their Way spelling words. The Words Their Way program teaches students the importance of word study through phonics, vocabulary and the study of word patterns and their meaning.  The main benefit of Words Their Way is that it differentiates instruction, allowing each child to work at their appropriate instructional level.

Your student will been given an initial spelling inventory to help guide us in placing them into a group of words.  Students will begin working with a different group of words each week.  Word work will include sorting their words into categories, and noticing similarities and differences between words that sound alike. They will also write sentences.

Students will continue to have weekly spelling homework, and spelling tests.   Spelling tests will be on Fridays.  For each spelling test, we will ask students to spell a random group of 10 of their words for the week.  The main purpose of these spelling tests will be to help guide each student’s instruction, versus memorization of the words.

Words Their Way focuses less on memorization and more on allowing students to have a more hands-on approach to their learning. The Words Their Way program encourages family support at home.  Weekly homework expectations is below this letter.

I am excited about the opportunity to work with your child using Words Their Way .  If you have any questions about Words Their Way , please feel free to contact me.

Each night of the week your child is expected to do a different activity to ensure that the words on their list and the word pattern of the week is mastered. These activities have been modeled and practiced in school, so your child can teach you how to do them.  One sentence per word is due on Friday.  The sentences should be written in the word work journal.

– Your child will sort their words into categories like the ones we did in school. Your child should read each word aloud during this activity. Ask your child to explain to you why the words are sorted in a particular way; what does the sort reveal about spelling in general? Ask the student to sort them again as fast as possible. You may want to time them.

– Do a “Write Sort”

– Your child should lay down the header (bolded) words or letters to help distinguish each rule.

– Child reads the word out loud and puts into the correct category.

-Adult will check to see if the word is in the correct category.  

– Child will write down the sort in the word work journal.

– Do a “Blind Sort” with your child.

        -Lay down the header (bolded) words to help distinguish each rule.

        -Adult will read the word aloud and the child will point to the category it belongs to. Adult will put down the word after the child has pointed to the correct category and the child will move the word under the appropriate heading.

        -If your child makes an error without seeing the word, show the word and have them sort it, but then try the blind sort again with words that they miss with their initial try.

-Do a “ blind write sort”.

        -Use the list of spelling words from Monday.

        -As you call out the words in a random order, students should write them in      categories, identifying the similarities between the words.

        -Call out any words your child misspells a second or even a third time.

-Do a “Speed Sort” 3 times

– Lay out the headings

– Students sort the words as fast as they can three times

– Write down how long each sort took

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Homework Letter to Parents | Email Templates

As a teacher, communicating with parents about the homework expectations for their children is crucial for fostering a successful learning environment. Crafting a homework letter that is both informative and engaging can be a challenging task. That’s why we’ve created a list of homework letter-to-parents templates that you can use to effectively communicate with parents about the assignments, expectations, and goals for their child’s homework. In this article, we’ll go over the key elements of a successful homework letter, and provide you with a customizable template that you can use for your classroom.

The key elements of an effective homework letter to parents include

• A clear introduction that establishes your purpose and goals for the homework,
• A detailed explanation of the assignments, expectations, and grading policies,
• A schedule outlining when homework is due, and a section dedicated to answering frequently asked questions or addressing concerns.
• Additionally, adding information or resources about how parents can support their child’s learning at home and providing resources for additional support can also be helpful.

These elements will help ensure that parents are well-informed about their child’s homework and can effectively support their child’s academic success.

Example of detailed Homework letter to parents

I hope this email finds you, your child, and in good health. I wanted to take the time to talk about the value of homework and how it may aid in your child’s development as we begin the new school year. I’ve designed a template for a homework letter to parents that I’ll be using this year to assist keep you informed about your child’s homework requirements.

The homework template was created to give you succinct, clear information about the homework assignments, goals, and expectations for your child. It will also include a schedule explaining when homework is due, as well as a part devoted to addressing any worries you might have or frequently asked questions.

I’ll explain how the assignment helps your child learn in the introduction, as well as its purpose and goals. You can have a clear grasp of what is expected of your child by reading the thorough explanation section. This section defines the assignments, expectations, and grading guidelines. You may assist your child manage their time by giving them the due dates as per the timetable area.

I have also included some resources to help your child’s learning at home. You can learn how to support your child’s academic success.

I am aware that parents and students alike may find the topic of homework to be difficult, which is why I am providing this homework letter. I hope that this template will make it easier for you to support your child’s learning by having a clear understanding of the homework expectations.

If you have any questions or concerns about the homework letter to parents template, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am always available to discuss your child’s academic progress and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for your continued support in your child’s education.

Homework letter to parents templates

• Dear parent, This is a reminder that it is your child’s responsibility to bring their homework assignments home. We encourage you to make sure your child has their work ready with them each day so we all spend less time on this task and more time on teaching. Missing homework assignments may result in a lower grade for the assignment or even being taken out points from the report card altogether. Please see attached a list of missing homework assignments from your child’s class.
• Dear Parent, We are writing to inform you that we have not received homework from your child for the following subjects [list]. If we do not receive this assignment by 2024, your child will receive a zero grade on all assignments until the missing homework is submitted. We thank you in advance and appreciate your help with this matter.
• Dear parent, we noticed that your child did not hand in his/her homework. We will do our best to ensure your child does not miss out on learning from this lesson. Please ensure that your child brings home their homework next week. Thank you for your time and cooperation.
• Dear Parent, It is important that your child complete their homework on time each night. Please help them by discussing the importance of homework completion and encouraging it to be done every night. Thank you.
• Dear Parent, It has been brought to our attention that your child has been missing homework. We are asking that you remind your child of the importance of homework. Please ensure it is being completed daily, as this greatly helps your child in the classroom. Thank you for your time and cooperation.
• Dear parents, Please see below a list of your child’s missing homework assignments. Please check if there are any questions you may have and then sign the form at the end. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank You,
• Dear Parent, Your student has not turned in the homework assignment. Please see that they bring it with them tomorrow. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at [number]. Thank you for your time. Sincerely,
• Dear parent, this is our weekly homework reminder. We would appreciate it if you could check and make sure that your children have their homework completed. That way, they will be capable of focusing on school work instead of struggling to complete missing assignments in class. Thank you for your help.
• Dear Parent, your child has been marked absent for missing homework. Please see the attached document for more information.
• Dear Parent, I am sending this email to notify parents that the assignment [name] was not turned in. I hope that the assignment will be returned soon.
• Dear Parent, We noticed that you missed the lesson titled [name] on Monday. This lesson was designed to help your child develop a better understanding of grammar and sentence structure, which are crucial skills to learn as they grow into successful adults. To access this lesson again and complete the homework assignment please visit the link. If you have any questions or concerns during this process please do not hesitate to contact me. 

More Simplestic Templates: 

• Email to parents about academic concerns

Positive Email to Parents from Teacher: 15 Example Emails

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This is a great idea! We use Words Their Way at my school too. The parents don't always understand how the sort works. I think the letters could really help them stay involved. Marie Once Upon a Classroom: A Teacher's Tales

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Inventive Spelling Freebie!

susanjones September 18, 2012 32 Comments

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Reader Interactions

32 comments.

September 18, 2012 at 6:13 am

That is so perfect. I LOVE IT!!! I can't figure out how to edit it but I think I'll just leave your name on it. Maybe my parents will think I'm using inventive spelling for my name (tee hee). Thanks for the post.

Simpson Superstars

September 18, 2012 at 12:31 pm

Stacy!! Thanks for the bloggy love! If you download it through googledocs it SHOULD open as a powerpoint so you can change your name and the date. Let me know if it doesn't work 🙂

September 18, 2012 at 9:13 am

(Whoops I put the wrong html code for my blog, so here is my comment with correct html) I absolutely love that letter! Isn't it funny how you can still read it with that spelling!! BTW I feel your pain about parent night, ours is the same and I am usually a very confident speaker but usually end up saying something about teachers and drinking???? What? I'm sure that somehow the message gets across (; Tania Mrs Poultney's Ponderings

lol! I'm glad it's not just me, Tania! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

September 18, 2012 at 10:03 am

That letter is such a great idea! We're just starting to write more and I'm putting smiley faces on papers that parents may not think are so smiley…due to the spelling! I think I'll be sending this note home with my families this week! Thanks and good luck with BTS Night!

A Pirates Life for Us

September 18, 2012 at 12:33 pm

I know exactly how you feel – I alwayyysss have parents telling me their children can't spell anything and it is such a struggle for them as parents… I just remind them to let it go! This letter has been a help the past couple years, so I hope it helps you too! Thanks for the good luck!

September 18, 2012 at 10:36 am

I love this letter and will definitely be using it. Such a great idea, thanks!

Ѽ Lori Teaching With Love and Laughter [email protected]

Thank you Lori!! 🙂

September 18, 2012 at 12:27 pm

Love the letter! Thanks for sharing! Why do you have to get rid of your kiss your brain jar?

Pixy Stix and Teacher Tricks

September 18, 2012 at 12:35 pm

Our new snack policy is SOSOSO strict and our school could get a huge fine if they see unhealthy snacks in the classroom. I am just going to replace my hershey kisses with stickers or something… they've just been very helpful the past few weeks!

Oh wellllll 🙁

Thanks for stopping by!

September 18, 2012 at 1:38 pm

I have back to school night tomorrow too. AHHH I am also very awkward. Speaking to adults for an extended period of time is just not my thing. Cute letter! Good luck tomorrow! Adventures in Room 5

September 19, 2012 at 1:14 am

Good luck to you too!!! I'm glad I'm not the only one who is awkward!

September 18, 2012 at 3:13 pm

I love this letter!! I might share it tonight since our PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES are already beginning at week 4. Which I think is just a tad bit reeee-diculous!! (I digress)But thanks for sharing 🙂

❤ -Stephanie Falling Into First

September 19, 2012 at 1:15 am

Already?!? whhhhaaat??? That is ridiculous! Ours got moved up too, but not that soon!

September 18, 2012 at 7:59 pm

You letter is GREAT!!! Both it and your post made me laugh out loud – I soooo feel your pain on the awkward parent night jokes. I embarrass myself every. single. year. Oh well.

I LOVE your blog and am thrilled to be a follower! (I just switched all my blog following to Google and am really loving it.)

I would be so honored if you stopped by my blog where my Thirty One giveaway is going on for a few more days… Growing Firsties

September 19, 2012 at 1:18 am

Thanks for stopping by Lisa!! I'll be swinging by yours NOW!

September 19, 2012 at 1:46 am

This is absolutely fantastic. I was giggling the whole time and it is so what parents need to see. What a great way of putting it, friend!!! Hugs 🙂

Kelley Dolling Teacher Idea Factory

September 26, 2012 at 9:52 pm

As an educator & parent,I find this very unprofessional and disappointing. I understand the point of the letter, but think there are better ways to demonstrate the concept. The district in which I work has many residents who are not yet proficient in English. A letter like this would "go over their heads" and possibly confuse them. I believe educators should always project a professional image and this strikes me as trying to be cutesy.

I am not insulting you. I am just expressing a difference of opinion. I am aware there are many ways of looking at things. I certainly appreciate what you are doing!

September 27, 2012 at 5:22 am

As an educator and a parent I think this is a really fun way to show parents how kids are developing. I don't think it is unprofessional at all. Maybe you feel it would be innapropriate for your population of parents, but that does not hold true for everyone.

Corinna Surfin' Through Second

October 12, 2012 at 12:51 am

Your letter Is similar to one that I sent home to parents 20 years ago when I taught kindergarten. I had gone to a workshop where the presenter sent an inventive spelling letter to parents.

November 2, 2012 at 12:45 pm

why can't I understand the "insistints" part? I'd love to send this home to parents but I need to understand that sentence. lol

November 2, 2012 at 12:53 pm

instincts! Lol, I had to ask my friend who wrote it when I first read it too!

March 23, 2013 at 6:55 pm

Oops, the word is "Insistence", not "instincts"! I'll blame auto-correct for this one 🙂

May 27, 2013 at 12:30 pm

Thanks so much for sharing this letter! I'll definitely use it!

May 30, 2013 at 1:54 am

This is GREAT! I use one that is similar every year…love your version, too! Thank you for sharing!

June 6, 2013 at 3:41 am

Where did you get this cute boarder?

May 1, 2014 at 12:21 pm

What a great letter!

I'm a teacher in the Netherlands and I teach the little ones as they're learning how to read and write.

I translated the letter in Dutch (well, invented spelling dutch) and will hand it out to the parents of my new group of kids next year.

June 14, 2014 at 12:40 pm

I love this! What font did you use? I want the date/signature to match the text. (Yes, I am slightly OCD.)

October 28, 2018 at 5:23 pm

This letter is excellent! It’s exactly what I needed for my parents to understand writing phonetically. Thank you so much!

February 19, 2020 at 5:30 am

Susan, you are amazing! Thank you for creating this and especially for sharing it with us. I cannot wait to share it with my parents. I have spoken to them about it but having them read this letter will allow them to see what I mean.

August 8, 2020 at 10:18 pm

This is perfect! Thank you!

August 8, 2020 at 10:20 pm

Awesome! Thanks

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At the start of each term, your child’s class teacher will send you a Curriculum Letter to let you know what your child will be learning during the term. It is a useful start point for you to do some research, support homework or just have a conversation with your child about what they are doing at school. All of the letters will be stored here so you can access them. We have also included your child's up to date Homework Challenge sheet for the term (previous sheets are deleted each September).

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Spelling Homework Ideas 

Use these spelling homework ideas to add variety to your kids' spelling routine. Regardless of their age, most students need to practice, practice, practice their new spelling words, and that can quickly become boring, boring, boring!

To keep your kids engaged in the process, try some of these ideas this week. Don't miss the first half of our list.

Printable list of spelling homework ideas

21. Write a brand-new tall tale that uses 10 of your spelling words.

22. Write a poem using at least 3 of your spelling words.

23. Sort your spelling words using their parts of speech.

24. Type 5 of your words into a word processing program. Use its dictionary to find and copy definitions.

25.  Write the letters of your words in ABC order.  (For example, STUDY would be DSTUY.)

26. Write the words on a piece of graph paper so that every word intersects with another word, if possible.

27. Try to form new words by changing just one letter in each spelling word. Example: load - loaf

28. Try to form new words by adding one letter to each spelling word. (Example study - sturdy)

29. Write a story about your favorite holiday that uses at least 6 spelling words.

30. Write a story about a terrible, awful day that uses at least 6 spelling words.

31. Use building blocks, toys or other items to form your spelling words.

32. Rewrite all your spelling words using a code. Include the code on the page. Ask a family member to solve.

33. Draw a picture for 10 of your spelling words.

34. Make a greeting card for a family member that uses at least 3 of your spelling words.

35. Write 5 sentences so that each one contains a spelling word and a synonym or antonym for the spelling word.

36.  Write sentences using two spelling words in each sentence.

37. Think of a shape that relates to each spelling word. Then try to write the word in that shape.

38. Write a new song to an old tune ( Jingle Bells, Mary Had a Little Lamb, etc.) that uses several of your spelling words.

39.  Write each word 6 times, using a different style of letters each time. (Use cursive letters, block letters, curvy letters, etc.)

40. Write the title of a fictional book for each spelling word.

More Spelling Homework Ideas

Check out our first 20 homework ideas, our spelling word games , and our spelling worksheets for more great practice ideas.

We also recommend the AnyWord Spelling Practice eBooks . The books are full of ideas for lots of spelling practice with any spelling words. The 3 eBooks provide practice with creative writing, word play, and partner games.

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Parent Primer: Spelling

Remember whether "i" comes before or after "e" and other spelling rules..

Wondering what you can do to help your child learn to spell beyond hauling out the dictionary? Well, the dictionary is actually a great start. But there is more to spelling than starting at "aardvark" and drilling to "zucchini." To help you understand some common terms and rules of spelling instruction, we've created this primer so you can help your child's efforts spell s-u-c-c-e-s-s!

Browse through all the spelling tricks, terms, and patterns:

• Spelling Terms
• Basic Spelling Rules
• How to Add Suffixes

Spelling Terms to Know:

• Letter blends — A sound made by the combination of 2 or more letters: "br," "ch," "ow," etc.
• Phonetic analysis — Sounding out words by separating a larger word into the smaller sounds (both vowel and consonant sounds and blends) that make it up.
• Prefix — A unit of letters such as "un," "in," or "mis" which are attached to the beginning of a root word to modify its meaning: sane/insane; able/unable; spelled/misspelled.
• Root word — A word that stands on its own and has meaning but can also be modified with suffixes and prefixes to make new words.
• Suffix — A unit of letters such as "ing," "ness," or "ed," which are attached to a root word to modify its meaning, part of speech, or tense: will/willing; ready/readiness; wait/waited.
• Syllable — Words are made up of chunks of sound or syllables. Each "beat" is one syllable. For example, the words "cat" and "break" have one syllable, "broken" and "diner" have two (bro-ken; di-ner)."Internet" is made up of three syllables: In-ter-net.
• Whole language/inventive spelling — An approach where children are encouraged to create words with little to no concern for correct spelling. The focus instead is on connecting spoken language to writing.

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Basic Spelling Rules:

• I before E — When a word contains an "ee" sound that is spelled with an I and an E, it almost always follows this rule you may remember from your childhood:  I before E except after C . But there are exceptions when the vowel sound created is an "A," which makes the entire mnemonic: I before E except after C, or when sounding in A as in neighbor or weigh.
• Ending words with "ick" vs. "ic" — When a word ends with an "ick" sound, it will be spelled "ick" if the word has one syllable (trick, pick, stick), and "ic" if it has two or more syllables (clinic, sarcastic, panic). Exceptions are almost all cases of two words being combined, such as "candlestick" or "seasick," so if you can separate an "ick" word into two separate words, then it is probably an exception.
• Words ending in "y" - if if there is a consonant before the letter "y," change the "y" to an "ie" before adding an "s": candy/candies; lady/ladies.
• Words ending in "s," "ch," "sh," or "x" - add an "es" to these words: fox/foxes; dress/dresses; wish/wishes; latch/latches.
• Words ending in "f" or "fe" — generally, the plural of these words will end in "ves": life/lives; leaf/leaves. To check if the word in question is an exception, say it out loud. If it retains the "ef" sound when pluralized, it keeps the "f" when spelled: safe /safes; chef/chefs.

When adding a suffix to a word, there are a few simple patterns that will help. 

For words ending in a silent "e":

When the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the "e": like/liking; noise/noisy. (EXCEPT when the word ends with a "ce" or "ge" and you are adding "able" or "ous" to the word. Then you keep the "e": service/serviceable; courage/courageous.) When the suffix begins with a consonant, keep the "e": like/likeness; noise/noiseless; use/useful.

For words ending in "y":

When the "y" is preceded by a consonant, change the "y" to an "i" before adding a suffix: beauty/beautiful; worry/worrisome. (Exception: When the suffix starts with an "i": worry/worrying; cry/crying.) When the "y" is preceded by a consonant, change the "y" to an "i" before adding a suffix: beauty/beautiful; worry/worrisome. (Exception: When the suffix starts with an "i": worry/worrying; cry/crying.) When the "y" is preceded by a vowel, do not change the "y"; just add the suffix: say/saying; turkey/turkeys; enjoy/enjoyment.

Adding suffixes to words ending with a consonant: the rules of doubling

If the word has one syllable and ends in a consonant preceded by one vowel, double the last letter: bed/bedding; drop/dropped; hot/hottest. If the words has one syllable and ends in a consonant preceded by two vowels, then you don't double: feel/feeling; real/realist; void/voided. If the word has one syllable and ends with two consonants in a row, do not double the final consonant: back/backing; wash/washer; crush/crushed. For words with two or more syllables, determine if the last syllable is stressed. If the last syllable is accented, then it follows the same rule as for single-syllable words. If the last syllable is NOT accented, do not double the final consonant.

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30 Spelling Activities for ANY List of Words

• March 6, 2020

We work hard to teach our students the correct way to spell words.  We spend countless hours creating spelling practice activities that are fun and not just writing the word multiple times.  Are you ready to get some of those hours back?!  Take a look at these fabulous EDITABLE Spelling Activities we have created for your students to practice their word lists.

Our Spelling Activities are super simple to use!!!

• Enter your spelling list into the first page of the packet.
• Choose the activities you want to use that week.  (We have 150+ different pages  to choose from!)
• Print those activities.

These spelling activities can be sent home as homework, used in a word work center, or as independent practice. You can find all of our editable spelling activities, (general, seasonal, and holiday-themed) on Education to the Core Premium. Join today as a monthly or annual member for instant access to this resource and thousands more.

* Spelling Activity Line-Up *

1. spelling list.

This is the page where you will type in your spelling words (up to 15 words).  It can be sent home for students to study during the week, as well as for parents to cut apart and use as flashcards.

2. MAGIC WORDS

Write each spelling word in white crayon, then color over with a marker to watch them “magically” appear.

3. ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Write each spelling word in ABC order.

4. RAINBOW SPELLING

5. WRITE A SENTENCE

6. SECRET CODE

7. ROLL A SPELLING WORD

Roll the dice to see which way you are going to practice your spelling words.  Which number did you roll the most?

8. WORD ILLUSTRATIONS

Students choose 4 different spelling words to illustrate. As an extension, can they write a sentence to go with the picture?

9. TRACE WORDS

Practice each word as you trace it with different writing tools.

10. EMOJI SPELLING

11. PATTERN BLOCK SPELLING

12. VOWELS AND CONSONANTS

13. SCRABBLE SPELLING

14. SPIN IT — SPELL IT

15. SPELLING MAZE

16. SPELLING SPIRAL

17. SPELLING WORD SYLLABLES

Students practice separating their spelling words into syllables. Count on fingers, clap your hands, or stomp your feet to see how many syllables are in each word. Then circle the corresponding number.

18. SILLY WRITING

19. PYRAMID SPELLING

20. SPELLING RHYMES

21. SPELLING COLORS

22. WORD SEARCH

For your higher-level kiddos, this word search is great! They write their words either across, down, or as a challenge, diagonal on the grid. Then place random letters among the words. Share with a partner to see if they can find all of your “hidden” words!

23. WORD ART

24. CREATE A STORY

How many spelling words can your students include in a story? Write a short story that makes sense and illustrate it.

25. KEYBOARD WORDS

26. STAMPING SPELLING WORDS

Everybody loves dot markers! Grab a few different colors and stamp your spelling words as you read them.

27. SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

For a more challenging activity, connect spelling practice with vocabulary work by finding a synonym and antonym for each spelling word.

28. SIGN LANGUAGE SPELLING

29. How Many Sounds

30. Tic-Tac-Toe Spelling

Perfect for partner spelling activities. Your students can each take a color and play tic-tac-toe with their spelling words.

At  Education to the Core , we exist to help our teachers build a stronger classroom as they connect with our community to find trusted, state-of-the-art resources designed by teachers for teachers. We aspire to be the world’s leading & most trusted community for educational resources for teachers. We improve the lives of every teacher and learner with the most comprehensive, reliable, and inclusive educational resources.

If you enjoyed what we have to offer at ETTC, be sure to join our  email list , so you won’t miss a beat. We are here to help with all your resource needs. Become a  Premium Member of Education to the Core  and receive immediate access to thousands of printable activities. For one small monthly or annual fee, everything ETTC can be at your fingertips all of the time.

Written By: Janessa Fletcher & Emily Garcia

Welcome! I’m Emily, Founder of Education to the Core. We are all about helping K-2 teachers by providing unlimited access to affordable printables for every subject area.   

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How to help kids with their spelling homework

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Most of us know from experience that some days it can be hard to squeeze in time to help with their homework. Kids are tired, you need to get tea on, or they just don't want to sit still to write down their ABCs.

We've got a few hacks to make spelling a fun and easy thing you can do with them during the day. Why not try out a few of these easy spelling activities from dads and mums?

Games to make spelling homework fun

Game #1: hop it out.

Grab some chalk and play hopscotch together. Add a twist by putting their words into the hopscotch grid.

Game #2: Sneaky spelling

Ask them to draw and colour in a picture, then hide their spelling words inside their picture. Get them to show it to you and see if you can find their hidden words. 

Game #3: Veg words

When you're having tea, see if they can write their words with their veg. What words can your child write?

Game #4: Breaking news

Find a newspaper or magazine and help your child to highlight all the spelling words they can find. What are some interesting words you can find together?

Game #5: Jumping jacks

Set them a challenge: every time someone says their spelling word, they have to do a jumping jack and spell it out loud.

Game #6: Act it out

Get them to spell their spelling words with their body. Some letters are harder than others!

Game #7: Backsies

Get them to trace their spelling words onto your back with their finger. Can you guess what they're trying to spell. Swap roles, and then trace words onto their back. Can they guess what you're spelling?

Game #8: Toy time

When you're playing together, ask them if they can spell out their words with their building blocks or their favourite toys.

Game #9: Magnetic letters

If you have fridge magnets, get them to spell their words on the fridge. Mix up the letters and get them to spell it again. Can they spell it backwards?

Game #10: Flash writing

In a darkened room, ask if they can write out their spelling words in the air using a torch or the light on your phone. If they're not too confident at the start, you could read them out to them first. Swap roles and get them to read the words you're spelling out for them. 

Game #11: Say it with rice

While you're getting dinner on, get out an oven tray and pour some uncooked rice on it. Ask if they can spell their spelling words in the rice. Then when you need to cook the rice, get them to pour the rice into the water. 

Game #12: Ping pong

Throw a ball back and forth between you and say one letter each of their spelling words. You can start with the first couple of letters as they get used to it. Swap places occasionally. You can even get the whole family involved so you all learn the words together!

Game #13: Sing stars

Sing the spelling words to the tune of a favourite song – so for example, if they need to learn to spell the word ‘lovely’,  instead of ‘Jingle Bells’ you could sing “L, O, V, E, L, Y, lovely all the way!”

Game #14: Give me an...A!

Play cheerleaders together and call out the letters for their spelling words. For example, cheer up high for letters that touch up the top handwriting line (e.g. t and l), hands on hips for middle letters (e.g. a and e) and cheer down low for low letters (e.g. y and j). 

Game #15: Dusty words

Go outside to a sandbox or even the beach and write words in the sand with them.

Game #16: Dear Batman...

Keep them busy after school by getting them to write a letter to their favourite superhero, using as many of their spelling words as possible. Tell them it can be as silly as they like.

Game #17: Volcano words

Make volcano words by adding one letter to each line:

V VO VOL VOLC VOLCA VOLCAN VOLCANO

Game #18: SNAP!

Get them to write their spelling words out on to 2 cards. Do the same for other spelling words until you have a pack of cards. Play "snap" together. You can make it a bit more difficult for older children by including words that look similar. 

Game #19: Left & right

Ask them to write their spelling words they way they usually would. Then see if they can write them with their other hand!

Game #20: Spelling flowers

Ask them to draw a picture of a great big flower. Get them to write their spelling words on each of the flower’s petals or leaves. They can draw extra flowers if they run out of room.

Game #21: Play dough spelling

Kids love doing their spelling with play dough! If you don't have any, you can always make your own.  This recipe from the BBC  shows you how.

Top tip: Keep it fun

Don't worry if your child gets the answer wrong when you're doing spelling activities. Let them know it's not a big deal. Try to praise their effort rather than them getting answers right. That way, they'll get more confident at trying to solve things, even if they don't come up with the right answer straight away.

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