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Read articleSpelling & grammar
Five spelling games that work better than lists
The quokid team
5 min read
Spelling lists are useful, but copying a word out ten times is one of the least effective ways to learn it. Children remember words they have heard, said, built and used.
1. Say it, cover it, write it
Look at the word, say it out loud, cover it up and write it from memory. Then check. The checking step is where the learning happens.
2. Silly sentences
Put three of this week's words into one ridiculous sentence. "My friend took a school bus to the moon" is far easier to remember than a list.
3. Spot the mistake
Write a word wrong on purpose and let your child correct you. Being the teacher is a powerful way to remember.
4. Letter tiles
Cut up letters from an old magazine and build words on the table. Moving letters around makes patterns easier to see.
5. Listen and spell
Hearing a word in a sentence, then spelling it, is how most spelling tests work. quokid reads every spelling word aloud for exactly this reason.
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