Ways to use this list
- Spelling centres: set Winners to 4 on Monday and set up one table for each activity, then groups rotate through the week.
- Homework menu: spin a new activity for each night, so nobody copies a word five times in a row ever again.
- 1st and 2nd grade: press Grades 1–2 for hands-on ways to practise, like letter tiles and sand trays, which suit CVC words and sight words.
- Friday warm-up: play Spelling Sparkle with the whole class just before the test, using this week's list.
- Pick the words too: spin them on the spelling words generator, then spin here for how to practise them.
- Fast finishers: one spin gives early finishers something useful to do with their word list, without asking you what to do next.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (32 entries)
- Rainbow Writing – write each word in one colour, then trace over it in two more
- Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check – look at the word, say it, cover it, write it from memory, then check
- Air Writing – write each word in the air with a finger, saying each letter
- Spelling Sparkle – a whole-class circle game: one letter each, and "Sparkle" after the last letter
- Word Sort – sort the words by spelling pattern, vowel sound or number of syllables
- Pyramid Words – build each word one letter per line: c, ca, cat
- Sand Tray Spelling – write the words with a finger in a tray of sand or salt
- Letter Tiles – build each word with letter tiles or magnetic letters, then mix and rebuild
- Typing Practice – type each word twice on a computer or tablet
- Ghost Words – write in white crayon, then paint over with watercolour to reveal the words
- Silly Sentences – use three spelling words in one silly sentence
- ABC Order – put the list in alphabetical order
- Vowels in Red – write the words with vowels in one colour and consonants in another
- Make a Word Search – hide your words in a grid for a partner to find
- Partner Quiz – one partner reads a word, the other spells it out loud, then swap
- Clap the Syllables – say and clap each word, then write how many syllables it has
- Scrambled Words – mix up the letters of each word for a partner to unscramble
- Spelling Story – write a short story using as many of the words as you can
- Hidden Words – find smaller words inside each spelling word
- Snowman Spelling – guess the letters of a word; each wrong letter adds to the snowman
- Jump and Spell – jump once for each letter as you spell the word aloud
- Bubble Letters – write each word in big bubble letters and colour them in
- Missing Letters – write the words with blanks for a partner to fill in
- Dictation – write down sentences the teacher reads that use the words
- Word Ladder – change one letter at a time to make a new word
- Memory Trick – invent a saying or a picture to remember the hardest word
- Chalk Spelling – write the words in chalk on the playground or a board
- Rhyme Time – write a rhyming word for each spelling word
- Circle the Tricky Part – circle the part of each word that is hardest to remember
- Cut-Out Letters – spell the words with letters cut from old magazines or newspapers
- Spelling Relay – teams race to the board, each player writing the next letter of the word
- Write It Three Ways – write each word in capitals, in lowercase and in cursive
📖 Related guide: How to pick students at random, fairly
Questions people ask
How do you play Spelling Sparkle?
Students stand in a circle. Say a word: the first student says its first letter, the next says the second, and so on. After the last letter, the next student says "Sparkle" and the student after them sits down. A wrong letter means sitting down too.
What is look, say, cover, write, check?
A simple way to learn a word: look at it carefully, say it aloud, cover it, write it from memory, then uncover it and check. Repeat any word you got wrong. It works at any age and needs only paper.
Which spelling activities help words stick best?
Ones where students write the word from memory and then check it, such as look, say, cover, write, check, partner quizzes and dictation. Sorting words by pattern also helps children spell new words that share the pattern.
Do I need printable worksheets for these activities?
No. Almost every activity needs only paper, pencils and the word list. A few use coloured pencils, letter tiles or a tray of sand, which most classrooms already have.