35 Fun Spelling Activities for Early Elementary Kids

Add some fun to spelling practice with these active and imaginative ideas for children in kindergarten and first and second grades. 

Kids and adults can agree that practicing spelling words gets better when it’s fun! These spelling practice activities work for any spelling list (use ours below) and include creative and active hands-on ideas to engage children in kindergarten through second grade. For more insights on helping your child grow their spelling skills, check out our How to Teach Spelling to Kids article, which highlights the importance of phonics (and other skills) in spelling. 

Use these spelling lists with these activities:

CVC Word Lists

Kindergarten Spelling Words

First Grade Spelling Words

Second Grade Spelling Words

1. Compose a Spelling Word Story

Tell a story aloud that includes words from your chosen spelling list. When you come to one of the words, stop and spell it out before continuing the story.

2. Draw the Word

Play spelling word pictionary! Take turns drawing a picture that represents one of the spelling words. When the other player guesses it, they must also spell it correctly to get the point.

3. Turn Spelling Words into Art

Write the letters of each word creatively, using bubble or block letters, fancy writing, or other fun designs. You can also use the words for inspiration. For example, if the word is “garden,” draw each letter as a flower or a vine covered in leaves.

4. Make Sidewalk Chalk Words

Grab the sidewalk chalk and head outside to write spelling words on the sidewalk or driveway. Decorate them with fun designs, too! Or, write words in squares or circles and jump from one to the next, stopping to spell each one as you land.

5. Wear Your Spelling Words

String letter beads on pipe cleaners or yarn and wear them as bracelets. Kids can look at them frequently to help them stick and slide the letters along while saying them out loud to practice.

6. Create Disappearing Words

Show your child how to write their spelling words with lemon juice on a piece of paper. Once it’s dry, hold the paper up to a heat source like a lightbulb and watch the letters reappear like magic.

7. Glitter Glue the Words

Let kids use glitter glue to write their spelling words, then hang them around the house for a quick and sparkling refresher every time they pass by.

8. Sing a Spelling Word Song

Sing your spelling words! Take any song you like and fit the letters into the tune and rhythm. This is a fun and surprisingly effective way to help children remember new information.

9. Play Spelling Secret Agent

How do agents keep their secrets safe? With a code! Develop a substitution code for the letters of the alphabet. This could be numbers, icons, emojis, or even the patterns of Morse Code. Translate each spelling word using the code, then see if kids can figure them all out.

10. Write in the Air

Use your finger to write words in the air as you spell them out. The physical activity engages a separate part of the brain, which can help aid children in remembering the correct spelling.

11. Bounce and Spell

Choose a ball of any size, and spell out a word with one letter per bounce. Kids can do this on their own or take turns bouncing and saying a letter with a partner or group.

12. Run a Spelling Word Relay

Place a bucket of alphabet magnets or beads at one end of the room and line kids up at the other. Call out a spelling word and say “GO!” Each player races to the bucket and grabs the first letter of the word, then brings it back to the start. The next player takes their turn, grabbing the next letter, etc. Kids can race in teams or just have fun running back and forth on their own collecting one letter at a time.

13. Climb and Spell

Start at the bottom of a flight of stairs and climb one step as you say each letter of a spelling word. If you run out of steps for a word, turn around and go back down until you finish.

14. Dig Up Words

Bury letter magnets in a sandbox (or a big container of sand), then let kids dig them up and lay them out to spell the words on their list.

15. Trace Words in Shaving Cream

Spread a thin layer of shaving cream on a table or desk. Then, have your child use their finger to write out their spelling words. 

16. Use Letter Magnets

Kids never really outgrow their love of letter magnets, so use them for spelling practice instead of having them write the words out.

17. Find Words in Real Life

Look for spelling words in the world around you! They could be on street signs or store labels or in the books, magazines, or web articles you read. Keep track of which ones appear more frequently.

18. Assemble Words with Stones

Gather up small stones and pebbles and write individual letters on them with a dry erase marker. Kids then find and arrange the pebbles in the correct order to spell out words. 

19. Spell With Alphabet Pasta

Pick up some dried alphabet pasta at the grocery store, and use it to form spelling words. If you like, kids can glue them down and add some glitter for a bit of spelling word art!

20. Try Sticky Note Spelling

Write letters on sticky notes and scatter them around the room. Then, say a spelling word and see how quickly your child can find the letters to spell the word.

21. Clip Clothespin Letters

Write a letter on the clip end of a set of clothespins. Then, clip the pins to the edge of a ruler to spell out each word.

22. Spell With Playdough Letters

Roll playdough into snakes, then form the snakes into the letters of each spelling word. You can also roll playdough flat, then stamp it with letter stamps, magnets, or beads.

23. Pull Out the Scrabble Tiles

Combine spelling with math for this clever spelling activity. First, find the tiles you need to spell out each word. Then, add up the points on each letter to see which word “scores” the most.

24. Write the Rainbow

Writing spelling words repeatedly can help with remembering them, but it can also get a little boring. Make this spelling activity more enjoyable by changing up your crayon, colored pencil, or marker for each word or letter. 

25. Alphabetize Spelling Words

Writing out spelling words in alphabetical order forces kids to think about the next letter in sequence, which can help them commit them to memory.

26. Use Them in a Sentence

This is one of those classic spelling activities: using the word in a sentence. It ensures kids learn the meaning and correct usage of each word too.

27. Digital Spelling Games

ABCmouse includes access to hundreds of educational games, including spelling games. For example, in the game Zoo Signs, children must use their spelling skills to help reassemble broken zoo signs. Please note that many ABCmouse games require a subscription to play. Check out our free-to-play games here. 

28. Look for Rhymes

Make a list of words that rhyme with the ones on the spelling list. Take a closer look to see if they’re all spelled with the same ending or if they use different letter combinations to make the same sounds. Feeling creative? Use the words to write a rhyming poem.

29. Type the Words

Typing is an incredibly important skill to develop, even for young students. Open a blank document and ask them to type out each word as you read it. You can do this on a traditional keyboard or use a tablet or smartphone screen instead. (Be sure to show them how to use the Delete key!)

30. Color Code the Words

Try writing spelling words with consonants in one color and vowels in another. For example, in the word “apple,” you might make the “a” and “e” green, while the other letters are red.

31. Hang a Word Wall

Choose a wall or object your child frequently walks by (the front of the fridge or a bathroom mirror can be ideal). Write each word on a notecard and hang it on the wall. Each time they see the words, encourage kids to take a minute or two to say the word aloud and spell it as they walk by.

32. ABCmouse Spelling Worksheets

ABCmouse offers a variety of free printable spelling worksheets designed to help children in kindergarten and first grade practice key spelling skills like silent letters, letter blends, and more. These worksheets provide engaging activities that reinforce spelling patterns and can be easily incorporated into your child’s learning routine. Explore the full collection of worksheets here.

33. Solve a Word Scramble

Mix up the letters of a word and see how quickly your child can unscramble them. You can do this on paper or with a handful of alphabet magnets or beads. Want to increase the challenge? Include one “extra” letter in each scramble that won’t be used in the final word.

34. Develop a Word Search

It’s actually pretty easy to make a word search, especially if you use graph paper. Simply write your words out, one letter in each square. You can write them across, down, diagonally, or even backwards. Then, fill in the rest of the puzzle with random letters. Now it’s ready to solve! You can make these for your child or they can have a go at creating their own for their friends to solve instead.

35. Craft a Crossword Puzzle

Crossword puzzles can be a little more challenging to create, since the goal is to have words overlap in multiple places. Still, graph paper can make the process a bit easier. Once the words are in place, number the squares and develop the clues for each one. Finally, make a blank version of the grid for your player to solve.

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