Head outside to practice the weekly spelling test words. Let the kids spell the words on the sidewalk or driveway, with outdoor chalk, as you call out each one. Avoid the distraction of neighborhood children by handing out extra chalk and inviting them to join you. Use Scrabble letters or alphabet magnets to keep spelling practice interesting, when the weather prevents an outdoor endeavor.
Grab a basketball and play a variation of the shooting game “Horse.” Select a word from the list, and let the first player choose a spot anywhere on the court to make a shot. Take turns, giving each player one chance to make the same shot. Assign the first letter of the word to anyone who misses the shot. Continue until all but one player have completely spelled the word. Play another round with a different word from the list.
Create a baseball field in an open room or your yard. Use a blank piece of paper to designate each of the three bases, the pitcher's mound and home plate. Stand at the pitcher's mound and call out a word to the batter, who advances a base for each word spelled correctly or receives an out for a misspelled word. Continue with words from the list until the batter reaches home plate, and score one for each run.
Include the whole family in a game of charades, to develop familiarity with each week's words. Have your child write each of the words on index cards or small pieces of paper. Fold each card in half and place them in a large bowl. Divide everyone into teams of at least two people. Take turns choosing a word and acting it out. Score one point each time a team successfully guesses the correct word.
Build typing skills and computer literacy by practicing the spelling words on the computer. Be sure to turn off the spell checking function, if you are using a word processing program equipped with this feature. Check with your child’s teacher to find out if she recommends an online program for practicing weekly spelling words.
Use graph paper to create a word search containing the weekly spelling words. Draw a square on the graph paper, and write each of the words horizontally and vertically within the square. Fill in the empty boxes with any letters you choose. Have your child use the spelling list to find and circle each word.