In a classroom spelling bee, children take turns spelling words of varying difficulty. If a participant misspells a word, he sits down. The competition continues until only one child remains standing. For a miniature competition, you may want to give the children the list of words beforehand and allow them time to practice memorization.
Present the children with a jumbled collection of letters on a chalkboard. Give each child a piece of paper and pencil, then set a timer. Whoever forms the most words within the time limit is the winner. Alternatively, the children can shout the words aloud while you keep score on the board.
At the beginning of the day, present the children with a new word. Provide them with a definition and an example of how the word works in a sentence. Throughout the day, keep score on how often each child can correctly use the word during conversation. This game works best in a classroom, where discussions are more organized.
Hangman is a classic spelling game that children may enjoy. Draw a simple image of a gallows on a piece of paper or chalkboard. Think of a word and, beneath the gallows, draw blank lines -- a line for every letter of the secret word. The other participants take turns guessing letters to fill the lines. Every time someone guesses incorrectly, draw a body part in the gallows. The goal is for the guessers to figure out the word before the man is hanged. Provide the guessers with hints beforehand.
In this game, one child starts the sentence by offering a single word. With a sentence in mind, the next child adds the next word. The game continues like this until the sentence ends. The child who must end the sentence drops out of the game. This silly game develops sentence structure skills.