There are many ways for your son to practice his spelling words we have listed quite a few of our favorites, or we should say, our students' favorites.   Finding what method works best for your son can be an adventure in itself. Depending on your son's learning style, he may need to hear his words, see them or move while practicing in order to successfully retain them.  To get the full benefit of practicing his words, have your son say the letters as he is practicing writing them.  When he combines an auditory, kinesthetic or a visual activity together while practicing, your son will be totally engaged in the activity and he will have a much better chance of mastering the words.

Although these ideas can be used with any spelling list, including selected words from your son's own writing or words that he currently uses and would like to know how to spell will individualize his list.  So incorporate words your son wants to learn in the games and activities and it will help make the spelling list more relevant. 

If you and your son find another suggestion for practicing spelling – let us know, we'll be happy to put it on the web site.   Also send us pictures of your son doing the activities so we can share your son's successes with others!

Prerequisite for All Spelling Lessons:

Things to Consider:

Suggested ways to Make Cards for the Activities:

• Have him write each of his spelling words, one word per card on 3"x5" index cards or recycled business cards, that will be called group A cards and again much larger on 8 ½ "x11" piece of paper, that will be called group B cards.
• As he writes out his words, double check that the words are written correctly – the last thing you want is for your son to be practicing the word the wrong way.
• Group A cards (on 3"x5" cards or recycled business cards):
• one word per card
• have you son write his spelling words on the back of old business cards or 3"x5" cards and to add more flare to the card see the activity Fabulous Face Flashcards.
• Group B cards (on 8 ½"x 11" paper)
• one word per page
• the words in group B need to be written larger so your son can comfortably trace them with his finger, when he covers them with sand or shaving cream. You may choose to slide the 8 ½"x11" paper into a plastic sheet protector so the word won't get wet and can be used throughout the week.
• Some fun choices when creating the cards, have him:
• write his words is with his favorite color marker
• or select a new color for each word
• group B cards could be typed
• make the font large enough to fill the page in landscape orientation
• change to a different color for each word is always fun for children, although I would suggest sticking with a simple font. Some fonts are fun but may take away from the learning of the words. You want him to focus on the outcome not how cool the font is!
  
  
As he is preparing for the fun ways to practice his spelling words by writing them out, he is practicing! (Sh-h-h don't tell him!)

Informal Assessment: By watching your son, you will see if he is getting frustrated or which words are difficult for him to remember.   If he is getting frustrated with a particular activity, change it or adapt it to better fit his needs or put it away and try something else.  When words are repeatedly misspelled, have your son make an extra card for that word so he can practice it more often. You may want him to carry just that word around in his pocket and every hour have him pull it out and say the word out loud, and spell it to himself or an adult.  Focusing his attention on one word and looking at it throughout the day will help him focus his attention for short bursts of time.

Formal Assessment:  To do a more formal spelling assessment, you can check out the book "Words Their Way" and use the Feature Guide for Primary Spelling Inventory found in their appendix.  The inventory breaks each word down into the sounds and skills that your son needs in order to spell the words correctly. It is an effective tool to use when you're not exactly sure what skills or letter sound combinations that your son is having difficulty with.