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Taking the time to review spelling Word Cards is an important part of your child’s day, but sometimes it just doesn’t seem “exciting.” But as we all know, review is what makes learning stick. The more kids review what they have learned, the more they will remember.
In fact, regular review is such an important part of learning to spell that every lesson in All About Spelling includes a review of previously taught skills.
As with any daily task, review can get boring at times. And when review begins to feel like drudgery, it can lose its effectiveness.
As a teacher, that’s the last thing you want!
When schoolwork is fun, it is more motivating for kids, but figuring out ways to cultivate fun can seem like more work for Mom and Dad. But in the case of reviewing spelling Word Cards, it may not be as difficult as you think.
We have some pretty amazing moms and dads out there using All About Spelling with their kids, and they have shared some great Word Card review ideas that definitely increase the fun factor of review time. And most of these ideas require minimal effort for parents.
Reviewing Word Cards can get tedious, but you can make spelling review more fun by using Bananagrams® or Scrabble® letters to spell words. It may take a bit longer, but most kids don’t mind the extra time when you can make review seem more like a game.
(Shared by @stefmlayton via Instagram.)
Fidgety kids often benefit from keeping their hands busy as they complete their schoolwork. But with this idea, it’s actually the schoolwork that will keep their hands busy! Have your child practice his spelling Word Cards by threading letter beads onto pipe cleaners to spell the words. It’s perfect for hands-on learners!
Draw rectangles on the driveway or sidewalk with chalk. Have your child “drive” (or skate, ride, walk, hop, etc.) to a rectangle. Read the first word from a stack of review cards, and have your child write the word in the rectangle. Keep “driving” and spelling until you complete the entire stack of Word Cards!
When you spell your words in shaving cream, it’s tons of fun! Just spread a thick layer of shaving cream on a tray or another flat, washable surface. Dictate a word to your child and have her write the word in the shaving cream. After this, your kids might beg to review their Word Cards!
(Shared by @adventures_of_a_healthy_mama via Instagram.)
Just mix a little bit of dish detergent and water and you’ve got the perfect solution for turning a slab of concrete into a writing canvas! “Suds” up your sidewalk, then read your child’s words. Have him finger-write each word on his soapy canvas. The words are easy to “erase,” and your canvas can easily be recharged with a bit more soap and water. (Shared by Shawna at Not the Former Things.)
Grab an old typewriter at a yard sale or resale shop and let your vintage spelling review session begin! You read the words and your child types them. And as an added bonus, when your child is done with the review session, she’ll have her very own study sheet to take with her!
What do you do when your child is hungry but you’re still in the middle of a spelling lesson? You grab a box of alphabet cereal and keep right on going! Read a word from your child’s Word Cards and have him spell the word with cereal letters. If he spells the word correctly, he gets to eat the letters. If he spells it incorrectly, mom gets to eat them. Now that’s some tasty motivation!
Take advantage of your child’s interest in electronics, and break out the tablet during spelling review. Read the words from your child’s Word Cards and let him type the words on the tablet. He’ll get some great review time in, but as an added bonus, he’ll get a bit of extra typing practice too!
(Shared by @craftynotcreative via Instagram.)
Make spelling review colorful with rainbow scratch-off paper! You can easily create your own scratch-off paper at home. Cover white card stock with fun, colorful patterns using wax crayons then paint the entire page with black acrylic paint. Grab a wooden stick or toothpick and start spelling! This project can double as spelling AND art class if you let your child do the creating!
Pour some salt or sand in a shallow pan to create a fun sensory spelling tray! Your child can write his spelling words using his finger, a wooden stick, or a pencil. Want to take your sensory tray to a whole new level? Add some color and fragrance! With some creativity, you can combine different extracts for aromatic results. Sniff out 10 scented salt tray recipes in this free download.
Be sure to check out our Something Fishy review book! It includes 16 full-color activities, designed to help students review reading and spelling words in fun and engaging ways.
And if you’re looking for similar ideas to use when reviewing your child’s reading Word Cards, check out 12 Great Ways to Review Reading Word Cards.
Karlyn
says:Are the flash cards from the black/white version interchangeable with the color version flash cards?
I have the old flashcards for the b/w version of level 1 and level 2……..then last year I bought new student activity books for color versions of level 1 and level 2, but unfortunately I found out the teacher manuals are not compatible.
So this year I am buying both level 1 and level 2 teacher manuals, but since I have new student activity books (the color versions)……. I cannot seem to find anywhere that I can just possibly get new flashcards if I need new flashcards separately.
I am not wanting to buy duplicate student activity books for $26.95 each. I don’t need that extra duplicate stuff.
Can you just please tell me if the old flashcards will work with the color versions because if so, then, I am completely all set, once I get my new two Teacher manuals for Level 1 and Level 2.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceKarlyn,
Please call our office at 715-477-1976. They will be able to help you purchase the flashcards without the Activity Books.
The First Edition (black-and-white) flashcards are not interchangeable with the Color Edition.
The biggest difference is that the Rule Cards (formerly “Key Cards”) for all levels have been completely rewritten to be easier to memorize, and there are a different number of them in each level. Word Cards were added, some have been moved to different lessons or levels, and many words were removed. The Phonogram and Sound Cards are often introduced in different orders between the editions, and there have been more significant changes to some of the Sound Cards. All the cards now say “Spelling” on them, so it’s easier to differentiate between spelling and reading cards, and the edition is also listed.
Again, call the office and they will be able to help you.
Jennifer
says:Thank you for these creative ideas – my son has enjoyed typing words on a keyboard into a word processor!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Jennifer! Great to hear typing words has been a good review activity for your son.
Nicki
says:Using bananagrams for review is such a good idea! I think we will give it a try!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI hope you have a lot of fun with it, Nicki!
Chae
says:Great ideas! Sometimes we can get so focused on the books we forget we can incorporate these lessons in daily life.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad these ideas will be helpful, Chae!
Jessica Friday
says:So many great ideas! Will have to write a few of them down to keep in my “toolbox” of ideas for fun review!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceMaking note of these review activities is a great idea, Jessica! Thank you.
Joel
says:spelling can be fun
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYes, we agree, Joel!
Nikki Bragg
says:What great ideas! Will have to remember a few of these when my guy starts spelling. Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Nikki!
Amanda
says:Great to have all of these suggestions in one place!! Especially liked the readers’ suggestions, Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Amanda! Glad you like the ideas!
Simona
says:my kids loves these tiles apps with letters sounds and group of. engaging way of learning nowadays
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Simona.
Simona
says:❤️
Elizabeth H.
says:So many creative ideas!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Elizabeth!
S.
says:Thanks for the ideas! We love our flash cards!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome!
Carrie
says:These are great ideas. My kids get sick of letter tiles which is what I usually use.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI hope your kids enjoy these review ideas, Carrie!
Beth
says:Great suggestions.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Beth!
Tracey Mitchell
says:I appreciate these suggestions! Probably my favorite is putting the letter beads on a pipe cleaner
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThe letter beads sure is a fun activity, Tracey!
Bethoel
says:Appreciate the ideas! My child’s favorites are the salt tray and dry erase marker on the window.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceBethoel,
Thank you for letting us know that your child enjoys the salt tray and markers on the window ideas! It’s great to hear that our recommendations are child-approved!
Isabel
says:Your program sounds great, I understand now why kids can`t spell properly although we ;earn them daily.
thank you so much!
Isabel
Catherine
says:Appreciate the ideas! My child’s favorites are the salt tray and dry erase marker on the window.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m pleased to hear some of these ideas are a hit with your child, Catherine. Thank you!
Stacy Warden
says:Do you have a printable of all of the spelling rules taught (i.e. the doubling rule, the i before e rule, Floss rule, etc. I am looking for a compilation of these things in one sheet so that my student can refer to them. Do you have anything like this already? I thought I would ask before I decide to make my own. Thanks for your help!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceStacy,
I’m sorry, we don’t have a one-page list of all of the spelling rules, but we do have a beginning list on this Spelling Rules page, and some downloadable spelling rules posters.
I’ll pass your suggestion for a compilation list of spelling rules on to our development team for consideration!
We recommend using the blue Key Cards to help your student review consistently and commit the rules to memory. Most of the other rules are on handouts (the Silent E book, Syllable Division Rules, etc.), so you’ll want to keep those handy too. For the Key Cards, I reviewed all of the mastered cards at least monthly to make sure they were staying fresh in my kids’ minds. If they forgot one, I put it back in daily review for a time. It’s pretty fast to review them, and they’re more likely to remember to use them when they are committed to memory.
I hope this helps some.
Tara
says:Love these ideas!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThanks, Tara!
Kelley Christie
says:We love getting tips like this. They are simple and easy to implement. We especially love the tip: Dry erase on mirrors and hosting a spelling bee with all of our stuffed animals (beanie boo’s in this house!) ha. Great tips and ideas.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThe spelling bee with all the stuffed animals was a huge hit in my house, Kelley! My daughter loved it and reviewed far longer than she would have if her fluffy friends were not involved.
Julia
says:I love these ideas! We’ll definitely be using some this summer to review words while we’re in between levels.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this will be helpful for you this summer, Julia!
Jessica
says:Love the ideas
Lynsi Van aller
says:Love these ideas. So many fun ones.
Amanda
says:These are such fun ideas!
Sarah
says:These are such good ideas! Thanks.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Sarah!
Jodi Reel
says:So many great ideas! My son loves the shaving cream.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceShaving cream is a really fun way to review!
Kate Kidd
says:I’m so glad this is here, I was wondering what these cards could be used for and how to use them when we aren’t doing a program. This blog is very helpful!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was helpful, Kate! We also have a similar blog post for using the cards for reading review, 12 Great Ways to Review Reading Word Cards
Krystal
says:So many fun ideas!
Teresa
says:These are great suggestions. I’m looking forward to trying them with my two boys.
Sonia
says:Awesome