Account
Contact
Search 
214

10 Great Ways to Review Spelling Word Cards

All About Spelling word card Review Box

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.

10 Great Ways to Review Spelling Word Cards

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.

Boy spelling with letter tiles

Spell with Letter Tiles

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.)

Letter beads threaded on pipe cleaner

Work on Spelling and Fine Motor Skills

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!

Car on sidewalk with chalk

Take Your Spelling for a Drive

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!

Girl writing word in shaving cream

Make It Fun!

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.)

Word written in soap suds on sidewalk

Write on the Sidewalk (with a twist!)

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.)

Child using typewriter

Go “Old School”

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!

Child spelling with alphabet cereal

Motivate with Alphabet Cereal

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!

Young boy watching tablet

Reward with Screen Time

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.)

Practice Spelling Words with Scratch-Off Paper

Use Scratch-Off Paper

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!

Practice Spelling Words with Salt Trays

Create a Sensory Spelling Tray

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.

Want More?

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.

New call-to-action

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.

Spelling Review Tips Recommended by Our Readers

  • Say a word. Have your child repeat the word and then run across the room to the white board. Have him spell the word, then run back for the next word. (Recommended by Jenny H.)
  • Spell words in a plate or pan full of rice. (Shared by @studioregency on Instagram)
  • Say a word. Have your child repeat the word and spell it on the white board. If he spells it correctly, he gets to draw an illustration for the word. (Recommended by @niconicolita on Instagram)
  • Play hopscotch with your spelling words. Add letters to each square and have your child hop to each letter as she spells the word out loud. (Recommended by Suzanne W. via Facebook)
  • Give your child a word. Let him write it on a window using a Crayola washable marker or Expo dry erase marker. (Recommended by Tracy via blog comment)
  • Host a spelling bee . . . with stuffed animals! (Recommended by K. Smith via blog comment)
  • Play spelling tic-tac-toe. If your child spells their word correctly they get to claim a space. If they misspell it, the other person can steal the space by correctly spelling the word. (Recommended by Jeanine via blog comment.)
  • To recreate the experience of typing on a real typewriter, use the Hanx Writer iPad app. And here's one that's available for Android. (Recommended by Kristen via blog comment)
  • Play "word jumbles." Write all the letters for the word then have your child put them in the correct order. (Recommended by Michelle via blog comment)
  • Use a dry erase marker on the bathroom mirror. Review spelling words after brushing teeth in the morning and leave them on the mirror all day. (Recommended by Robin R. via blog comment)
  • Make a “road” of upside-down Word Cards. Roll the dice and drive a little car (or another type of marker) down the appropriate number of cards. Mom turns over the card and reads the word and child spells the word. If spelled correctly, the card is placed right-side up. Keep going until all the cards have been spelled correctly. (Recommended by Linda via blog comment)
  • For a physical activity I would create a maze of letters on my tile floor. The kids had to spell the words by stepping on the letters to get through the maze. (Recommended by Cindy S. via Facebook)

Share This:

< Previous Post  Next Post >

Leave a Reply

Jennifer

says:

Thank you for these creative ideas – my son has enjoyed typing words on a keyboard into a word processor!

Robin

says: Customer Service

You’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 Service

I 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 Service

I’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 Service

Making note of these review activities is a great idea, Jessica! Thank you.

Joel

says:

spelling can be fun

Robin

says: Customer Service

Yes, 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 Service

You’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 Service

Thank 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 Service

Thank you, Simona.

Simona

says:

❤️

Elizabeth H.

says:

So many creative ideas!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Thank you, Elizabeth!

S.

says:

Thanks for the ideas! We love our flash cards!

Robin

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome!

Carrie

says:

These are great ideas. My kids get sick of letter tiles which is what I usually use.

Robin

says: Customer Service

I hope your kids enjoy these review ideas, Carrie!

Beth

says:

Great suggestions.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Thank you, Beth!

Tracey Mitchell

says:

I appreciate these suggestions! Probably my favorite is putting the letter beads on a pipe cleaner

Robin

says: Customer Service

The 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 Service

Bethoel,
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 Service

I’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 Service

Stacy,
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 Service

Thanks, 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 Service

The 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 Service

I’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 Service

You’re welcome, Sarah!

Jodi Reel

says:

So many great ideas! My son loves the shaving cream.

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Shaving 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 Service

I’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

Marina

says:

AAR is fun and easy to teach!