The Ultimate Guide to Spelling Practice for Homeschool Kids

Spelling practice doesn’t have to be boring! By tailoring activities to your child’s unique learning style, you can make it both engaging and effective. Below are some creative ways to practice spelling in your homeschool, designed to fit your child’s individual needs. As always, take what works for you and leave what doesn’t. If you want to explore how I teach and practice spelling in our homeschool, you can check out the full post here.

Spelling Practice Ideas for Visual Learners

Visual learners remember words best when they can see and interact with them, so using colorful, hands-on activities can make spelling practice more memorable and fun.

1. Create colorful word posters with pictures.
2. Make flashcards with words on one side and pictures on the other.
3. Use word maps or diagrams to show connections between words.
4. Highlight tricky parts of words with different colors.
5. Use alphabet magnets to build words on a magnetic board.
6. Draw doodles or illustrations to represent each spelling word.
7. Make a “spelling word wall” in the learning area.
8. Use printable worksheets with word searches or crosswords.
9. Write words in different colors or with fun markers.
10. Create a small word scrapbook or journal with drawings and decorated words.

Making Spelling Practice Fun for Auditory Learners

Auditory learners grasp spelling best through listening and speaking, so activities that involve hearing and saying words aloud can help them remember more effectively.

1. Read spelling words out loud daily.
2. Spell words aloud in a “call-and-response” game.
3. Create songs, chants, or rhymes with spelling words.
4. Have children use spelling words in a story and read it aloud.
5. Listen to audio recordings of words being spelled.
6. Dictate words to your child for them to write down.
7. Play spelling bingo with a verbal call-out.
8. Record your child reading words and play it back for practice.
9. Spell words while clapping or tapping a rhythm.
10. Hold verbal spelling bees with family or classmates.

Hands-On Spelling Practice for Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners retain spelling words best through movement and hands-on activities, so incorporating touch and motion can make practice more engaging and memorable.

1. Use letter tiles or magnetic letters to build words.
2. “Write” words in sand, salt, or shaving cream.
3. Spell words by hopping on letters laid out on the floor.
4. Turn spelling practice into a timed relay game.
5. Use sidewalk chalk to write words outside.
6. Mold letters using playdough to form words.
7. Trace words with fingers on a textured surface like sandpaper or fabric.
8. Jump rope or do physical movements while spelling aloud.
9. Write words with finger paint or water on a chalkboard.
10. Build words using blocks or Lego bricks with letters.

Simple Spelling Practice for Read/Write Learners

Read/write learners strengthen their spelling skills through writing and reading, so engaging them with activities that involve creating, organizing, and recording words works best.

1. Copy spelling words multiple times.
2. Write words in a daily journal or story.
3. Create lists of words sorted by patterns or meanings.
4. Take traditional spelling tests.
5. Make a “spelling word challenge” with missing letters to fill in.
6. Make spelling notebooks to track words learned.
7. Write sentences using each spelling word.
8. Write each word in a creative font or style for visual memory.
9. Write a short poem or limerick using spelling words.
10. Make a “word of the day” board and write it in multiple ways.

Mix-and-Match Spelling Practice for Multimodal Learners

Multimodal learners benefit from using a mix of strategies, so combining visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and read/write activities can make spelling practice more engaging and effective.

1. Set up spelling stations: visual, auditory, and hands-on activities.
2. Combine flashcards, writing, and reading aloud in one session.
3. Use interactive apps that mix audio, visual, and writing.
4. Draw, write, and act out spelling words in one project.
5. Make a game that uses cards, spoken clues, and writing.
6. Create a scavenger hunt using spelling words around the house.
7. Use online games with sound, visuals, and typing.
8. Record your child spelling words while drawing or building letters.
9. Make a mini book with illustrations and sentences using spelling words.
10. Pair up with a sibling or friend to practice words in different ways (say it, write it, act it).

Spelling practice can look different for every child, and that’s the beauty of homeschooling we get to make learning fit our kids instead of the other way around. Whether your child thrives on movement, colorful visuals, or classic pen-and-paper practice, there’s no one “right” way to do it.

I’d love to hear how spelling practice looks in your home! Snap a quick photo of an activity you tried this week and share it inside our free online community, In My Homeschool Era. It’s a space where homeschool moms swap ideas, share wins (and struggles), and encourage one another along the way. We’d love to have you join us!