Want to Make Spelling Fun?
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My youngest daughter was a late reader, so instead of forcing it, I found some games to help her practice (and prepare for) reading and spelling.
It is often advised to introduce spelling after your child has started reading, because these are two very different skills and reading often needs to come first.
When my daughter was ready to read, it finally “clicked” - this happens at different ages for different kids, so try not to feel too concerned if your child isn’t reading by age 5. I personally started reading at age 2, but my kids read at 5, 6, and 8.
Spelling was much more difficult for my kids to learn, so I found games and other supplements that really helped them grasp the concepts.
We’ve listed some game ideas below.
20 Spelling Game Ideas
Lily Pond (highlighted below)
- Ages: 4+
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Foundational Reading Skills
- Ages: 5+
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Letter-Matching
- Ages: 6+
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Vowels
- Ages: 7+
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Consonants, Vowels, Vocabulary
- Ages: 8+
- Players: 2-8
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Quick Thinking
- Ages: 8+
- Players: 2-5
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Vocabulary
- Ages: 8+
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Vocabulary
- Ages: 8+
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Vocabulary, Quick Thinking
- Ages: 8+
- Players: 3-8
- Skills Practiced: Word Association, Vocabulary
- Ages: 8+
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Word Building, Spelling
Humerry Matching Letter Game
- Ages: 3+
- Players: 1-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Letter Matching, Responsiveness
Word Pizza
- Ages: 4-6
- Players: 1-2
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Vocabulary
My First Bananagrams
- Ages: 4+
- Players: 1-2
- Skills Practiced: Word Building
That's a Word!
- Ages: 4-8
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Word Recognition, Memory
Spelligator
- Ages: 5+
- Players: 2-4
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Word Building
Zingo Word Builder
- Ages: 5+
- Players: 2-6
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Word Building
Wordplay for Kids
- Ages: 6+
- Players: 2+
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Word Building
Shenanigrams
- Ages: 8+
- Players: 2-6
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Word Building
Word Spin
- Ages: 8+
- Players: 2+
- Skills Practiced: Word Building
Yell Spell
- Ages: 14+
- Players: 2-6
- Skills Practiced: Spelling, Word Building
Lily Pond
In Lily Pond, players hop their frog around the pond to collect letters and spell the words on their cards.
Subject: Spelling
Ages: 4+
Number of Players: 2-4
Skills Practiced: Spelling, Foundational Reading Skills
Game Components:
- Bulky, plastic frogs
- Bulky wooden die
- Thick, sturdy cardboard lily pads
- Thick, sturdy cardboard circular gameboard (folds in half)
Gameplay
Step 1: Deal out word cards
Give each player three cards
A 3-letter word
A 4-letter word
A 5-letter word
Step 2: Place your lily pad marker
- Place your lily pad marker underneath the first letter of your first word.
- This is the first letter you will find on the board.
- Your marker helps you keep track of which letter you’re looking for.
- Your lily pad marker matches the color of your frog.
Step 3: Find your first letter
Roll the die.
- Hop around the board and try to land on or pass by the first letter on your card.
Step 4: Move your marker to the next letter
After you find your first letter, move your lily pad marker to the next letter in your word.
Step 5: Find your next letter
Roll the die, and head towards your next letter.
Try to land on, or pass through, the letter.
Step 6: Flip over completed words
- When you complete a word, flip the card over, and move onto the next word.
- Continue playing until you have completed all 3 of your words.
You can find more modifications for special needs and autism on the game description page.
Why we love this game:
The illustrations are beautiful and the frogs are adorable. We love how big and clunky the frogs and die are - perfect for little hands to grab.
It’s a simple gameplay and can be played by many ages. We also love how all the vowels are highlighted in yellow on the cards and on the gameboard.
See Lily Pond in Action
Looking for a simpler spelling game? Try Rooby’s ABCs or Alphabet Woods.
Where to Find It
You can find Lily Pond here!
Gameschooling Tips for Spelling
Oftentimes, kids don’t realize they’re learning while playing games. To them, it’s just a fun game. But we know that they are learning patience, critical thinking, problem solving, and so much more.
Spelling games in particular offer a chance to reinforce letter recognition, letter sounds, and spelling patterns.
Our Advice:
- Adapt the game to suit your child’s level
- When spelling errors happen, correct gently
- Celebrate progress and effort, not only correctly spelled words
- Repetition. The more you play, the more the spelling of words will stick
Fun Extras
