How-To: Practicing Words at Home

By far the most straightforward way to practice reading and spelling words is to read it, write it (spell it out loud so you can HEAR the letters while you write them and see them), read what you wrote, cover and check you know how to spell it by writing it again.  Practicing on a burrito-folded piece of paper allows students to check their own work, and take charge of their own education.

However, there are many ways to practice words, and here are some of them:

• Write in the steamed up mirror after shower/bath time
• Write on windows in cars or at home with a dry erase marker or window marker
• Write in sidewalk chalk outside (or inside on carpet--if it's short carpet, it vacuums right up!)
• Write in salt or flour on a cookie sheet
• Make and practice with flash cards 
• Write and read sentences with the words
• Have a spelling bee in the car
• Practice typing on a computer, then print them out and read them
• Use Scrabble or Scrabble Jr tiles or similar to spell them out

Flash card games:

Memory: 

Print/make two of the same sets of flash cards (I would start with a total of only 16-20 cards, otherwise it gets pretty overwhelming).  Mix them up and lay them face down in an array.  Take turns turning over two.  Read each word out loud.  If they match, you get to keep them and go again.  If they do not match, turn them back over and it's your opponent's turn.  Whoever has the most sets of words they can read at the end wins!

Go Fish:

Again, print two sets of the same flash cards (this time, I'd say maybe 30 total cards to start).  Deal five cards to each player.  Take turns asking other players if they have a certain word.  If they do, you get to keep it.  If they do not, you go fish.  Whoever has the most sets of words they can read at the end wins!

52 Card Pickup:

You don't need 52 flash cards for this one, but you do need one person to be in charge and at least two people who like to scramble and practice reading!  Toss the flash cards in the air, and the scramblers pick up ONE flash card at a time, take it to the person in charge, read it, and then go get another.  It is a race to pick them all up!

Here are some online resources that may come in handy practicing reading and spelling words:

High-frequency words, with printable flash cards at the end (.pdf)

More, similar printable flash cards.

More printable flash cards (all the way up to third grade!).

Pen-and-paper games:

These are fun games to play while you are quietly waiting, like at a restaurant or doctor's office. 

Crossword:  

Take turns writing words that connect through shared letters.  It might be handy to have a list of words to work from.

Hangman:

I'm sure you've got this one!

Scattergories:

Write as many words as you can think of that fit a predetermined category:  rhymes with ___; starts with ___; ends with ____; nouns that are places; etc.  You might work with your child to make the list, and then take turns reading back the whole list.