Finger Spelling Hopscotch Game

Are you looking for an easy, no prep way to get kids to practice their spelling words? Try this fun, Finger Spelling Hopscotch game.

From my ebook, Printable Spelling Activities and Games, this simple game gets kids writing and reading their spelling words.

One of the best ways to help kids remember how to spell words is to get them using their words in hands-on and meaningful ways. This means we may need to ditch the traditional practices of teaching spelling and spelling tests for more developmentally appropriate and {dare I say it?} fun ways to learn words.

Note: The link to these free, printable game boards can be found at the END of this post.

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Finger Spelling Hopscotch Game

This spelling game is SO easy to set up. All you need is

• a spelling list {such as sight word lists and/or phonics words}
• a game board {pick from 6 different-looking game boards},
• a pencil,
• a small manipulative for the child to toss,
• and a cookie sheet. {A cookie sheet is optional. I simply use it to keep the manipulative from going off the table area.}

To prep the game board, the child needs to write 10 spelling words into the blanks. Do you have to use sight words? Nope. Words that share a common phonics pattern, like word families, are also a great fit. That’s the beauty of a blank board. Like our Word Bump! spelling games, ANY words will work.

Now comes the fun part! The child tosses the small manipulative onto the board and “finger hops” to the word it has landed on. She reads the word, hops back and does it again.

Yes, it’s that simple! But if you’d like some variations or extensions, check out the ideas below.

Quick Variations:

• If a child has less than 10 spelling words, she can use review spelling words or write a few words more than once on the game board.
• The child can read every word she hops on instead of just the one word each time.
• If you’d like to sneak in a little math, students could also keep a tally mark record of which words the manipulative lands on. This could done on a separate piece of paper or dry erase board.
• Students could switch hopscotch boards with each other after they have used their own board.
• Laminate boards and use a dry erase marker to make them re-usable.

If you’d like more engaging ideas for teaching spelling, I’d encourage you to check out my ebook, Printable Spelling Activities and Games. With over 700 pages of spelling activities and games {more than 60 editable pages}, you’re sure to find that spelling can actually be fun!

More Spelling Fun

• Word Bump! – Spelling games that incorporate math skills and work with ANY spelling list.
• Tic-Tac-Do Spelling Words Choice Board
• Mix n’ Match Spelling Activity Pack
• Word Study Activity Page – extension activities for word sorts

Enjoy teaching!
~Becky