Planning for and making learning hands-on for kids does require some prep work. It isn’t as easy as ripping out a workbook page and plopping it down in front of your child. But I’d also “argue” that hands-on learning is typically more meaningful, makes more connections with the child’s brain and way of learning, and is just more fun.
Still, I am ever in search of low-prep hands-on activities, to make my life a little easier, like the word search spelling puzzle we recently did for spelling. That’s when Scoop & Spell popped into my head. It’s a hands-on word building and spelling activity that cuts prep time down to almost nothing, yet my son {2nd grade} loved it!
*This post contains affiliate links.
To prep, all I did was dump our lower case letter tiles and lower case magnetic letters into one container. I stuck in a scoop {an upcycled applesauce container…I love to re-purpose our containers for schoolwork}. I printed off a Scoop & Spell spelling sheet {you can click here or on the image below to download yours for free}.
He took the scoop, scooped out some letters and placed him on the table. I asked him to see how many words he could build and spell {write} with only the letters he had scooped out. He started by building a bunch of 2-letter words, but I challenged him to see how he could add more letters to those words to make longer words. Suddenly an became candy. And at became that.
Once he had spelled as many words as he could with that scoop of letters, he placed them back in the container, mixed them up a bit and scooped and spelled again! He went for three rounds of Scoop & Spell and spelled a total of 34 words, even “sneaking in” a few 6-letter words on the back of his page!
This spelling activity worked well on so many levels.
1- It’s low-prep
2- It’s totally hands-on, as kids build and then spell words
3- It reviewed so many word patterns and even sight words we’ve studied over the course of this year {and last}
4- It got him problem solving, thinking through which words he could or couldn’t spell with those particular letters.
*Easy Clean Up Tip! If you have toddlers or preschoolers, ask them to help you sort the letter tiles and magnetic letters back into separate containers. It’s a great way to review letters and letter sounds with them, too! 🙂
More Spelling Activity Fun
- Short Vowels Word Study App
- Spelling Word Puzzle Made by Your Child
- Crayon Resist Sight Words
- Word Bump!
- Helping Spellers Make Phonics Generalizations
- Hands-On Spelling Tools and Manipulatives
Follow This Reading Mama’s board Hands-On Spelling Ideas on Pinterest.
~Becky
Thank you for sharing your ideas. Even though I have been teaching, for dare I say 35 years, it is wonderful to see such ideas. It makes me think – why didn’t I think about that!!! It may just make me sit down during my Long service leave and truly get myself organised!
I know. Sometimes it’s the simple ideas that work so well with kids. Thanks for stopping by to comment.
Thanks for sharing. I am sure you are one of the best homeschooling moms I have ever seen!
Ok. Iam so excited and these ideas are really been helpful. Thanks to you.
Thanks so much for sharing all of your great ideas and resources-I really appreciate it and put them to great use in my classroom!
Thanks so much for your hands on and fun games for struggling or developing spellers. The students love the activities.