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Spelling Bee Games

Good old-fashioned spelling bee games can provide some fantastic spelling practice! The competitive nature of these games encourages kids to study hard and work together to produce a winning strategy.

Here are some new variations that will add extra fun and challenge to your spelling practice routine.

Silent Spelling Bee Games

Yes, it's possible to spell silently -- with the help of some dry-erase boards, or even paper and pencil! I think you'll really like these!

Variation 1

1. Divide your class into two teams. Have each team line up on opposite sides of the classroom.

2. Give the first person in each team a dry-erase board and marker (or a clean sheet of paper and pencil).

3. Announce the first word to be spelled.

Note: Because there is no talking and the writing is hidden from the other team, both groups can spell the same word at the same time.

4. All team members are to remain silent as the first player on each team writes the spelling word.

5. The player passes the board to the second player. He is allowed to keep the word as is, or to correct it.

6. When the teacher calls time, the second person on each team reveals the spelling of the word to everyone.

7. The teacher awards 1 point for every correct word.

8. For the next spelling word, the player with the board passes it to the third player on the team. Play continues in the same manner.

9. At the end of the time period, the winning team is the one with the most points.

Variation 2

This time, ask the first person in each team to write only the first letter of the word on the dry-erase board. She then hands the board to the second player who adds the next letter, and so on.

When a team member has added the last letter to the word, the next person on the team checks it. He may leave the word as is, or correct any or all of the letters in it.

You may also want to try these spelling bee games!

More Help for Spelling Bees

students jumping in front of a chalkboard

You'll want to give your students as much practice as possible before big spelling competitions. Here are some resources that can help:

We've compiled a list of spelling bee practice ideas for individual students. A printable version is included for your convenience.

Use our basic spelling bee rules to run your next classroom spelling competition. We cover the basics in a concise list.

Don't miss our lists of spelling bee words, for grades 3-8.

The Spelling Bee Toolboxes

To conduct your own school spelling bee, consider using our Spelling Bee Toolboxes. They contain all the resources you need for a successful spelling bee! The eBooks are written at two levels: Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8. Each book contains:

620 Words and Sentences
Rules for 3 different kinds of bees
Color and B/W award certificates
Recorder's chart
Instructions for all spelling bee officials
Organizational checklist
List of 100 study words for students
And more!

Books are reasonably priced, and you'll save even more if you buy the bundle!

More Spelling Words

If you're preparing for a spelling bee, you'll want to take a look at some of these spelling word lists:

300 Commonly Misspelled Words - Skim this long list of words to find the ones you misspell the most often. Then follow the tips on this page to master their correct spellings. Why make the same mistakes over and over again when you CAN improve your spelling skills?! A free printable page is included, along with many additional helpful resources.

Here's a list of 172 hard words to spell. Look the words over carefully to see how many you already know how to spell. Ask a friend or family member and compare notes. Are the words that are difficult for you, also difficult for the other person? Just what makes these words so difficult anyway? It depends on the word!

Spelling Demons - Sometimes the words that trip us up are those that are easily-confused with other words, like desert/dessert, lose/loose, and allusion/illusion. Master this list to improve your spelling skills.

Difficult English Spelling Words - Here's my whopping list of 285 words spelled with IE and EI! Use this list to learn and practice the words you use most. Expand your skills and vocabulary with words you don't know. Use our free Step by Step spelling lesson plans to learn more about mastering these words. If you'd like to add more to this mega-list, please contact me with your additions!

More Spelling Games

Find the entire collection of Spelling Word Games and choose the level of difficult that's more appropriate for you and your group.

Here are a few highlights:

Try my version of Spelling Word Baseball. Adapt the basic game for the best difficulty level for your students, using the many word lists on this website. Batter Up!

Spelling Bee Pop Quizzes - Try this fun assortment with your students this week! Help prepare them for the big spelling bees ahead!

Word Sandwiches, The Vowel Game, and Words in a Word - Try these easy-to-conduct fun spelling games that also provide spelling and vocab enrichment. There are three different games that require very little preparation.

Ann Richmond Fisher is a longtime published educational writer, a former classroom teacher and a former homeschool teacher. Ann's spelling bee resources, graded spelling word lists, spelling games, worksheets, and other language arts resources have become respected around the globe since she launched Spelling-Words-Well in 2010.

Ann is also the creator of www.word-game-world.com.

Spelling Videos

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