Fun Ways To Practice Spelling!

Creative Spelling Ideas For Kids Who Hate Writing!

Does your child avoid spelling practice because they hate writing? You're not alone!

Try out some fun ways to practice spelling, which are perfect for kids who struggle with writing and have messy handwriting. These are creative, multi-sensory alternatives to traditional pencil-and-paper spelling practice.

As an occupational therapist and homeschooling mom, I have seen first hand how poor fine motor and visual motor skills can impact handwriting and make it hard to do simple tasks like writing out words.

These alternative spelling activities shift the focus from perfect penmanship to mastering the concepts in an engaging way.

Try them with your child today!

pencil-free activities to practice spelling

Why Skip The Pencil For Spelling Practice?

If your child's messy writing is caused by poor fine motor skills, then controlling a pencil is tiring. This affects your child's ability to actually learn and internalize new concepts. If your child understands the spelling rules, then give them a chance to practice the words without using pencil and paper.

These hands-on activities can be used whenever your child needs to practice repetitive work, whether it be math drills or spelling words. 

The real goal is understanding the concept, not in writing it out.

Make spelling practice fun for reluctant writers!

Back to Top


Hands-On Spelling Activities 

If messy writing discourages your child from practicing spelling, these fun ways to practice spelling could help motivate your child!

Whether your child struggles with fine motor skills, visual motor integration or has a poor pencil grip, these activities will help them practice spelling without using a pencil on paper.

For your convenience, I have linked to products on Amazon (marked #Ad) that are similar to the ones I use myself.

Sand Writing

This a great sensory spelling activity for kids with poor fine motor skills, or for younger children. Use a finger or a stick to write in the sand. The resistance of the sand is a good reinforcement for kinesthetic learners.

If you don't have access to a sandpit or the beach, use sand in a tray, instead.

practice spelling with sand writing!Sand Writing

Sidewalk Graffiti

A sidewalk or wall provides a large canvas for practicing spelling words with large sidewalk chalk#Ad. An awesome outdoor activity that makes spelling fun!

The best part? Scrubbing it off afterwards with loads of water! Great for summer!

using sidewalk chalk on a wall for spelling practiceGraffiti!

Big Board Fun

Writing on a large whiteboard or chalkboard often does not feel like a writing task, because you can write larger letters and not worry about staying in the lines.

Use thicker dry-erase whiteboard markers#Ad or fat sidewalk chalk, which are easier to hold than thinner versions.

Practicing spelling on a blackboard is more fun than writing on paper!Big Board Fun

Mirror Writing

Using a whiteboard marker on a mirror is a fun way to practice spelling. The marker moves easily over the smooth surface, and working on a vertical surface is good for shoulder stability and wrist extension as well.

(Tip, test the marker on your mirror first - it should wipe off with a dry cloth)

Write on a mirror for extra spelling practiceWrite on a Mirror

Magnadoodle Boards

The magnetic pen on a magnadoodle-type board#Ad is engaging, making spelling feel less like work. Even if your child dislikes using a pencil, the doodle stylus is still appealing!

While the clear-all function can be a drawback, erasing the entire word when a mistake is made instead of just one letter, it is still an engaging alternative to pencil and paper options. 

fun ways to practice spelling - use a magnadoodle-type boardSpelling on a magnetic board

Hint: keep one in the car, and use it to practice spelling words while traveling!

Shaving Cream Shower Spelling

This messy activity will be memorable! Use sensitive-skin shaving cream to avoid irritation, and have your child write spelling words on the shower wall.

This is a great incentive to end a week of hard work, and cleanup is easier than you think!

fun spelling activity writing in shaving creamShaving cream spelling

If your child does not like the smell of shaving cream, try Cool Whip! This idea came from Debbie of New York, who wrote in to suggest it, adding that it meant her daughter could lick her fingers while working!

If writing in shaving cream or Cool Whip does not appeal to you or or your child, why not try some bath crayons#Ad for some spelling practice at bath-time? 

Back to Top


Fun ways to practice spelling without writing

Try these simple alternatives to pencil-and-paper spelling practice. These will help keep your kids motivated, especially if they tire easily during the hands-on activities above. 

Lowercase Letter Tiles

Use lowercase letter tiles (or homemade ones from thick card) to make spelling practice more playful. Bananagram's Junior pack#Ad has lovely tiles, and can be used as a game as well as for spelling practice!

Arrange the letters in alphabetical order before starting, to make them easier to find.

practice spelling without writingLowercase letter tiles

I particularly like using letter tiles with young children who are learning words in groups, eg cat, hat, fat, mat - as the "at" part can be set out, and then just one letter is added at a time to make the word.

Fridge Magnets/Magnetic Letters

If you have magnetic letters like these, your fridge becomes a spelling board!

You can also use magnetic letters on a magnetic board like this one, which is great for traveling.

Look for lowercase magnetic letters#Ad if you can.

spelling with magnetic lettersUse magnetic letters

Air Writing

Writing the word in the air is a great kinesthetic activity and helps cement the letter formations and word order in your child's mind without using a pencil.

The drawback is that you, as the adult, need to watch carefully to see that the spelling is indeed correct. But it is an effective spelling activity that does not use a pencil!

Verbal Dictation

There is power in spelling words out loud, as it reinforces auditory learning. It is ok to practice spelling without writing it down!

This is another convenient way of getting spelling practice done while on-the-go.

spelling practice ideas without writing

Spelling Memory Relay Fun

You can bring memory skills into any of the activities on this page with a fun spelling relay game:

Set up your chosen spelling activity on one side of the room (blackboard, white board, letter tiles etc) and present a word to your child at the other end of the room.

Your child needs to:

  1. look at the word
  2. say it out loud
  3. spell it out loud
  4. run, hop, jump or crawl to the other side of the room
  5. spell out the word with the letter tiles or write it on the board.

This is a really fun way to practice spelling in a group, as kids enjoy the physical activity and competing with each other to get the most words spelt correctly!

Back to Top


These ideas are great, but....

Some questions parents have asked about helping their kids with spelling:

What activities can I do to help my child remember spelling words?

Memory skills play an important role in learning to spell sight words, and these skills can be developed from an early age.

I really encourage parents to play some simple, effective memory games at home during the preschool and kindergarten years - you can find some easy activities on these pages below:

Check out this printable memory challenge from Your Therapy Source#Ad for some additional ideas.

Can spelling apps and online games help my child?

Although there are lots of apps and online games that can work on memory skills and spelling drill, using hands-on games and activities can add more benefits.

Hands-on activities require your child's eyes to focus on what the hands are doing, and to constantly change the distance at which they focus, which develops more functional eye skills. Whereas, when using a device, the eyes tend to focus at a fixed distance for longer periods of time.

In addition, hands-on activities tend to give more practice in using fine motor and coordination skills.

Most of the spelling activities I have suggested on this page, also use more than one sense at a time (multi-sensory), which can help increase retention of what is learned - for example large muscle movements as well as visual or tactile input. 

In conclusion, apps can be helpful, but do balance them with hands-on activities for the additional benefits these provide!

I hope you enjoy using these multi-sensory spelling activities to motivate your child to enjoy learning, even if their fine motor and writing skills are poor.

If you need support to help your child improve fine motor skills and handwriting, check out my other resources:

fun ways to practice spellling without pencil and paper!
Get Your Fine Motor Activities Now!

Thank you for visiting! Sign up for my occasional newsletter to stay in touch with new and updated activities! 

Back to Top

Share this page to help others!



Related Pages

Does your child struggle with poor fine motor skills? Read some questions from parents and answers from OT MomPoor Fine Motor Skills Q&A
activities to help your child develop better pencil controlPencil Control Activities
essential foundations for the development of a child's fine motor skillsFine Motor Development
activities and tips to help kindergarten kids develop good handwriting skillsKindergarten Handwriting Prep

Back to Top

view my OT Mom resources - in-depth printable downloads
south african flag

South Africans can pay in rands!

south african flag

South Africans can pay in rands!




Didn't find what you were looking for? Try a search of my site!