So we have finally entered spelling test territory, and it’s a bit of a shock. Just fitting in ten minutes of quiet time with Molly every day to practice is actually quite a challenge and to be honest I’m still working out a good system. I have loads of ideas for making learning spellings a bit more fun though – we just need the time to do it!
Anyway it is World Space Week so space seemed a brilliant way to practice spellings.
First we made a quick and easy toilet roll rocket pen. This was a painted roll, some tissue paper for the flames, a few little stickers for windows and a semi-circle rolled up to make a point.
I filled the tray with black rice and some star-shaped glitter. This also formed the basis of a sensory bin for the twins to play with. You could also use coloured sand or salt, or even something really fun like shaving foam.
I wrote the spellings onto star-shaped sticky notes.
Molly then had to copy the words. This had the added bonus of also being good handwriting practice. The reason this works is that a lot of people are kinesthetic learners. This means that they learn best by doing things, by being active. I think I learn spellings best this way – I really struggle to say a spelling out loud and have to pretend trace it in my head to remember how its spelt. if your child learns best through being active then the more times they write the spelling, in as many different ways as possible, the better. It’s almost as if their hand remembers how to spell the word of its own accord. The added sensory experience also helps to reinforce it as it is something new for the child and so is more likely to stick in their memory.
For more fun Space ideas then take a look at these amazing blogs – they really are out of this world!