Best Homeschool Spelling Curriculum For All Ages

Finding the best homeschool spelling curriculum is so important. These are our top picks for elementary and middle school grades.

A strong spelling curriculum doesn’t just teach accurate spelling. It also enhances vocabulary, sharpens writing abilities, and cultivates a more profound understanding of language. Plus, it nurtures students’ self-assurance, empowering them to express their thoughts with clarity and precision.

Carry on reading for the best homeschooling resources that will help with spelling.

best spelling curriculum

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How to choose the right spelling curriculum for homeschooling?

Finding the correct spelling curriculum for your family is not as simple as you might think. You’ll want to weigh several factors to ensure the curriculum you pick aligns with your child’s learning style, grade level, and your teaching philosophy. These factors include:

  1. Spelling programs should be suitable for your child’s developmental stage, with materials tailored to their age.
  2. Different spelling curricula employ various teaching methods, such as phonics-based approaches, sight words, or word origins. Opt for a method that matches your child’s preferred learning style.
  3. Take into account the cost and availability of the curriculum, including textbooks, workbooks, and required materials.
  4. Evaluate the level of involvement required from you as a parent in delivering the curriculum effectively.
  5. Look for curricula that can be adjusted to cater to your child’s individual learning needs, whether they have distinct learning requirements or excel in spelling.
  6. Assess whether the curriculum provides extra resources, such as online tools, games, or supplementary workbooks to enhance learning.

How to teach spelling in a fun way

Have fun with spelling in your homeschool, these are our 8 top ways to make teaching spelling fun:

  1. Integrate word games like Scrabble, Hangman, or word search puzzles into your spelling lessons. Check out the best word board games that are not only educational but also fun.
  2. Organize friendly spelling bees within your homeschooling environment. Create lists of words suitable for different age levels and hold competitions with rewards or recognition for participants.
  3. Establish a point-based system or rewards for correct spellings in your homeschool. This could be as simple as earning points for every correctly spelled word and redeeming them for small rewards.
  4. Encourage creativity by having students write their spelling words with colorful markers, stickers, or even by forming the words with arts and crafts materials.
  5. Use interactive spelling apps for kids designed to make learning fun. Many of these apps incorporate gamified elements, quizzes, and spelling games.
  6. Incorporate spelling into creative writing by having students write stories or essays that include their weekly spelling words. This not only reinforces spelling but also enhances writing skills.
  7. Make spelling practice more interesting by adding a twist. For example, have students spell words backward or use them in funny sentences.
  8. Take spelling outdoors by using chalk to write words on the sidewalk or organizing a scavenger hunt where students have to find objects that match their spelling words.

Best spelling curriculum for all ages

These are the best spelling programs for middle school and younger designed to strengthen their spelling skills and enrich their vocabulary.

Whether you’re looking for interactive online platforms, comprehensive workbooks, or interactive games, these programs cater to various age groups, making the learning process engaging and effective.

Best online spelling programs

Wordela homeschool is an interactive and personalized online language arts program tailored for homeschooling families. It offers a comprehensive curriculum that includes reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. It adapts to each student’s learning pace to provide a customized educational experience.

Night Zookeeper makes spelling fun with engaging games, creative storytelling, and personalized feedback, enhancing kids’ spelling skills through interactive learning and imaginative play. Check out our honest Night Zookeeper review and see why we love it.

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Best spelling workbooks

The Spectrum spelling books cover a wide age range from kindergarten to grade 6. We have used Spectrum workbooks for nearly every subject in elementary grades and we have loved all of them.

Evan Moor Building Spelling Skills workbook caters to a range of ages, from 1st grade to sixth. It features grade level appropriate activities and word lists.

The 3rd grade Spelling Success Workbook offers a fun and engaging resource packed with teacher-reviewed activities. To help third graders excel in spelling, reading, and vocabulary.

The Wordly Wise 3000 series focuses on vocabulary development and offers workbooks for 2nd grade through to high school.

180 days of spelling and word study is a versatile 1st – 6th grade spelling workbook. With weekly units aligned to state and national standards, it offers engaging activities like word sorting, analogies, and synonym/antonym practice, promoting independent word mastery for young learners.

Abeka spelling curriculum offers a comprehensive spelling curriculum for students in 2nd grade and 3rd grade. Providing structured lessons and engaging activities designed to strengthen spelling skills progressively.

Targeted specifically at 7th grade students Frequently Misspelled Words concentrates on 400 difficult spelling words.

The Spelling Workout series offers graded workbooks suitable for various age groups. With structured spelling lessons and exercises, it helps students improve their spelling skills at different levels, offering the flexibility to adapt to individual learning needs.

Spelling Power provides a comprehensive approach to spelling for a wide age range. It offers diagnostic tests and individualized spelling lists to cater to each student’s needs.

Sequential Spelling is suitable for a variety of ages and skill levels. It emphasizes patterns and word families to help learners become confident spellers through structured lessons.

Spelling Plus is designed to help students of various ages and skill levels improve their spelling using a holistic approach, focusing on the structure and meaning of words to foster strong spelling skills.

The Spelling workout series offers graded workbooks for different age groups. It provides structured spelling lessons and exercises to boost proficiency at various levels.

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Free spelling curriculum

You don’t need to spend a fortune on a spelling curriculum for your homeschool. These are our favorite free spelling resources that the kids will enjoy:

  1. Spelling City offers a variety of free spelling resources, including customizable spelling lists, interactive games, and activities for students of different grade levels.
  2. K12Reader provides free spelling worksheets and lessons for various grade levels, along with downloadable spelling lists and resources for homeschooling.
  3. TLSBooks offers free spelling worksheets, spelling word lists, and activities for grades K-6, making it a helpful supplement for homeschool spelling lessons.
  4. Education.com offers free spelling worksheets and printables for homeschoolers, with resources suitable for various grade levels.
  5. Spelling Training is an interactive online resource that offers free spelling practice and quizzes to help students improve their spelling skills.
  6. Mr. Nussbaum Spellerz is an engaging online platform providing free spelling games and activities designed to make learning spelling fun and effective for homeschooling students.

For even more check out these free spelling games too.

Check out the best free homeschool curriculum too!

How to use the Spelling Bee words as a curriculum?

You don’t need to actually take part in the spelling bee to use the spelling bee words of the champions as part of your homeschool spelling curriculum.

Here’s how you can incorporate these champion-level words into your homeschool spelling journey:

boy wearing a helmet looking confused at a spelling bee
  1. Start by choosing the list of words that correspond to your child’s grade level or the one just below. This ensures that the words align with their current learning stage. This aligns the list with their learning stage and integrates spelling strategies effectively.
  2. Allocate a portion of your daily homeschooling routine to spelling practice. For instance, you might opt to work on around 10 words each day.
  3. The goal is to ensure your child truly understands and can spell each word accurately. To achieve this, they should be able to spell each word correctly three times before considering it mastered.
  4. Introduce new words at a manageable pace. As your child becomes proficient with one set of words, gradually introduce more challenging ones.
  5. Enhance the learning experience by incorporating various interactive activities. These could include sentence construction, word associations, and practicing the words in context.
  6. Periodically assess your child’s progress to ensure they are retaining and applying the words effectively.
  7. As your child becomes proficient in spelling these champion-level words, celebrate their accomplishments to boost motivation and confidence.

Best spelling games for kids

These are the best spelling games for early learners up to middle school students and above. Perfect for adding to your family game night:

  1. Skillmatics ready to spell is an interactive spelling game that helps kids practice spelling and build their vocabulary through fun activities.
  2. Match and Spell is an educational board game that enhances spelling and literacy skills by encouraging players to match words to pictures.
  3. Bananagrams is a fast-paced word game that challenges players to create interconnected words from letter tiles, improving their spelling and vocabulary.
  4. The Basic Fun Speak & Spell Electronic Game is a classic spelling and language device that provides spelling practice through electronic quizzes and word challenges.
  5. Dabble is a word game that stimulates spelling and vocabulary development by requiring players to form five words in a set amount of time using a set of letter tiles.
  6. Spelled is a spelling game allowing players to earn points by identifying and spelling words associated with images. Offering challenging decks for various skill levels and providing a fun and educational experience for groups of 2-8 players aged 8 and above.

Best spelling apps for kids

These apps are a great way for the kids to practice spelling while having screen time.

Last Updated on 16 September 2024 by Clare Brown

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