Boosting Spelling Skills in Students with Movement Games

Boosting Spelling Skills in Students through Movement Games

Games that combine spelling with physical activity can make it easier for students to learn new words.

by Jocelyn Greene

This article was originally published on Edutopia

Drama games help kids spell, photo credit HMShoots

Hamlet’s advice to the players, “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action,” is a great tip, not just for performing, but also for the task of memorizing. Studies have found that people recall information more easily when they memorize it through movement. Many actors find it helpful to use physicality to retain their lines, connecting them with gestures and staging.

Like actors, students are often tasked with memorization. Although education has evolved to incorporate project-based learning and guided play, there’s no getting around the necessity of knowing the multiplication tables, capital cities, and correct spelling.

Read the full article of “Movement-Based Games That Help Students With Spelling” on Edutopia

Learn More Movement Games for Spelling

1. Word Machine

In the classic theater game Machine, players contribute a sound and a movement to build a creation. Possibilities abound: You can make a machine to build ice cream sundaes or to spot a UFO.

“Research shows that learning through play promotes listening, focus, empathy, and self-awareness—benefits that build students’ social and emotional learning skills.”

2. Spelling Relay

The game Spelling Relay gets kids literally racing each other to spell a word, best done in a gym or movement room. Start by dividing the class into teams. Two to three teams at a time can play the game. The number of players on each team should be the same as the number of letters in the words you want them to spell. (Team 1: W-H-I-C-H, Team 2: F-L-O-U-R, Team 3: C-L-E-A-R for a class of 15, for example). To give the race epic importance, play a musical score in the background, like the theme from Chariots of Fire or John Williams’s “Olympic Fanfare.”