Spelling practice for kids: weekly lists, games and a real test
The school sends home ten spelling words on Monday and the test is on Friday, and you need something better than writing them out five times. This prompt has your todo.is agent turn the list into four short daily activities, a printable worksheet and an MP3 dictation your child can do alone, then mark the test from a photo.
The prompt
- Help my child practise spelling. They are [AGE OR GRADE] and this week’s words are: [WORD LIST]. The test is on [TEST DAY]. Make a 4-day plan of 10-minute activities that use different senses (look-say-cover-write-check, word sorts by pattern, a silly sentence game, rainbow writing, spotting the tricky part). Explain the spelling pattern behind the words in simple kid language. Make a printable PDF worksheet with the activities and space to write. Create an MP3 dictation test: each word said twice, used in a short sentence, with a pause after each. After the test, I will send a photo of their answers; mark it kindly, and put the words they missed into next week’s list.
What to change
- [AGE OR GRADE]: E.g. "7 years old, Year 2" or "2nd grade".
- [WORD LIST]: Paste the words from school, or write "make a list on the ai/ay pattern" if you have none.
- [TEST DAY]: E.g. "Friday".
Example result
- Spelling week: the long "a" sound (ai and ay)
- Age 7 (Year 2 / 2nd grade) · test on Friday
- This week's words
- rain · train · paint · wait · day · play · stay · away · said · again
- The pattern, in kid language
- • The long "a" sound is often spelled ai in the middle of a word: rain, paint.
- • At the end of a word it's usually ay: day, play.
- • Tricky words: "said" and "again" have "ai" but don't sound like "rain". We just have to remember them.
- Monday: look, say, cover, write, check
- Look at the word, say it, cover it, write it, then check. Tick it if right; try once more if not.
- Tuesday: word sort
- Cut out the word cards from the worksheet and sort them into two boxes: ai words and ay words. Put "said" and "again" in a "tricky" box.
- Wednesday: silly sentences
- Make the silliest sentence with 3 words, e.g. "A train went to play in the rain all day." Write it down and draw it.
- Thursday: rainbow writing and spot the tricky part
- Write each word 3 times in different colours. Circle the tricky part in red (the "ai" in said).
- Friday: dictation test (MP3)
- "Number 1. rain. We stayed inside because of the rain. rain." (pause)
- Test result (from the photo)
- • 8 of 10 correct. Great work on all the ai and ay words!
- • "sed" → said
- • "agen" → again
- • Both tricky words go into next week's list, with a memory trick: "Sally Ants In Dance" for said.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your child’s age or grade, the word list and the test day.
- Paste it into todo.is, or send it on WhatsApp with a photo of the school spelling list.
- Print the worksheet and do one 10-minute activity a day; play the MP3 on Friday for the test.
- Send a photo of the test and get it marked; ask to make it a weekly to-do every Monday.
Tips for a better result
- Teach the pattern, not just the list. A child who knows "ay at the end" can spell words that were never on the list.
- Keep sessions to 10 minutes and stop on a success. Tired spellers practise mistakes.
- Let your child mark the dictation with the answer sheet first. Finding their own errors helps them remember.
- Make it recurring: send each Monday’s list and your agent prepares the week, with last week’s missed words added.
spelling practice for kids: FAQ
- What is the best way for kids to practise spelling? Short daily practice that mixes methods: seeing the word, saying it, writing it from memory and noticing the pattern. Writing a word out many times while copying is the least effective way.
- My child does not have a school list. What words should we use? Your agent can build lists by age and phonics pattern, plus common tricky words for that age, and adjust them each week based on the test.
- Can my child do the dictation alone? Yes. The MP3 says each word twice with a sentence and a pause, so your child can play it and write without help.
- Does it work for other languages? Yes. Give the word list in French, Spanish, German or another language, and your agent makes the activities and dictation audio in that language.
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