The Very Best Spelling Games For 2nd Graders
Teaching our homeschoolers to spell can be quite a challenge! Fortunately, there are lots of fun spelling games for 2nd graders you can use to learn through play this year. Spelling games make learning to spell a lot more fun for kids.
I can still remember spelling bees and writing my spelling words over and over to practice. It was tedious and not always the best way to learn or practice spelling. I’m glad there are so many new fun ways to practice these skills with our second graders!
I’m excited to share all our favorite ways to help kids retain spelling concepts including online resources and board games. Plus, I’ll share some of our favorite resources and unit studies to teach 2nd-grade language arts in your homeschool this year.
The Power Of Learning Through Play
Learning through play is powerful! Research has shown that our kids learn a lot through play. Incorporating opportunities for play and encouraging exploration is an important part of early learning.
Teaching concepts like spelling and multiplication require lots of memorization. These types of lessons work best for us when they’re learned through play. Projects with real-world applications and games make learning how to spell really easy for Emily.
Family game nights have helped Emily master spelling too. We love playing Upwords, Boggle, and Bananagrams together as a family. These games help her remember how to spell words and give her extra practice executing these concepts too.
Spelling Games For 2nd Graders
We play all kinds of games in our homeschool. We love playing games together as a family. Plus, we’ve discovered that gameschooling has all kinds of amazing benefits for Emily.
There are lots of fun games you can play together to help your homeschoolers master spelling during second grade too. You can discover a few of our favorites in my Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Second Grade. Here are a few of our favorite board games for improving spelling skills:
Word on the Street
There is also a junior version of Word on the Street for younger learners. Homeschoolers have to use certain letters of the alphabet on the board to answer the card.
Word on the Street is a fun way to work on spelling skills together as a family. If you play in teams, you can help reluctant learners gain confidence too.
Bananagrams
Bananagrams are so versatile! You can use these tiles to play lots of different games in your homeschool. It’s definitely a game I like to have on hand here at The Waldock Way.
This game is perfect for increasing processing speed in spelling and thinking about how words are formed. It’s a lot of fun for homeschool families who enjoy Scrabble too.
If you love Bananagrams you may also want to check out Bananagrams for Kids! a book full of word play and puzzles just for kids.
Boggle
We really enjoy playing Boggle together as a family. It’s basically a word search game you can scramble for more fun. Boggle really helps new spellers because once they figure out common blends like “at” or “in” they are able to form a multitude of words.
Quiddler
Every round of Quiddler adds more cards to be rearranged in order to create words. This game is ideal for understanding words spatially and mixing or matching letters to spell new words. If you love wordplay, this game will be lots of fun for you!
Upwords
This game is definitely a family favorite! Upwords makes it easy to show kids how words can change by changing just one letter. Unlike Scrabble, where you can only change a word by adding letters to the beginning or end, Upwords teaches kids that switching the T in rat to P makes an entirely different word.
Wordical
One of the reasons we love Wordical is because it separates vowels and consonants, making it easy for homeschoolers to understand and master the differences. Plus, this game uses cards and dice to help kids spell words the way they see them. It’s a lot of fun!
Spelligator
I don’t know how anyone couldn’t love a game that combines spelling and gators. Spelligator is a word building game that teaches letter sounds, patterns and positioning. It covers consonants, vowels, digraphs, and blends. The player who makes the most word wins.
Spell Checked
SpellChecked is a card game everyone will enjoy. Players of all ages can practice and improve their spelling and their recognition of spelling patterns in words. Players are shown an image and the first letter of the word, and then they are asked to spell the word correctly. My personal favorite part is the option of playing decks with more challenging words, so players of all capabilities can compete against one another and everyone has a chance to win!
Scrabble
You can’t go wrong with a classic and Scrabble is the ultimate classic spelling game where every letter counts. There is also a junior version of Scrabble for younger learners.
Online 2nd Grade Spelling Games
Board games and card games are tons of fun! We play all kinds of games throughout the school year in the Waldock house. Another fun way to incorporate gameschooling into our spelling lessons is with online games.
There are all kinds of fun online second-grade spelling games you can add to your homeschool lessons this year. Check out a few of our favorites below.
ABC Mouse
ABC Mouse was designed by learning experts, your child can practice math, reading, phonics, and more. Games, puzzles, and other fun activities to help kids practice letters, numbers, and more!
Reading Eggs
Reading Eggs is the online reading program that helps children learn to read. Hundreds of online reading lessons, phonics games and books for ages 2–13.
NightZookeeper
Nightzookeeper is an online learning program that helps children with reading and writing, and unlocks their creativity.
Educational Apps
Emily has a Kindle Paperwhite we use to help when Carschooling or learning on the go. It’s also a great way to take advantage of learning with screens in our homeschool. Here are some of the educational apps we like best for spelling practice:
- ABC Spelling
- Classic Words Free
- Hangman Classic Free
- Kids Puzzle Classic Spelling Games
- Monkey Word School Adventure
- Squeebles Word Search
- Word Cookies
- Wordscapes
More Resources For Second Grade Language Arts
There’s a lot to learn in second-grade language arts! Mastering spelling is definitely a big part of it, but you’ll also be building your child’s independent reading skills and learning about grammar. Don’t miss some of my favorite resources for second-grade language arts to help you along the way.
- Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling 2nd Grade
- A 2nd Grade Book List That Will Delight Your Child
- Ultimate Guide To Games For Every Subject In Your Homeschool
Plus, I’ve got lots of fun unit studies second graders will enjoy. You can use these unit studies to dive deep into topics that really interest your homeschoolers. Here are a few of our favorites:
What’s your favorite way to teach spelling in the second grade? Share your favorite resources and games for mastering important spelling concepts with your homeschoolers in the comments. I can’t wait to read them and try a few with Emily too!
