You may or may not be blessed with a knack for good spelling. My husband and I are naturally good spellers, making it challenging to have a child who is not. I approach it by simply correcting her as I grade her papers. This year, she is getting formal spelling lessons. The best part is that the spelling lessons are free!
Here are some options for free spelling lessons:
Spelling City
Spelling City is an easy-to-navigate site filled with pre-made spelling lists. The lists are available to print or for use online. The site also offers games and printable handwriting practice sheets. While there is a paid version, the free version has a lot to offer.
Home Spelling Words
Home Spelling Words offers basic word lists & tests for grades K-7. You can also add your own lists. It also keeps tests scores and a grade report. This looks like it might work for kids who get distracted by lots of colors and flashing lights on the screen. It’s a basic, easy to use (with tutorials if you need them) program.
Splashes From The River
The Basic Cozy Spelling Course is offered for free from Splashes from the River. It is for ages 9 & up, as you will see if you check out the word lists. This is a course that is designed to go in a specific order, so if you pick and choose lessons, you might miss out on something. It has word lists and dictation sentences for applying context to the list words.
Garden Of Praise
Garden of Praise has Bible-based spelling lessons as well as some musical spelling lessons complete with MIDI files to accompany you. This really is a garden of resources for homeschool parents. Browse around and see if there is something else you might use.
Simply Charlotte Mason
If you are more inclined to skip the online lessons and get back to basics, try the Charlotte Mason style of learning spelling rules while doing copy work. SimplyCharlotteMason.com describes how to use living books, classics, or your normal textbooks to use “prepared dictation” to introduce spelling & vocabulary.
Discovery Education
You can use this Puzzle Maker page to create fun word game printables while using your own lists. For example, if you are doing a literature unit from Garden of Praise on the Boxcar Children Books, you can take the phonograms (rhyming word families) listed and make a puzzle out of them. Some kids won’t even know they are learning!
Master Spell (for Mac)
Master Spell administers spelling drills using over 3,600 included words and sentences spoken with a real voice and supplemental guidance using the Mac’s Text-to-Speech. Parents and teachers can record their own words and sentences too.
Big IQ Kids
Big IQ Kids has free spelling lists for grade levels 1-8. The student earns a coin for each lesson completed. The coins are good for spending in the game section. Some games are more than 1 coin, so kids have to choose between saving and spending. You can chose the option of having grade cards sent to you. This site also has free math fact practice, name the US states, and a virtual spelling bee with kids across the world, or in your own neighborhood! Overall, it seems that this site has some features for free (like grading & report cards) that other sites charge for. They do offer a paid version, but I think the free one is sufficient. (Please note that, for me, this website worked much better on FireFox than on Safari.)
I think there is something here for every kind of learner. Whether you want pencil-and-paper style, literature unit lists, or interactive online lessons, it’s here. Please comment if you have another one that has worked for you!
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