Mixed Up Words
Take vocabulary words, Halloween words, or spelling words and mix up the letters. Challenge children to figure out the words and then try to write them correctly on their paper.
Hint! Colored pencils or smelly markers make this so much more fun.
Word Makers
Give children a seasonal word or vocabulary word. How many other words can they make using the letters in that word? (This might be a good activity for children to do with a partner or in a small group.)
Pumpkin Head
This game is similar to “Wheel of Fortune.” The teacher thinks of a word and makes blanks on the board for the number of letters. As children call out letters, the teacher writes them on the appropriate blanks. If a child calls out a letter that is not in the word the teacher draws a pumpkin on the board. For each letter that is not in the word the teacher adds features (stem, eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) to the pumpkin. The children try to identify the word before the pumpkin head is completed.
*Keep a “bone pile” in the corner where you write letters that are not in the word.
Picture Words
Challenge children to write words in a way that reflects their meaning. For example, write “spooky” in shaky letters, “fall” in letters that go down, “colorful” with many colors, “candy” decorated with sprinkles, etc.
