As I mentioned in yesterday’s post (Practicing Spelling Words with a Place Mat), I am featuring activities you can do in your classroom or a home that work on spelling words this week. Today’s spelling activity is called Trace and Write.  I decided to make it after looking at an amazing glass message board on the Better Homes and Gardens For Home Pinterest board. It looked like a fun place to write things down. I loved that when a message was no longer needed it could be erased. Why not create a writing space on glass for my son to use for spelling activities I thought after looking at the message board?  I could easily go to a big box store and get one for a dollar or two. Finding one that would hold a piece of paper that was 8.5″x11″  wouldn’t be hard.

Better Homes and Gardens painted the back of their glass a pretty shade of green. Why not place a printable under the glass instead I thought? The printable could have lines that children could easily see through glass and use when they were writing their words.

Spelling Activities

Once  I got thinking about creating a printable with lines, my mind went to the idea of having a child or adult write the words on a printable neatly before placing it under the glass. Children could then trace the words on the lines in the first column. Then they could write the words on the lines in the second column. Children could then work on spelling and handwriting at the same time.

Wait! I thought more about it and decided that you don’t have to write the words in the first column of the printable if you don’t want to. Children can write the words in both of the columns on the glass.  After more thinking, I decide that there are three ways to have them write the words in the two columns. Both versions involve several spelling activities.

Way One

The child will trace over the words you have written on the printable. Then they will copy the words on the lines opposite them. In this spelling activity, they just trace and write. It is the simplest of the spelling activities.

Way Two

This second way uses a blank printable. First, you will need to decide if you are going to call out the words to your child or have them copy them off a spelling list. Once you have decided, your child can write the words in the first column and trace over the words they have written. ( If they have misspelled the word, they can wipe the word  away and try it again.) Then they can write the words again in the second column to complete the spelling activity.

Way Three

The third way has the same initial steps as the second way does.  You once again have them write the words in the first column.  This time the words are called out and then they will trace the words they have written.  Next, they can place a piece of paper over the first column and write the words a second time in the second column. With the third way, the words won’t even have to be called out in the same order. You can call them out any way you would like. This version of the spelling activity doesn’t allow children to look back at how they spelled the words the first time. They will have to remember how each word is spelled. This will make this the most challenging of the spelling activities.

Here is a copy of the Spelling Page if you would like to print it out.

Here are the writing tools I recommend:

• washable markers
• window markers
• washable crayons

You will find more reading and spelling activities on my Learn to Read Pinterest board.

Follow JDaniel4’s Mom’s board Learning to Read on Pinterest.