Spelling Project for Early Readers

If you're looking for an inexpensive activity aimed at teaching basic reading skills, consider this simple project, guaranteed to be a real hit with your youngest students.

As a homeshooler, I'm constantly scouring the net for creative activities designed to keep learning a fun and exciting experience for my family. Typically speaking, I have little trouble finding clever ideas online and in books, but more often than not the expense involved in acquiring the necessary supplies falls outside our schooling budget. I found this particular activity only set us back a couple dollars, yet provided weeks of learning fun.

The Purpose:
Learning to read and write is one of the primary objectives for parents of young children. Some children are more interested in reading than others, but most enjoy the opportunity to make something that's all their own. Here's a wonderful activity that will not only get your kids writing and illustrating, but has the added bonus of feeling less like school and more like play.

What You'll Need:
Easy as 1, 2, 3....

1. 4X6 plain white index cards
2. Inexpensive pocketed photo album for 4X6 photos (smaller albums are better for little hands)
3. Markers, crayons, colored pencils and a standard lead pencil

Using words from daily reading, lessons, or a weekly spelling list, have your children select a handful of words, preferably 3 or 4 a week and have them write them out, one word to a card. Store the cards in an inexpensive pocketed photo album, one that's designed to hold 4 X 6 prints. I'd look for an album that's very thin and easy to handle, much like the size of a child's book.

What's wonderful about using photo albums is they'll allow your kids to insert the cards themselves and their work will stay clean and protected behind the plastic photo protectors. I usually buy my albums at Wal-Mart and only pay about $2 a piece for them. You may also find something suitable at your local dollar store. You'll likely find index cards there too!

The benefits:
Our kids love this activity because they're free to select their own words and illustrate them however they choose. It's a time to be creative and imaginative and as the weeks progress you can show them how their handwriting has improved, by simply turning back the pages of their word-picture book. This will tickle them like nothing else, giving them a real sense of accomplishment. You'll be delighted when you kids want to pull the book down from the bookshelf to show grandparents what they've been learning and since your kids chose the words themselves and drew the illustrations, they'll likely remember what they wrote.

Another huge perk to making a word-picture book is that it can easily be adapted to suit children as young as preschool and as advanced as a third grade reading level. If you're a homeschooler teaching a variety of ages, this is a definite project perk.

It may be more suitable for Preschoolers to start with letters of the alphabet, rather than words. Have them write both the upper and lower case letter, starting with "A", then discuss a few objects and animals that have names starting with the same letter. Kindergarten and first grade levels may wish to write a word with an illustration, while second and third graders can tell a story. Have your older kids write a sentence on each card and then illustrate. They may even choose to write a book of sorts, sentence by sentence.

Remember to write the date on the back of each card so you'll remember how old your kids were when the books were made. You might also want to take a couple snapshots of the book building process. Place the photos in the book and your kids will have a very cool keepsake to show their own kids someday.