Best spelling board games for children
Turn the weekly spelling test preparation from chore into challenge with our pick of the best spelling board games for children and families. From brand-new readers and writers to spelling bee champions, there's plenty for even the most competent speller to enjoy!
Match and Spell, £7.50
Encourage preschool and Reception children to start to recognise letters and build words with this popular first phonics game. The object of the game is to spell words by matching the correct letter cards with them; once they've grown in confidence children can turn the board over and use their phonics sounds knowledge to spell out the words themselves. Sturdy and colourful pieces mean it will withstand plenty of early-reader handling!
Fish 'N' Spell Race, £22.99
Who doesn't enjoy a fishing game? This two-player game challenges children to be the first to 'catch' and order the letters needed to spell a target word; it comes with 80 letters so you can devise your own word lists to play with if you don't want to use the 100 suggested words (which come on four-language word cards, if you'd like to make it a multi-lingual game!).
Match and Spell Next Steps, £10.99
The "sequel" to Orchard Toys’ best-selling Match and Spell, aimed at children aged 5+ and designed to help develop reading and spelling confidence with both simple sounds and blends. The double-sided boards offer extra play value; once the game has been mastered the blank-sided version is an extra challenge. Great for new readers in Y1.
Spelling Cards, £6.99
A card-game way to practise spelling the words listed in the national curriculum statutory word lists for Year 3 and Year 4. Encourage your child's competitive streak with a two-person race and get the spelling test practice done though play.
Pass the Word, £9.50
A race-against-the-timer take on spelling, this board game is fast-paced and great fun. Each player has to spell words as quickly as they can, but once they're out of time the letters have to be passed on to the next player, so every second counts! Based around common words, the game can be extended by using words from children's weekly spelling tests. Suitable for children aged 5-9.
Breaking News!, £20.99
A newspaper-themed game which offers punctuation, grammar and vocabulary challenges as well as spelling questions. The aim of the game is to create a complete newspaper, working against the clock to find and correct errors in headlines before handing them to the editor. Suitable for 2-6 KS2 players.
Beginner Sight Word Bingo, £19.50
"Sight words" is the US term for high frequency words and this bingo-style game is a great way to help Reception and Year 1 children get to grips with the words (like that, they, are, is, said, had, if, soon, because and more) they need to be able to read and spell instantly. A spinner and 35 markers are included, along with an activity guide. Suitable for 2-4 players.
Pop for Sight Words Game, £8.50
A popcorn-themed game box and popcorn-shaped cards (featuring the top 92 high frequency words): this fast-paced game helps develop children's fluency with the words they need to recognise on sight. Perfect for Reception and Y1 learners, and you can buy an extension pack, POP for Sight Words 2, once the first batch have been mastered.
Scrabble Twist and Turn, £21.99
A portable, speedy and easy version of Scrabble, Twist N Turn is a great game to get the whole family spelling. There are no points, lots of wildcard tiles mix play up and younger kids can compete (and win!) against older players easily. Pack it in your suitcase to add a spelling dimension to holiday evenings!
Roald Dahl The BFG Spelling Games, £7
Create crosswords and challenge yourself with some quick-fire spelling races with seven spelling games based on The BFG by Roald Dahl. A wondercrump way for Key Stage 1 and 2 children to develop their spelling skills.
Teach Your Monster to Read tabletop phonics games, free
A downloadable and printable companion to the brilliant Teach Your Monster to Read interactive games, these "board" games help new readers (and spellers!) identify and match letter-sounds and practise blending, segmenting and word recognition. And they're completely free!
Have fun with spelling, TheSchoolRun subscriber learning pack
A downloadable pack of 18 spelling games for EYFS, KS1 and KS2, including print-out boards and instructions. Help your child practise learning a list of new words, applying a spelling rule, using a dictionary, recalling alphabetical order, identifying silent letters, counting syllables, rhyming and more.
