The best spelling games for kids of all ages

Whether you're looking for online games, board games or apps, we've got it covered with this list of top KS1 and KS2 spelling games for kids in year 1 to year 6.

Learning how to spell doesn't have to be boring for your child. These KS1 and KS2 spelling games for kids are super fun and addictive, and will actually encourage your little one to want to get some practice in every day!

From free online games to board games and the top spelling apps, we've covered a whole range of ways for your child to get to grips with spelling and have fun at the same time.

We love Matilda's Splendid Spelling Game based on the Roald Dahl character, that's suitable for children aged six and up. See more details here at Amazon.

How can I teach spelling easily?

When it comes to children, there's no better way to improve the learning experience than to make it fun and engaging! That means hands-on experiments, practical lessons - and yes, even games!

There's an extensive body of research that shows that children learn better when they're actively engaged and participating in learning, rather than just being passive recipients. So when it comes to something like spelling training, things like vocabulary games online, educational spelling games, and even fun spelling activities for children are all effective ways of getting kids to be fully engaged with the act of spelling.

Plus, gamifying learning has been shown to be very helpful in instruction - not just for children, but for adults as well! That's why all these learning apps have become so popular, from language learning apps with word games, to interactive programming apps that teach you how to code.

So remember: Educational games aren't just fun. They're a legitimate way of effectively teaching your kids!

KS1 spelling games

These are perfect for kids in year 1 and year 2, who are just getting to grips with the idea of spelling. They can also be a useful recap for older kids who need a bit of extra help, plus many have harder levels for more advanced spellers.

1. Teach Your Monster to Read

Available online (free to play) or as an app, Teach Your Monster To Read features three games for children of different abilities, from starting out with phonics to reading comprehension exercises.

With loads of mini-games within each game, and brilliantly fun graphics, this award-winning resource is loved by kids, teachers and parents alike.

2. Spooky Spelling

This simple online game has levels for both KS1 and KS2. In Spooky Spelling, words appear on the screen briefly, then disappear. The child then has to choose the right spooky letters to spell the word out on the screen. When they get it right, they're rewarded with a fun animation.

3. Wordsearch Junior

This is an excellent board game if you have kids of different ages. Young kids can just search for pictures and patterns, while older kids can progress to searching for words.

With Wordsearch Junior, the race is on to see who will find the word first! Your child will probably also enjoy playing around with it on their own (though it contains small pieces, so you should always be around to supervise).

4. Forest Phonics

Great for kids who are just starting out on their literacy journey, Forest Phonics lets you focus on particular phonemes, such as 'ng', 'ee' or 'a_e'. Just choose the one to focus on, and hear words containing that phoneme. Then drag phonemes into the correct place to spell each word out on the screen.

Correct answers are rewarded with a surprisingly fun animal animation - how many different animations can you find?

5. Karate Cats

With voice talent from none other than David Tennant, Karate Cats lets kids progress through different levels by completing sentences, choosing correct spellings of sounds, and completing grammar tasks. With plenty of karate-chopping feline fun along the way, the bright graphics and addictive rewards system are sure to keep kids coming back for more.

6. Sight Words & Phonics Reading

From tracing letters to blending sounds, there are more than 500 different reading activities for kids to enjoy in this fun spelling game for kids. Join Abby the monkey as she journeys through space and travels to magical islands completing learning activities along the way. Sight Words & Phonics Reading is suitable for beginner readers aged 2-8.

Available on iPhone only. Free with in-app purchases.

7. Match and Spell Next Steps

This clever spelling game for kids can be played by your child on their own, or as a family. Using both letters and letter combinations (digraphs), children first spell the word with help, then turn the card over and spell it on their own. Although Match and Spell is aimed at children aged 5+, many parents say it's great for younger kids, too.

8. Spelling Bee Interactive

Although Spelling Bee Interactive is aimed at US kids, the fill-in-the-blanks-in-the-story format is fun and engaging for all ages. Listen to the story, then fill in the gaps with the correct words - spell them all right to get the highest score.

9. Bumper Boat Bash

This game is great for helping your little one practice plurals, and can be played multiplayer or against the computer. In Bumper Boat Bash, choose the correct plural to get a boost of speed for your boat and win the race! Competitive kids will especially love trying to top the leaderboard at the end.

10. Small Town Superheroes

With 18 different spelling games for kids, fab graphics, great characters and solid storytelling, this amazing game from the BBC has so much to keep your child entertained. With Small Town Superheroes, they'll be having so much fun, they probably won't even realise they're learning!

11. Word Wizard for Kids

With a talking movable alphabet for kids to explore, plus over 1,400 spelling questions and answers, this award-winning app is loved by thousands of parents. With Word Wizard, you can also create customised word lists.

Available on iPhone and Android for £3.99.

12. Egg Hunt

Another fairly simple educational spelling game for younger users. In Egg Hunt, users are presented with a list of words, then a set of eggs will appear showing the letters that make up one of the words. Crack the eggs in the right order to spell the word to win. To replay, choose one of the other word lists on the Spellzone website - there are loads of lists to choose from.

Once your child has mastered Egg Hunt, they may want to try Bouncing Anagrams, which is a similar game with a trickier twist (also available on the link above).

KS2 Spelling Games

With trickier words to practice, these interactive spelling games for kids are perfect for pupils in years 3 to 6, though many also have easier levels that can be fun for advanced younger kids, too.

1. Pirate Treasure Hunt

Pirate Treasure Hunt combines spelling and comprehension games with shape and number problems, to give your child a full brain workout! Help Pirate Jack explore a desert island, solving puzzles to progress to the next area.

2. Coconut Vowels

In this fast-paced game, words missing their vowels drop slowly down the page, while vowel digraphs appear at the bottom. Now for the fun bit: kids must shoot the right vowels at the right words, to make correctly-spelled words. Can your child reach the Coconut Vowels leaderboard?

3. Reading Eggs - Learn to Read

With interactive games, fun activities and thousands of digital story books, Reading Eggs is a fun way for kids to practise reading. It grows with your child, too, with activities suitable for ages 2-13. There's so much to learn and explore, it has real staying power.

This teacher-created app is available on iPhone and Android, with a free trial for new users.

4. Spellingframe

Spellingframe is an excellent choice if there are particular areas your child needs to focus on. Choose from particular digraphs and trigraphs, tricky exception words, or sounds for your child to practice using interactive games. You can even add your own word list! Although there are several paid options, the free-to-play game has plenty to it, including lots of repetition to really help those spellings stick.

5. Squeebles Spelling Test

Squeebles Spelling Test lets you create your own spelling lists for your child to practice in interactive games - or choose from over 200 spelling lists tailored to the national curriculum.

This cute app is available on iPhone and Android for £3.99.

6. Letter Blocks

Warning: this one can be addictive! In a cross between a word search and Candy Crush, kids need to find words among the letters at the bottom, as more letters fall from above. Can they clear the board fast enough?

7. Bananagrams

This fun 'board' game doesn't actually require a board at all! Bananagrams is a bit like a simpler version of Scrabble - each player has a set number of tiles, and the aim of the game is to get rid of them by spelling words.

8. Crystal Explorers

In another stunning game from the BBC, your child will travel through exciting worlds, solving spelling, punctuation and grammar puzzles to collect crystals as they go. In Crystal Explorers, your child can play as one of four different characters. Expect to hear some chuckles as they go - there's a lot of great humour here, too.

9. Sir Linkalot

Are there some words your little one particularly struggles to spell? We know that even we still struggle with 'necessary' sometimes! This fun app is aimed at helping kids remember the trickiest spellings, using fun mnemonics (memory devices). Designed around the UK curriculum, Sir Linkalot also has features to help with vocab, grammar, punctuation and more!

Currently only available for iPhone, and available for free during the coronavirus lockdown.

10. Misspelled Words Quiz

Help your child get the hang of some of the most commonly misspelled words with this simple game. Although the Misspelled Words Quiz isn't quite as engaging as some others on the list (and in our opinion, there's something just a little bit creepy about the cartoon mascot), the focus on tricky words is great for older kids.

Once your child has mastered these words, there's a second quiz, too.

11. Koala Paddleboards

This game is great for developing your child's typing skills, as well as their spelling. In Koala Paddleboards, your child will hear words read aloud (unfortunately in an American accent), then have to type the words as quick as they can - with the right spelling - to propel their paddleboard faster and win the race. Can be played solo or multiplayer.

12. Wordsmithery

Does your older child think they have spelling sussed? Introduce them to some new words with this devilishly tricky and surprisingly hilarious board game. With Wordsmithery, even adults may struggle as they try guess the meanings of words like 'Bacchanalian' and 'egregious'.

Looking for more ways to boost your child's brainpower? Check out these ideas or swap tips with other parents in our forum below.

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