Spelling Game

So I totally made up a new game today for spelling review. Yeah, seriously! I did it with my three kids, obviously, but you could do it with any number of kids. You could even split a large class into two or three teams if you want. Ok, so, I had a small, soft & squishy ball (a must for 5th grade!=) that started out in my hands. I said a spelling word then tossed the ball to one of my students. That student said the first letter of the word then tossed the ball to another student who said the second letter of the word, passed the ball on, etc. The person who said the last letter of the word tossed the ball to me. I would say the word again, then start a new round with a new word. The kids loved the game. No kidding! I think it is also a worthwhile game because, rather than one student spelling a word at a time, all the students had to focus on every word. And, throwing the ball randomly back and forth forced students to pay even closer attention. They would try to see how fast they could spell and throw without missing a letter or a catch. What a blast! I felt momentarily brilliant, until I realized that someone, somewhere had to have already thought of this game. Oh well, it was new for me and I thought of it on my own, so there! I hope some who read this blog will be able to use it in their classroom, or even with your kids at home who need help reviewing their spelling words.