Spelling Baseball is one of the most popular word spelling games I know! You can provide fun spelling practice with this game again and again as you update your spelling review word list.
Keep reading for a complete explanation of the game rules. Then see my list of sample spelling words suitable for use with students in about grades 4-5.
1. Draw a baseball diamond on a dry-erase board.
2. Choose an emcee and a scorekeeper. The emcee reads the spelling words. The scorekeeper keeps track of base runners, runs, and outs.
3. Divide the players into two teams.
4. Decide how many innings will be played.
5. The emcee reads a word to the first player on Team 1. It will be either a single, double, triple or HR, based on difficulty.
6. If the player spells the word correctly, the scorekeeper puts an X on the proper base. For instance, if the player answer a SINGLE correctly, the scorekeeper draws an X on first base.
7. If the player answers incorrectly, he makes an out.
8. The next player comes to bat. If he answers correctly, the scorekeeper advances the first base runner and adds another. Note: There are no stolen bases. Runners only advance as far as the batter. For example, suppose there is a runner on first base. The batter correctly answers a DOUBLE. The runner on first advances to third base, and the batter goes to second base.
9. Play continues until Team 1 has 3 outs.
10. Team 2 goes to bat for the bottom of the first inning.
11. The team with the most runs when the game ends is the winner.
You should use spelling words that are appropriate to the level of your students. Here is a sample list of spelling words that could be used for approximately 4th or 5th grade. It is very easy to adapt this game to any grade. Words are labeled S for Single, D for Double, T for Triple and HR for Home Run.
1. button - S
2. aunt - S
3. cousin - D
4. dawn - S
5. enough - T
6. caring - S
7. building - D
8. between - S
9. committee - HR
10. blown - S
11. depth - D
12. chance - S
13. banana - D
14. crooked - S
15. proper - S
16. abbreviation - HR
17. either - T
18. false - S
19. coin - S
20. forty - D
21. listen - S
22. monkey - S
23. nickel - D
24. guarantee - HR
25. action - S
26. hospital - D
27. circle - S
28. worse - S
29. cinnamon - T
30. occasion - HR
Find LOTS more spelling words on my graded spelling word lists. If you need words for a sixth grade game, for example, print out the word lists for grades 6 - 9. Use words from the 6th grade list for singles, and words from the 7th grade list for doubles and triples. Find home run words on the 8th and 9th grade lists.
Free spelling activities for two players - "Shady Spelling" Printable game boards for two players.
Double the Fun - To double or not to double the final consonant when adding a suffix? Another great word spelling game!
Fifty-Fifty - Fun word game for kids. Older students earn points as they engage in word play and spelling fun.
You can also find lots of Spelling Word Lists and Spelling Bee Resources here at Spelling-Words-Well.
See the blue buttons on the left to find almost anything you need to help you in the teaching of spelling!
Try our Online Spelling Game for Homonym Practice! Best for upper elementary, middle school, high school students and even adults. Fun and easy to use.
Here's another fun spelling bee quiz you're sure to love! You can find lots more Word Spelling Games on this website, so be sure to take a look around while you're here!
Don't miss all the fun puzzles and individual games that your students can play, too! In spare moments throughout the week, or for FUN homework assignments, consider printing off and handing out some of the many crosswords and word scrambles here at Spelling Words Well. Here are just two examples:
Watermelon Words - Every answer to this fun crossword is spelled using the letters in WATERMELON. (You'll be surprised at how many words are possible.) A juicy challenge, for sure!
Yum-Yum! A delicious word scramble, full of compound food words. You won't find any doughnuts or fruitcakes here, but you will find 15 other foods.
Ann Richmond Fisher is a longtime published educational writer, a former classroom teacher and a former homeschool teacher. Ann's spelling bee resources, graded spelling word lists, spelling games, worksheets, and other language arts resources have become respected around the globe since she launched Spelling-Words-Well in 2010.
Ann is also the creator of www.word-game-world.com.
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Young Spellers Spelling Bee Word List for Grades 1 & 2 only
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600 Spelling Bee Words & Sentences for Gr 3/5 & 6/8 Extra words & sentences at two levels