My dyslexic son and my youngest son (who struggles with auditory perception) really need hands on, kinesthetic activities to help them cement spelling into their brains. If those activities can also be fun, then all the better!
Enter “Jello spello”. Pour a package of jello powder into a bowl. Allow your child to trace his letters or spelling words into the powder.
I let my kids lick their finger after every correctly spelled word, but hey, I’m a softie for things like edible cookie dough maps and stuff of that nature. In fact, I told my boys that the more times they traced the words, the more times they could lick the jello powder off their finger. One boy only had 10 spelling words, but if he was willing to spell them each 5 times that meant 50 licks of jello powder. Guess what? He was more than willing.
There are only two problems with this activity. First, it can become mildly sickening, even for the kids…I didn’t really enjoy watching it, and none of them finished their jello powder before they decided it was too sweet. But they had fun getting to that point. Second, the jello tends to stain…faces, hands, clothing. Next time I think I would use vanilla pudding powder!
Love the pix of the jello eaters (lickers)! That’s a really great idea for all learners. I wonder if the words could be traced in cool whip and if that would be less messy/nauseating. I’ve seen this done in shaving cream but you can’t lick that! 🙂