Having a word work center gives children plenty of opportunities to build and create words. It is important to keep this engaging for little learners so that they can get the most out of the center. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean hours of extra work. There are plenty of simple ways to spice up a word work center.
I had a rolling cart with colorful drawers set up at my word work center. Then I kept the different supplies organized so that students could pull out a drawer and have all the supplies they needed for that activity. Then when they were ready for something new, they just put the drawer back and chose another. I found that by having a lot of options, students stayed engaged while working, and it was a well loved center.
Note: Make sure your expectations for each activity and clean up are clear before letting students try them. The supplies can get really messy if students don’t know how you expect them to clean up. I always model the expectations as I introduce new options for the center.
Keep it Simple
You can spice up your center simply by adding in new supplies for students to work with. I have added links for your convenience. Some of them are affiliate links, which means I will earn a small amount on qualified purchases at no additional cost to you.
Here are a few ideas:
- Alphabet Stickers
- Letter Stamps
- Alphabet Beads
- Shape Words with Play-doh
- Play-doh Stamps and Playdough Mats
- Wikki Stix
- Roll a Word Dice
- White Crayons and Watercolor Paints {make words magically appear}
- Rainbow Writing (Write the words in rainbow colors)
- Magnet Letters (I love using a giant drip tray from the automotive department for them to stick the letters to. Think of it as a gigantic cookie sheet for magnets. Then they even have room to build sentences.)
I am excited to share the “Words I made” recording sheet with you all! Just make sure to subscribe below to get this exclusive freebie sent directly to your inbox. The supplies used in these pictures were provided by Oriental Trading. They have tons of fun teaching supplies!
Customize For Your Students
Are you looking for centers that you can customize with specific words? Since these centers are editable, you can type in any words or letters that you need. Which also means they are easy to differentiate for varying levels. You can use them to practice spelling words, sight words, names, and more. Check out the bundle here.
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