Are you looking for ways to help your child improve their second-grade spelling skills?
You’ve come to the right place.
In today’s piece, we’re going to dive headfirst into the world of spelling books aimed explicitly at second-grade students. We’ve scoured the vast entirety of the internet to find the very best second-grade spelling books that will help your child to improve their spelling and writing skills.
The Best Workbooks To Improve First Grade Spelling
The importance of spelling can never be understated; therefore, doing absolutely every you can to ensure your child’s spelling (and overall) development is as smooth a ride as possible is imperative.
While spelling books alone aren’t a magic route to success, they are an invaluable tool for boosting literacy and development and play an essential role in your child’s spelling journey. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best books to improve spelling in second-grade students.
Spectrum Spelling: 2nd Grade
Spectrum is one of the leading educational workbook publishers in the US; therefore, it’s no surprise that their first-grade spelling workbook appears on this list. For the last 20 years, Spectrum has partnered with teachers and parents to help children achieve and surpass their learning goals.
This 208-page first-grade spelling workbook contains 32 lessons and covers topics such as vowel sounds, plurals, family words, number words, consonant digraphs, and much more.
The learning process is centered around progressive lessons that encompass second-grade spelling fundamentals, including sight words, compound words, word endings, contractions, vowel sounds, homonyms, misspelled words, and more. The book’s progressive learning structure is designed to nurture vocabulary expansion and the skills required to spell with precision.
Furthermore, this workbook will also help boost proficiency where core second-grade spelling and reading concepts are concerned, such as using context to decipher word and phrase meanings, learning how to read and comprehend informational texts, and learning spelling patterns when writing.
Each of the 32 lessons centers around a single concept to help your child build and reinforce their second-grade spelling skills. To ensure the learning process is as engaging as possible, the book contains fun, full-color exercises and activities, including puzzles, fill-in-the-blanks, word scrambles, brainteasers, riddles, tracing, and other word-based games.
With a rating of 4.7/5 from over 720 reviews, it’s clear that this workbook is well-liked by parents, teachers, and most importantly, children alike. Spectrum’s books really do support your child’s educational journey at every step of the way.
Word Detective: 130 Games and Puzzles to Improve Spelling – Second Grade
If you’ve read any of our articles here on Reading Education (or any other articles related to learning, for that matter), you’ll be fully aware that making learning fun is one of the primary keys to success. Well, the Word Detective series from Ann Richmond Fisher does just that – and then some!
Kids absolutely love learning through amusing and enjoyable activities, games, and exercises – and what could be more fun than improving spelling skills by solving a mystery? Not much, that’s for sure!
As they make their way through Word Detective, your child will encounter 130 puzzles and learn to spell 200 words. Each chapter of the book is dedicated to different themes, such as animals, friends, family, and more. The creative puzzles in each section will help your child to practice words and use them in their own sentences.
According to the book’s marketing, “Second-grade sleuths add to their vocabulary and spelling skills with crossword puzzles, word searches, fill-in-the-blank pages, and other fun activities. With every new word they learn, they’ll them in order to solve the in-book mystery.”
An average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 330 ratings confirms just how fun and effective this second-grade spelling book is!
Building Spelling Skills: Grade Two
Published all the way back in 2002, this offering from Evan-Moor is another highly rated second-grade spelling workbook. Although it might be easy to dismiss a book published nigh-on twenty years ago, the activities and exercises contained in this book are still 100% relevant to learning in 2020 (and beyond) and will undoubtedly help second-grade students to improve their spelling ability.
Correlated to state standards, this workbook helps second-grade students learn how to spell a whopping 300 words, which is achieved through a series of methods and activities specifically created to boost engagement and interest.
Split into 30 weekly sections; your child will learn to read, spell, and write ten new words each week, in addition to playing games, solving puzzles, and completing hidden word challenges to help them understand how and when to use the words they’ve learned.
By the time your child reaches second grade, spelling becomes even more challenging; therefore, the activities and exercises in this book have been specifically designed to help second-grade students learn how to spell tricky words and how to recognize the context of these words in sentences.
We rate this second-grade spelling workbook very highly, which is echoed by the 319 reviews on Amazon that give an average rating of 4.7/5.
Sight Words and Spelling Workbook (Ages 6-8)
As the title implies, this book has been designed to help first- and second-grade children learn to spell and write sight words. The layout and activities contained within this book will go a long way to helping your child learn how to read and write high-frequency words, i.e., words that make up a large proportion of words in children’s books. Acquisition of the ability to recognize, understand, and ultimately, write sight words will help provide a solid reading foundation on which your child can expand their vocabulary. After all, once sight words are mastered, learning more complex words becomes a far easier task.
The book contains fundamental spelling and writing activities, combining word tracing with fun activities and page designs to ensure your child stays fully engaged during the learning process.
In short, this spelling workbook from Modern Kid Press is a fantastic choice for both first and second-grade kids.
With an average rating of 4.8/5 from over 1,740 reviews and priced at an exceptionally reasonable $5.99, it’s no wonder that this book is a go-to for thousands of parents out there.
Plus, if purchased when your child is in first grade, you’re effectively getting two books for the price of one!
DK Workbooks – Spelling: Learn and Explore (Second Grade)
Dorling Kindersley’s workbook series has been developed in conjunction with leading education experts to build both understanding and confidence. They have been designed to help to children understand key concepts using fun and exciting exercises and activities – and this second-grade spelling workbook does precisely that.
DK’s Spelling: Learn and Explore (Second Grade) has been designed to complement what your child learns at school, helping your child solidify and boost their word-formation and overall spelling skills. It’s perfect for helping children aged seven and eight build overall spelling confidence and introduce them to such concepts as homophones, prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, and vowel teams.
Although some teachers or parents might be put off by its relatively short length (60 pages), there is so much crammed into this book that it makes it a worthwhile purchase for the price. What’s more, it contains a wide array of fun and engaging puzzles, games, and exercises, all designed to make learning as enjoyable and efficient as possible.
We wholeheartedly agree with the 210 reviewers who gave it an average score of 4.6/5 stars on Amazon. DK has always produced exceptional educational workbooks, and this is no exception.
Daily Word Ladders: Grades Two and Three
Published by well-renowned educational publisher Scholastic, this second and third-grade spelling workbook contains 100 reproducible word study lessons that help children to improve their spelling, phonics, reading, and vocabulary skills independently…in just ten minutes a day!
The book’s author, Dr. Timothy V. Rasinski, is a professor of education who specializes in teaching, leadership, and curriculum studies. His expertise lies not only in teaching graduates and undergraduates but also in teaching – and indeed helping – children who find learning to spell, read, and write difficult. Having published over 100 articles and ten books on different elements of reading education, Dr. Rasinski is undoubtedly well placed to advise on how to help your child boost their spelling, reading, and writing skills, hence why this second-grade spelling workbook is on our list of the best spelling books for second-grade students! Nigh-on 800 reviews averaging 4.7 stars out of 5 on Amazon lay testament to how child-friendly and effective this spelling workbook is.
180 Days of Spelling and Word Study: Grade 2
Shell Education’s 180 Days Series is the perfect complement to what your second-grade child learns at school.
Why?
Because it furnishes your child with daily spelling practice for every single day of their school year, helping them to master spelling rules, patterns, and conventions. Split into weekly sections; this second-grade spelling workbook can be seamlessly incorporated into the classroom and home learning environments.
The fun and engaging weekly exercises and activities help second-grade students to learn new words and tackle concepts such as analogies, prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, inflectional endings, word sorts, and much, much more! The books’ structure relies more on repetition, which means your child will focus on the words rather than activities and games, which helps to boost independent learning and practice.
Like most of the books on this list, 180 Days of Spelling and Word Study: Grade Two is rated at 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon from nearly 200 reviews.
Highlights: Second Grade Phonics and Spelling Workbook
Highlights have been publishing educational books for nigh-on 75 years, making them one of the world’s leading learning book publishers. Therefore, it’s safe to say that any books or educational learning tools from their vast range of products are tried and tested, and most importantly, can be trusted to promote development and boost your child’s academic skills and ability. Highlights’ range of educational books has earned them several awards, including the Teachers’ Choice Award 2020, the Family Choice Award 2019, and two PAL (Play Advances Language) Awards.
This specific workbook is part of the ‘Learning Fun’ workbook series – a series that focuses on a single subject area in each book. Like all of the other books in this range, Second-Grade Phonics and Spelling is brimming full of age-specific exercises, activities, games, and puzzles to help build spelling and phonics skills in an engaging, fun, and enjoyable way.
It will help second-grade children to master age-appropriate phonics and spelling, helping them to reinforce what they’ve already learned, in addition to laying the foundations for future learning. The combination of humor, puzzles, playful art and bright colors will keep your child engaged and entertained every time this book comes out. Rated at 4.5/5 stars on Amazon, this second-grade spelling workbook is a highly-rated book that complements school-based learning perfectly.
School Zone: Big Spelling Workbook– Grades 1 to 3
School Zone’s Big Spelling Workbook is a mammoth spelling book that has been designed for children in grades one, two, and three. Crammed full with over 300 exercises, games, and activities, this spelling workbook is certain to keep your child engaged and learning throughout first, second, and third grades, helping to improve a wide array of language skills, including spelling patterns, word recognition, letter sounds, and much, much more. The colorful and child-friendly illustrations will be a surefire hit with kids, boosting engagement and ensuring learning is as fun as it possibly can be!
As with all home spelling workbooks, this offering from School Zone has been specifically designed to complement and reinforce school-based learning but can also be used to accompany homeschooling methods. The exercises and activities included in this spelling workbook revolve around the use of handwriting rather than typing on a computer; therefore, your child will boost their handwriting skills in addition to their spelling ability.
School Zone has been around for over 40 years and has been used by parents and teachers the world over to promote learning. The learning materials they create help children develop the most essential skills using proven, engaging, and enjoyable exercises, activities, and games.
On Amazon.com, this spelling book has an average rating of 4.8/5 stars from a whopping 1,360 reviews, which isn’t a surprise given the content’s quality.
School Zone: Spelling Puzzles Workbook – First and Second Grades
School Zone’s Spelling Puzzles workbook for six to eight year old perfectly complements their Big Spelling Workbook mentioned above. This 61-page spelling puzzle book contains numerous pules, codes, and riddles to help your second-grade child reinforce essential spelling skills across several areas including, but not limited to compound words, word beginning and ending sounds, vowel sounds.
There is no doubt that this workbook can help your second-grade child master the basics of spelling. They’ll learn which letters come first, next, and last, how letters work together, how to sound out letters and words, and reproduce word patterns – all essential components of both reading and writing. But it doesn’t only cover the fundamentals; it also focuses on more challenging concepts, such as spelling patterns and letter combinations, which may make your child’s transition to third-grade learning much smoother.
Once again, there is a focus on the written word rather than typing on a keyboard, so it allows your child to hone their handwriting skills. This helps to ignite areas of your child’s grey matter that help reinforce what they’ve learned and think of new ideas.
In short, this puzzle-based spelling workbook is the perfect accompaniment to both school-based learning and home-based learning. Rated at 4.7/5 from over 400 ratings exemplifies just how good this first-grade spelling workbook is.
Skill Sharpeners – Spell and Write (Grade Two)
Given publisher Evan-Moor’s extensive background in educational literature and texts, it’s no surprise that another of their spelling workbooks has made it onto this list. Their Skill Sharpeners series of books complement what your child is learning in the classroom and work well in tandem with other Evan-Moor workbooks.
This second-grade spelling workbook revolves around two things: having fun and building confidence, two elements of learning that are absolutely critical to success. If learning isn’t fun, engagement decreases; this can hinder learning progress and may even inhibit confidence building. Therefore, ensuring learning is fun and exciting is the key – something that this book does wholeheartedly.
The 144-page book is split into 12 units, each of which is based around a different theme and structured to keep your child engaged and focused while completing the activities. At the end of each section, your child will complete an assessment to test how much they’ve learned and retained, giving them the opportunity to showcase the knowledge they’ve accrued (which is great for building confidence!).
Rated at 4.6 out of 5 stars, this second-grade spelling workbook is a worthwhile purchase.
Jumbo Language Arts Success Workbook: Second Grade
There’s a good reason why this book’s publisher utilized the word ‘Jumbo’ in the title…it truly is a mammoth workbook! Not only does this second-grade workbook cover spelling, but it also contains activities to help boost reading skills and expand vocabulary. In effect, this is three books in one, which undoubtedly makes it a worthwhile and cost-effective purchase for parents with children in second grade.
This offering from Sylvan Learning is a whopping 320 pages in length and is brimming full of kid-friendly, teacher-reviewed exercises and activities. It is a fantastic choice for second-grade learning as it facilitates the building of a strong foundation of language art skills, which are needed for first-grade students to mature into successful readers.
The book contains over 300 brightly colored and engaging pages designed to help your child further progress their spelling, reading, and writing comprehension, covering such concepts as: compounds and contractions, hard and soft letter sounds, silent consonants, consonant blends, prefixes and suffixes, long and short vowel spelling, reading comprehension, and much more. In short, it will help your little one to learn efficiently and effectively, and, most importantly, have fun while doing so!
What’s more, Sylvan Learning Workbooks won a NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Award) Honours Award, making them renowned in the field of children’s learning books. Their proven system helps to inspire children to ‘catch up, keep up, and get ahead’, so it’s no wonder that parents nationwide use and recommend their workbooks, not only for second-grade children but for kids of all ages. Their workbooks feature fun and engaging activities, stories, and games designed to reinforce the fundamental skills required to help children reach their full potential.
Sylvan Learning – Second Grade Spelling Flashcards
Ok, so this isn’t technically a second-grade spelling book, but these flashcards from Sylvan Learning will certainly help your second-grade child improve their spelling skills and expand their vocabulary. Designed for learning in any environment, spelling flashcards are a handy tool for boosting spelling ability and learning concepts such as sight words, vowels, consonants, contractions, word endings, silent letters, irregular plurals, and letter sounds.
This flashcards pack contains 230 words to help boost second-grade spelling and phonics, in addition to ten blank cards to allow you and your child to add personal words, such as names, their favorite toys, foods, and household objects…or anything else they’d like to add! Plus, each card has a colorful illustration to help your child learn word-image association, which can help to boost early analytical and reasoning skills.
If you’re looking for something different from second-grade spelling workbooks, flashcards are a superb choice to complement learning. They can be used anywhere at any time, whether you’ve got five minutes or an hour.
10 Minutes a Day Spelling: Second Grade
Modern life is busy, often making it hard to find sufficient time to squeeze everything in…which is why DK created their 10 Minutes a Day series of educational books. Each book has been developed in conjunction with leading educational experts to build confidence and understanding. So, if you ever find yourself short time for home-based spelling practice, this workbook is the ideal choice.
Aimed specifically at second-grade students, this book covers a wide range of topics, such as prefixes, syllables, nouns, verbs, apostrophes, and word endings. Each topic is introduced in an easy-to-understand and child-friendly manner, so your child can complete the activities either under guidance or on their own.