6 Best Spelling Bee Guides For After School Programs That Keep Kids Engaged

So, you’re running the after-school spelling bee club, and the kids are buzzing with excitement—for the first ten minutes. Then the reality of staring at long, printed word lists sets in, and you can practically see their focus drifting. Choosing the right study guides is less about finding the hardest words and more about creating an environment where learning feels like a fun challenge, not a chore.

Choosing Guides for Group Spelling Bee Practice

When you’re working with a group, you’re not just teaching one child; you’re managing a dozen different energy levels, attention spans, and skill sets. One third-grader might be ready for regional bee words, while another is still mastering silent letters. The goal isn’t just to produce a champion, but to make every child feel successful and engaged.

This is where a mix of resources becomes your best friend. Relying on a single, one-size-fits-all word list is a recipe for boredom and frustration. Instead, think about your program’s core purpose. Is it a low-key enrichment activity focused on building confidence? Or is it a training ground for serious competitors? Your answer to that question will determine whether you need a structured weekly workbook or a high-level etymology guide.

A great after-school program blends different learning styles. Some days might be for quiet, focused workbook activities. Others should be for loud, team-based spelling games or interactive app challenges. By having a small library of diverse guides, you can pivot based on the group’s energy and keep the momentum going all semester.

Scripps’ Words of the Champions for Official Lists

If you have even one student who dreams of competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, this is your non-negotiable starting point. Words of the Champions is the official study guide published by Scripps each year. It contains the word lists used for school, district, and regional bees, making it the most direct path for any aspiring competitor.

The guide is brilliantly structured for progression. It starts with the "School Spelling Bee Study List," which is broken down by grade level (typically 1-8). This is perfect for your club’s internal bee, as it allows you to create fair, level-appropriate competitions. The real meat, however, is the full "Words of the Champions" list of 4,000 words, which forms the basis for higher-level bees.

Think of this guide as the official playbook. Using it ensures your spellers are studying the exact material they will encounter. It’s not the most dynamic or "fun" resource on its own, but for kids with a competitive fire, knowing they are studying the real words is all the motivation they need.

Merriam-Webster’s Spell It! for Core Concepts

Ever see a child’s eyes light up when they realize "telephone," "television," and "telegraph" all share a root meaning "far off"? That’s the magic of Spell It!. This guide, a collaboration between Merriam-Webster and Scripps, is less about memorizing lists and more about understanding the building blocks of words.

Spell It! is a fantastic resource for spellers in the 8-11 age range who are ready to move beyond basic phonics. It introduces them to language patterns, etymology (word origins), and common roots from Latin, Greek, and other languages. Instead of just memorizing that "receive" has an ei, they learn the "i before e, except after c" rule and, more importantly, why it works.

This guide is the perfect tool for turning rote memorization into a puzzle-solving activity. It empowers kids to tackle unfamiliar words by looking for familiar parts. For a group setting, you can build entire lessons around a single language root, turning your spellers into word detectives. It builds a foundation of knowledge that serves them long after the bee is over.

Spelling Bee Ninja App for Interactive Training

Let’s be honest: today’s kids are digital natives. The quickest way to lose their interest is to hand them a stack of paper. The Spelling Bee Ninja app (and others like it) meets them where they are, turning study time into screen time they’ll actually be excited about.

These apps gamify the practice process. Kids can take mock tests that mimic a real bee, with words read aloud by a clear voice. They get immediate feedback, track their scores, and can even compete on leaderboards. This element of play is incredibly powerful for maintaining motivation, especially for kids who thrive on competition and immediate results.

For an after-school program, an app is a logistical dream. You can have several kids practicing independently on tablets with headphones, each working at their own level. You can also project the app onto a screen for a group game. It’s a fantastic way to break up the monotony of traditional study and provide a realistic simulation of a bee’s oral format.

Hexco’s Verbomania for Advanced Etymology Study

You’ll know when a child is ready for Hexco. This is the speller who has mastered the official lists, understands core etymology, and is now hungry for the kind of obscure, mind-bending words that show up in the final rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Verbomania and other Hexco products are the equivalent of elite-level athletic training for spellers.

These guides are not for the faint of heart or the casual club. They are dense, academic, and focused on deep linguistic study. They group words by language of origin and root, forcing spellers to develop an intuitive understanding of how words are constructed. This is the tool that helps a child figure out an unknown word on stage by recognizing a familiar Greek root.

Investing in a resource like this is a decision that should be driven by the child’s own passion and commitment. It’s a significant step up in complexity and cost. But for that one speller in your group who lives and breathes words, it can be the key that unlocks their potential to compete at the highest level.

Evan-Moor’s Building Spelling Skills Workbooks

Sometimes, you just need a reliable, structured curriculum that you can open and use with minimal prep. Evan-Moor’s Building Spelling Skills series is a classroom staple for a reason: it works. These grade-specific workbooks provide a consistent, easy-to-follow weekly format that is perfect for a mixed-ability after-school group.

Each week introduces a list of words based on a specific phonetic rule or pattern (like long vowels or consonant blends), along with several pages of activities to reinforce the learning. The activities are varied—word searches, fill-in-the-blanks, and proofreading exercises—which helps keep younger kids engaged. The clear, predictable structure makes it easy to manage a group.

This is an ideal choice for programs focused on general academic enrichment rather than elite competition. It helps kids become better spellers for their schoolwork and builds a solid foundation. You can easily assign pages for kids to work on quietly before moving into a more active group game, making it a versatile anchor for your weekly schedule.

The Spelling Bee Toolbook for Coaching Strategy

Your effectiveness as a coach or program leader is just as important as the materials your students use. The Spelling Bee Toolbook and similar coaching guides are designed for you, the adult in charge. They shift the focus from what to study to how to teach it effectively.

These guides are filled with practical strategies for running a successful club. You’ll find tips on how to conduct a mock bee, techniques for helping kids manage stage fright, and creative games to make practice more fun. They also provide frameworks for teaching study methods, like how to approach a new word list or analyze a word’s etymology.

Having a coaching guide is like having an experienced mentor in your corner. It gives you the confidence to structure your program, support your spellers’ emotional needs, and create a positive and motivating environment. Remember, a well-organized and supportive club is the foundation on which great spellers are built.

Integrating Guides for a Dynamic Program Schedule

The secret to a successful and engaging spelling club isn’t finding the one perfect guide—it’s learning how to weave several of them together. A dynamic program keeps kids on their toes and caters to different learning styles. No single resource can accomplish that on its own.

Imagine a typical week:

• Monday: Introduce the weekly list from an Evan-Moor workbook to establish a baseline.
• Wednesday: Do a deep dive on a concept from Spell It!, like Greek roots, using words from the official Scripps list as examples.
• Friday: Hold a fun, low-stakes competition using the Spelling Bee Ninja app on a projector, letting kids compete in teams.

This blended approach ensures you are building foundational skills, preparing for competition, and incorporating interactive fun. You can reserve the high-level Hexco materials for a small breakout group of your most advanced spellers. By mixing and matching, you create a rich, multi-faceted program where every child can find their own path to success and, most importantly, stay excited about words.

Ultimately, the best guides are the ones that spark curiosity and build confidence in your young spellers. Don’t be afraid to mix and match resources to create a program that is as unique as the kids in it. Your goal is to foster a love of language that will last long after the final bell of the bee has rung.