Looking for a way to practise English spelling away from screens? This free printable spelling bee workbook includes 19 crossword puzzles, 19 word searches, and a progress tracker, covering 380 English words and phrases.
Choose an A4 workbook or a foldable A5 booklet, with colour and black-and-white PDFs available for both formats.
My child is learning English as a foreign language and preparing for a spelling bee competition at school. Their English teacher supplied a word list, and the class uses Cambridge books at Pre A1 Starters level. I wanted to make offline practice a little more inviting.
As a software developer, I used AI to help create a printable workbook that my child could work through with a pencil, one activity at a time. I’m sharing it here for other families looking for English spelling activities.
What’s inside the workbook?
The workbook has 40 pages, including:
- 19 crossword puzzles with short English clues and supporting word banks.
- 19 word searches with words running across or down.
- 380 vocabulary entries, including individual words and everyday phrases.
- Four practice stages to organise the activities into manageable sections.
- A progress tracker where children can feel how they are progressing.
The vocabulary includes words such as bird, banana, and school, alongside phrases such as living room and take a photo.
Who is it for?
The workbook is intended for children learning English as a foreign language, with vocabulary drawn from the Pre A1 Starters wordlist.
Children who are still beginning to read English may need an adult’s help with the crossword clues. You can read a clue together, discuss its meaning, and then let your child try spelling the answer.
If your child is preparing for a school spelling bee, compare the workbook vocabulary with the teacher’s list. Each school may choose different words.
This is independently created practice material and is not an official Cambridge publication.
Download your free spelling bee workbook
All four PDFs are free to download.
| Format | Colour PDF | Black-and-white PDF |
|---|---|---|
| A5 booklet — folds into a small book | Download A5 colour booklet | Download A5 black-and-white booklet |
| A4 workbook — larger pages for writing | Download A4 colour workbook | Download A4 black-and-white workbook |
Choose A4 if your child prefers more writing space. Choose A5 if you would like a compact booklet to keep in a bag or take along on a journey.
How to print the A5 booklet
The A5 PDF is already arranged for booklet printing. It contains 20 landscape A4 PDF pages, which make a 40-page A5 booklet using 10 sheets of paper when printed double-sided.
- Open the A5 PDF and select A4 paper.
- Choose landscape orientation.
- Enable double-sided printing and select “flip on the short edge.”
- Select one PDF page per printed side. Do not apply an additional “booklet” or “multiple pages per sheet” setting.
- Print the first two PDF pages as a test to check that both sides are the right way up.
- Print the complete file, keep the sheets in order, and fold the stack in half.
- Staple along the centre fold to hold the booklet together.
The page order may look unusual on screen. That is intentional: the pages fall into reading order after printing and folding.
How to print the A4 workbook
Open the A4 PDF and select A4 paper, portrait orientation, and one PDF page per printed side.
You can print it single-sided or double-sided. For double-sided printing, select “flip on the long edge.” Print the whole workbook or just the activities you want to use.
I hope these activities make spelling practice more enjoyable for your family. If you try the workbook, leave a comment or send me a message. I’d love to hear which activities your child enjoyed and what would make the next version more useful.
Have fun practising!