The ABCs of Games for Reading

When it comes to hands-on games to practice reading skills, a good mix includes Active games, Board games, and Card games. (For free online games for phonics, check out this Symbaloo.) This post contains ideas for each kind of hands-on game.

Alphabet

• A. Fishing for letters (kidergartencrayons) Match on Bubble Letters (pdf) mat and cover with glass gems. (free from Super Tutor Tools)
• B. ABC chutes & ladders (supersimple)
• C. ABC snap (growingkinders) or Animal alphabet (filefolderfun)

Phonemic Awareness

• A. magnet match (childhood101.com)
• B. Rhyming quilts (pdf from lakeshore)
• C. Syllable sort (petersons-pad)

Short Vowels (CVC words)

• A. word roll: Make letter dice with a template from atozteacherstuff. Set a timer & roll to make the most real words. Or CVC pancake flip (turnstall’s teaching tidbits)
• B. Pick a CVC word card from Blog Lovin and move to the vowel sound on the board from Deceptively Educational. Or nice dice short vowels (Super Tutor Tools)
• C. 1-2-3 Flip It (thisreadingmama)

Word Families

• A. Word family toss (icanteachmychild) or roll through correct plastic tube into a bucket.
• B. Word Family Treasure (free from Super Tutor Tools) Write word family endings onto the game board. Print cards with word families (flyingintolearning) to draw & match with the endings. Get extra treasure for spotting a rhyming pair. Printable treasure coins at Battle For Sight Words from Liz’s Early Learning Spot.
• C. MargD cards: Sort into piles by vowel. Spin a vowel (FCRR) & pick a card from that pile. Use an alphabet arc (FCRR) & make as many words as you can.

Blends

• A. Blend target shoot. Write two different blends with dry erase marker on Solo plastic plates. Mix pictures for the two blends (from flyingintolearning below) to draw and throw a suction cup ball to hit the correct target.
• B. Picture blend (flyingintolearning) match onto chart (thisreadingmama) or Great Green Grapes Blend Board Game (Super Tutor Tools)
• C. Initial Blends go fish (Adrian Bruce)

Silent e

• A. Silent e/CVC table soccer w/bottle caps & berry basket or target shoot with picture cards from Spin & Spell (thisreadingmama)
• B. Bee hive game or Space Race Board Game in the Silent e Freebie (Super Tutor Tools)
• C. Silent e go fish (Smart Alec Resources) or Silent e bottle cap letters (thisreadingmama)

Bossy R

• A. Park the car (thebubblegumtree)
• B. Bird in the dirt (Super Tutor Tools)
• C. Bossy r go fish (themeasuredmom)

Consonant Digraphs

• A. Paint stick match (thisreadingmama)
• B. Fish with a wish, bird on the wing (Super Tutor Tools)
• C. Roll, Read and Keep (free from Super Tutor Tools) Print Digraph cards from bogglesworldesl.com and mix in BAM & SWIPE cards. (pdf)

Diphthongs (vowel teams that make new sounds)

• A. OI/OY target shoot with suction cup balls (flyingintolearning)
• B. Goose on the Loose too, Dog on the lawn or the Phonics Patterns Board Game Set (Super Tutor Tools)
• C. Gurgling Gargoyle game (Adrian Bruce)

Vowel Teams that are often long

• A. Pick & Toss – Cut 3 equal size holes in a large box or trifold presentation board. Label the holes AI, EA, & OA. Print Marshmallow Match from thebubblegumtree & cut out the word cards. Take turns drawing a card & tossing a ball or beanbag through the correct hole. 1st one to match & toss all three targets wins.
• B. Make the Cake (Long A-Silent e & vowel teams), Nice Dice Vowel Teams, AI/AY Board game or the Phonics Patterns Board Game Set (Super Tutor Tools)
• C. Vowel Pattern Yahtzee (Super Tutor Tools)

Sight Words

• A. Fish For Sight Words (differentiatedkindgergarten)
• B. Roll a Color Sight Word Game (Super Tutor Tools)
• C. Sight Word Sentence Shake: cut words in columns apart and put into a bottle. Shake a word from each bottle to make a sentence. (free at Super Tutor Tools)

SHORT, LONG, or BOSSY R

After learning about Silent e and Bossy R, click on the wheel below to practice the patterns! Make three columns on the top of a page, with the headings: SHORT, LONG, or BOSSY R. Take turns spinning the wheel to choose a column, then roll dice to choose a word. See who can make the longest list of words in 5 minutes.

 

You can also download a worksheet. It can be printed on cardstock and the words cut apart for a word sort.

Games of all kinds make learning to read fun!