Tanya Teaching reading can be fun through word games along with a solid phonics program. As you may know, I have been trying out a new program this year to teach reading to my kiddos – UFLI – yes, the ever so popular program that has been sweeping the education world. It has been one month, and I am loving it so far. The best part… it is mostly all free!! Systematic teaching of phonics is key to reach all learners in strengthening reading knowledge.
Whatever program you use, be sure to use a scope and sequence to have a guide of what to teach. Here is a free on if you need – Phonics Scope and Sequence. Great for small group work or providing extra support. By providing a scope and sequence, the children can build on prior phonics knowledge and become more confident readers. I like to display visuals for every new sound I teach to grab even more learners. Read more about phonics visuals here. I am still growing my routine, but I would also like to assign actions to each sound learned. Something like Itchy’s Alphabet works well.
To reinforce and practice learned sounds, I like to use flashcard games – SO simple and the students LOVE them… Talk about student engagement with the smallest thing! Below is an example of short vowel flashcards including CVC, CCVC, CVCC words that build on difficulty level.
These flashcards work great with the free UFLI program found online. You can make your own too to follow your scope and sequence. If you need some already made, you can try these.
I like to play 6 games:
Game 1 SWAP-STEAL-RETURN
Cut and stack all the sight words desired. Mix in the SWAP, STEAL and RETURN cards to create a deck of cards. Place the pile in the middle of the table. Each student takes turn taking one card from the top of the pile. If they choose a word card, they must read it and keep it. A RETURN means they must return all their cards to the pile. A SWAP card allows the player to swap their entire pile of words with another player. A STEAL card allows the player to steal another player’s whole pile.
Game 2 INDIVIDUAL STUDENT QUIZZING
Show student one flashcard at a time until he/she masters them. Or split the deck in two and play against the teacher. The student must validate teacher’s answers.
Game 3 ABC ORDER
Hand out a few desired words to the student/group of students. Place a timer on and the first student/group to place their cars in ABC order, wins.
Game 4 GO FISH
Print two copies of the words desired. Mix all the doubles of the cards together. Place all the cards upside down on the table. Each player takes turns flipping over 2 cards with the goal of finding the matching pairs.
Game 5 MINI TEACHERS
Place students in pairs. Each pair receives a stack of word cards, a whiteboard and a marker. They take turn ‘being the teacher’ and quizzing each other on how to spell the words. You can discuss as a class what to do if the ‘student’ spells the word wrong. Whiteboard template provided at the end of this product. Simply laminate.
Game 6 Word War
For two players. Place word deck in between both players. Turn one card over. First student to guess word wins.
*Differentiation: place a strong student to be the referee.
Have fun playing word games!
