Phonics Games!

Well.

Just.like.that my spring break is over. I mean, I still have today and tomorrow but STILL. That’s just the weekend, and that’s just normal, and that’s just not the same, if you ask me.

We’ve got two months left of the school year but, when you look at the month of May which is filled with our field trip, class play, awards assemblies, assessments, and on and on it goes, well, it really feels like we have April left and that’s all. 😳

The majority of my kids are rocking and rolling, and there is just no stopping them!

But I do have a select few who have come so so so far, but who still need to focus on, practice, and review CVC words.

I play lots of games with my groups during guiding reading, and there is one game, in particular, that they beg to play over and over again.

I recently made the games pretty and presentable for the rest of the world (these used to be a cut/paste/hand write sort of situation that I would just make “on the fly”)!!

The best thing about these games is that the kids have to actually READ the playing cards in order to play. No dice or spinners are required! All you need is some sort of playing piece for each player (a cube, counter, token, coin, etc).

Here’s how to play: stack up the playing cards and keep them face down. Player One takes the first card off the top and reads it. Then they move their playing piece to the FIRST picture on the game board that matches their word. If a player is already on that spot, Player One gets to draw another card! In order to win, you’ve got to draw the card that matches the last picture on the game board. 🎉

The game and how to play doesn’t change, but the SKILLS do! So once I’ve taught it, the kids understand it, and it’s GAME ON. ☺️

My higher level students will play this game over and over again, too. It’s great practice for fluency, as well as peer tutoring!

Here’s the bottom line. I’ve had my kids play games where the words are printed on the game board, and they roll a dice or spin a spinner. They move that many spots, and then they are supposed to read the word.

Well . . . only some of my kids actually do that. Most of the time, the next student is already spinning or rolling, and they are are just playing to see who gets to the finish line first. They’re kids! Unless I’m there with them, observing, monitoring, playing along . . . they’re really not reading the words.

But with THIS GAME, they do not let each other cheat. They don’t! It’s hilarious. They are reading over each other’s shoulders, and making sure they agree with the word on the card before allowing each other to move to the matching picture on the game board.

It’s a WIN WIN!!

Print on card stock and keep the game board with the playing cards in one bag to stay organized!

I’ve created a game board for each short vowel, plus one game board with mixed practice review. Also included are directions on how to create medium and large sized game boards. It’s easier than you think! ☺️

Do you have any fun or engaging games for teaching and reviewing CVC words?

Please share! 💗