Reading games: No planning required

By Stacey Loscalzo

Stuck inside during March Break? Tired of all the usual games? Try these fun ideas and improve your children’s reading skills at the same time. The best part? These games require absolutely no planning.

Roll a Letter: Sitting on the floor, roll a ball back and forth. Each time you touch the ball, say the next letter of the alphabet until you reach the end.

Balloon Toss- Letter Style: Choose a letter. Toss a balloon back and forth, naming a word that starts with the given letter each time you touch the balloon. The round is over when you run out of words or when the balloon drops to the floor.

Freeze Dance Spelling: Turn on the music and dance. When you stop the music, shout out a simple word and everyone must freeze. Each child must spell the word out loud before they begin to thaw.

I Spy:  Turn everyone’s favorite “I Spy” game into reading practice with one simple change. Say, “I spy with my little eye, something that begins with the /b/ sound.” and watch your child’s reading skills soar.

Treasure Hunt: Ask children to find five items in the house that begin with a certain letter. Put everything away and start again.

Back Drawing: Draw a letter on the child’s back with your finger. If your child guesses correctly, reverse roles.

Correct a Rhyme: Say a short sentence but change the last word to one that rhymes with the correct word. For example, “Come to the table, it’s time for winner.” Your child will be thrilled to correct you and they will be honing their rhyming skills at the same time.

ABC Body- Using only your bodies, create each letter of the alphabet

Categories- A simple game of categories becomes a reading game when you add just one dimension. Say, “Name three things you eat that start with the letter b.” and suddenly your children are categorizing by sound.

20 Questions: Focus on sound recognition in this adaptation of 20 Questions. Say, “I’m thinking of something that starts with the /s/ sound?” and your children will sort which words do and don’t start with the correct sound.