Letter Cube Fun: Freebie Language Arts Game

1. You can purchase colorful foam cubes on Amazon for a very reasonable price. I included a link at the bottom of the post.
2. Select 12 cubes. I line the cubes up in a row and write all the vowels in capital letters (including "y") on each cube two times, making sure not to place the same vowel on a single cube more than once. Then I add the consonants as suggested below.
3. I assign the point value on the bottom right-hand corner. This will also help the players to orient the letters. For example, the letter P will look like the letter d when it is upside-down, but as long as the number indicating the point value is in the bottom right-hand corner, players can recognize that they need to rotate the letter to the proper orientation. Also, using capital letters helps with letter confusion.
4. Other items needed to play: a timer and a set of 12 colored cubes with the letters and point values for each player.
5. To Play: 

• Each player rolls their set of 12 colored cubes onto their playing area (they can not change the orientation of the cubes, but must use the letters rolled.
• Set and begin the timer for 2-5 minutes. You can decide the amount of time you like.
• Words must crisscross like a Scrabble game, and players must try to use as many cubes as they can.
• When the timer goes off, the play ends, and players add up their points.
• Bonuses as granted as follows:
  • 4 points for a 6-letter word
  • 5 points for a 7-letter word
  • 6 points for an 8-letter word     

Cheers, Erica