What Reading Games Ignite a Love for Learning?

Posted by Erica Warren on Jul 10, 2021

Using games in the learning process brings joy as well as a positive motivating factor into lessons. Instead of bribing kids with external motivators such as candy and stickers, games ignite an internal love for learning.

Reading Games Are Necessary for Struggling Readers

When learning to read is a struggle, it can have a major impact on a child's academic self-esteem. What's more, additional work and lessons on a topic that does come easily can feel torturous and simply unfair! In contrast, if quick lessons are supported with fun games, a chore can quickly transform into playful entertainment.

I have created four comprehensive reading game publications that can be used with virtually any phonics or Orton-Gillingham reading program. They are all available as digital downloads and the following tables describe all of the games that are included in each publication. You can purchase all the publications in a discounted bundle, or you can buy them individually by clicking on the titles below.

Reading Games Primary (click on the red title to learn more)

Names of Games	Game Description
Switch-A-Roo Reading	This game helps students learn beginning, middle and ending word sounds as well as rhyming words.
Three of a Kind Beginners	This game helps student master rhyming words, beginning sounds, middle sounds, and ending sounds of simple three letter words.
Three of a Kind Intermediate	This game helps students master rhyming words, beginning blends, middle sounds, and ending sounds of simple four to five letter words.
Sight Word War	This game helps students master their sight words and practice basic alphabetizing skills.
Animal Party	This game helps students master beginning, middle, and end sounds of simple three letter words.
Sole Survivor	This game helps students master breaking words into syllables as well as beginning and ending word sounds.
Animal Bingo	This game helps students master breaking words into syllables as well as beginning and ending word sounds. It also develops tracking and counting skills.
Syllable Sort	This game helps student practice breaking and sorting words into syllables.

Reading Games (click on the red title to learn more)

Names of Games	Game Description
Letter Ball	Some students are kinesthetic learners and movement actually helps in the learning process. This game involves a medium sized ball and a permanent marker!
LetterHop	This game, that involves movement, is wonderful for accommodating and empowering the kinesthetic learner that needs to learn the sounds of the letters, blends, and diphthongs.
Slap Me 5	This game assists students in synthesizing two syllables that may make compound words. It is the student’s job to determining whether or not the two syllables make a real compound word.
Rhyme Time (8 games)	This game includes 8 sets of cards that assist students in practicing the first four syllable types as they are introduced.
Dolphin Game	This game helps students develop flexibility and practice with the recognition of the six types of syllables. In addition, students must read the words and utilize analytical skills.
Gecko Game	This game assists students in practicing the five different syllable types.
Crazy Qs	This game helps students develop flexibility and practice in the recognition of the six types of syllables. In addition, students must read the words and utilize analytical skills.
Survival of the Fittest	This game provides practice with breaking words into syllables – syllabication. Many students struggle with learning how to break multi-syllable words into individual syllable chunks. Knowing how to do this enables students to sound out novel words with success.
Afix it Up	This game provides practice with prefixes, roots, and suffixes. It also strengthens auditory and visual closure abilities.
Voweleos	This game provides practice with the vowel combinations or vowel teams.
Maniac	Maniac is a lot like Rummy 500, and it is a wonderfully fun game for all ages to play for practicing and refreshing one’s memory of the vowel combinations and r- combinations.

Reading Board Games (click on the red title to learn more)

Names of Games	Game Description
Jungle Beats	This game allows students to practice hearing the number of syllables in words.
Puppy Party 1	This game allows students to practice the short vowel sounds in simple, closed syllables.
Puppy Party 2	This game allows students to practice the short vowel sounds in more complex closed syllables.
Flutter Butterfly	This game provides practice with the vowel combinations or vowel teams.
R-Combinations Sport Challenge	This game provides practice with the r-combination syllables.
Syllable Dragon	This game allows students to practice discriminating between the six different syllable types.
Collect Five Syllabication Fun	This game allows students to practice syllabication or breaking words into syllables.

Reading Games 2 (click on the red title to learn more)

Names of Games	Game Description
Match and Blend 1 and 2	Once a student has been introduced to beginning and ending sounds, they are ready to play Match and Blend. This game allows students to practice merging sounds into words.
Kitten Party	Once students have been introduced to the short vowel and the consonant sounds, they are ready to play the blending game, Kitten Party. This game allows students to practice merging sounds into words. They will also review their short vowel and consonant sounds in simple closed syllable words.
Take a Pill	This is a phonemic awareness game that helps students practice with blends, digraphs, trigraphs, vowels, vowel combinations, final blends, and word endings.
Letter Cubes	This is a blending game that also exercises spatial skills, sequencing, and verbal reasoning skills.
Spin and Spell	This game helps students practice with three spelling rules: TCH or CH, DGE or GE, and CK or K.

Would You Like a Free Sample?

Just to give a little taste of my popular games, CLICK HERE to get a free sample game.

I hope this helps. Reach out any time.

Cheers, Erica

Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses.