Games to help reception child learn to read

[rainbowbriite]

Ds started reception in September. School are following Read Write Inc. He knows his phonemes and some digraphs and is bringing home Stage 1.1 and 1.2 flash cards (sat, mat, on, and etc.)

I'd like to find a way to help him practise his 'words' without always using flash cards as he gets a bit fed up but is keen to do work on his sounds and always asking to play games with them.

So far, I've put sticky notes on some of the numbers in Snakes and Ladders and he sounds out / says the word if he lands on that space. I've also done a version of a Snowman craft from The Imagination Tree blog where some of the words are written down on a snowman shape. You call out a word and the child covers it up with a cotton wool ball (he found this trickier.) We have also done lots of writing in sand / flour / writing letters etc.

Any other 'hands on' suggestions?

I scatter word cards around the floor and get DD to stand on the right card when I say a word.

There is a Ruth Miskin Literacy Game on TES Resources. If you search Pinterest for phonics games cvc, there are loads of great ideas on there.
Also lots of games on teachers pay teachers some free.

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wahoo-Word-Game-CVC-words-mixed-vowels-269259

The thing which helped my ds to read most was subtitles on TV.
I don't know if it works for your child, but seeing words while hearing it all the time, even though he wasn't paying attention to it, worked so well.

I think some teacher may disagree, but this is my experience. He was a quite fluent reader before reception, despite mum being a foreigner.

We used to play I Spy with initial sound rather than actual letter as it helps hearing how the sounds blend together. Can also do end sound too.

Back when Dds were small we played Metal Mike with CVC, and then CCVC, CVCC, etc. word cards. Basically - Metal Mike is a robot, that speaks in a robotic voice and likes to eat word cards. I'd say "MM wants to eat D-O-G. Dd would look through several cards in front of her, find the one saying "god" and slide it through MM's mouth (Mike was a shoe box, with a printed out robot head, and a cut-out slot). Google it.

Also - we had a phonic bingo game. Words were printed, and the bingo chart had pictures. So - they had to blend the words and find the pictures. You might be able to find something like that online.

Finally - there are a lot of blending games online. Dd2 especially enjoyed the ones where you had to sort words into real vs made-up words.

Pocket phonics app

Foam letters for bath
Pass the Word game

"MM wants to eat D-O-G. Dd would look through several cards in front of her, find the one saying "god" and slide it through MM's mouth

That was a typo, wasn't it?

Pm me with your email op. I'm a tutor and have written a booklet about how to have fun with learning phonics! I'll happily email you a copy.

He could also start to 'write' sounds and words he is learning, either making his own kind of 'dictionary' in a notebook, or if he's not quite up to that yet, using a shallow tray of sand or flour to practice writing in.

Cbeebies is useful and has games:

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/alphablocks

Or if you want a book that will last him right through primary school, and to the start of secondary this is one of the best:

An inexpensive and easy to use book, that can encourage children with reading, spelling and writing, and really help them to understand Phonics, is reviewed in the MN Book Reviews section. Just search ‘Phonics’ and my name.

Maizie --- ;)))

DS liked anything where I was taking turns with him. Not even logically workable games really.

We'd set out flash cards upside down, take turns to turn them over and read the card to "win" it.
We'd take turns to put down some letters to make a word for the other to read. (DD decided it was funny to make me read nonsense words - they'd start like a real word then go wstfyl.)
We'd take turns to put down word flash cards to make "sentences" for the other to read. Again, varying degrees of nonsense.

I'd write them secret messages, and when they could write they'd write back.

There are lots of good apps/websites too. Alphablocks games & Teach Your Monster to Read were popular with my two.