Fun learning to read games
20 Interesting And Funny Reading Games For Kids
Reading is not a chore anymore for your kid, thanks to these games.
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Reading games for kids is an interesting way to enhance your child’s ability to focus. A child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development is promoted by reading skills. Usually, most kids acquire this fundamental skill between six and seven. However, a few may learn it earlier, at three to four years (1). Vocabulary and comprehension skills can be high in children who read from early childhood. These skills are needed for academic and professional success and personal development in the future.
Read on to know more about the reading games that will entertain and also educate your kids.
Importance Of Reading For Children
Reading is an essential life skill that can help your child (2) (3)
- learn and practice diction and intonation and promote speech development.
- learn new words and their meanings, and use them in different scenarios.
- understand the basics of grammar and promote language development.
- improve their concentration and focus and enhance their overall brain function necessary for cognitive development.
- develop their imagination and creativity.
- learn about the world around them.
- improve their reading comprehension skills necessary for learning concepts that promote academic development (4).
- Encourage their curiosity into subjects that are new to them.
Reading games and activities in a group setting or with family can help promote your child’s socio-emotional development and turn them into a responsible and confident adult.
20 Reading Games For Children
You could play these age-specific reading games with your child to make reading fun and enjoyable.
1. Spot the alphabet
Image: iStock
The game helps your three-year-old identify and learn the letters of the alphabet, using a set of colorful flashcards.
- Show any two flashcards to your child and ask them to find a common letter in the two cards.
- Each pair of flashcards should have only one letter in common.
- The child compares the two cards to identify and recognize the common letter using their recognition and perception skills.
- Prompt your child to read the identified letter aloud to support speech and memory development.
Buy a Spot It! Alphabet card game or prepare one at home involving your three-year-old for more fun and joy.
2. Sequence letters
The joyful board game teaches phonics to children above four years, using colorful pictures. In the game, children get a board with printed pictures and a set of cards with letters written on them in uppercase and lowercase.
Your child has to identify the picture, read the name of the object/thing aloud, and find a letter card that matches the sound of the word’s first letter. Regular practice of phonics helps develop your child’s vocabulary and spelling skills and hones their critical thinking skills.
3. Charades for kids
Image: Shutterstock
Charades is a fun group activity for children above four years of age. To play the game, you will need some plain papers and markers/pens to make chits.
- Make chits and write a word on each. Keep the children’s age and reading abilities in mind while writing the words.
- Fold the chits and put them in a bowl.
- Divide the children into two teams of three players each.
- Ask each team to take turns to send a teammate to pick a chit from the bowl.
- The child with the chit needs to act and give out clues to the word without uttering a word/making a sound, and their teammates have to guess the word.
Indulging in such activities can help improve their vocabulary skills, foster creativity, and provide ample opportunity for fun.
4. Scrabble boggle game
In this word-construction game, the child has to come up with as many words as possible by arranging and rearranging 16 letter cubes on a boggle grid within a set time. An electronic version of this game, known as scrabble flash, involves up to ten players, wherein they need to form words by swapping tiles. The word game could help improve your child’s vocabulary and spelling skills and hone their memory and logical thinking skills.
Related: How To Teach Kids To Spell Words: 25 Best Ways To Try
5. Junior scrabble
Image: Shutterstock
Junior scrabble is an engaging board game for teaching word construction to five-year-olds. The game involves forming words by identifying the picture on the board and placing the letters within the crossword in a predetermined order. Engaging in this memory-boosting game can improve your child’s vocabulary and spelling skills.
Buy a scrabble or make one at home for hours of fun and excitement.
6. Riddle treasure hunt
Riddle treasure hunt aims to enhance reading, interpretation, and comprehension skills by prompting children to solve riddles in order to find a hidden toy/goodie hamper. You can make several chits with riddles written on them and hide them across the house. Hand over the first riddle to the child and instruct them to find the other hidden chits to solve a series of riddles to reach the hidden gift. Reading and understanding the riddles can help them hone problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.
7. Snake and ladders with words
Image: iStock
The exciting DIY board game uses the rules of the classic snakes and ladders game to learn and remember words through visual perception. Take a snakes and ladders board and write age-appropriate and easy-to-understand words in each box using a pen/marker. The snakes and ladders board has 100 boxes to write 100 different words that you want your child to learn.
Roll the dice and play the game as usual with an additional rule that requires your child to read aloud the word in which their counter lands.
Related: 15 Easy Yet Fun Dice Games For Children To Play
8. Use the word
Train your child to read words and understand their proper usage in sentences with this unique game.
- Prepare some flashcards with plain paper and write an age-appropriate word on each using a pen/marker.
- Keep the cards on the table and ask your child to pick one card randomly.
- The task is to read the word written on the flashcard aloud, say its meaning, and use it in a sentence as an example.
This game is ideal for children aged six years and above. It can help improve their reading and comprehension skills, develop their vocabulary, and encourage them to frame simple sentences.
9. Hopscotch spelling bee
Image: Shutterstock
You can try this game with a large group of children, wherein each child represents a letter, and they all work together to form a word.
- Draw four hopscotch courts on the floor. Each court should have seven different letters from A to Z.
- Assign one letter to each child and make six kids stand at the edge of each box.
- Now, say a word aloud, for instance, “ARMOR,” and instruct the children to hop on the letter assigned to them in the order as they come in the word”ARMOR.”
- The child assigned with the letter “A” should hop first followed by the child with the letter “R,” and so on.
Involving your child in such activities can help develop their vocabulary and spelling skills.
10. I spy with words
It is an ideal reading game for six-year-olds. The game can help develop their reading skills, boost memory, and build focus and concentration.
- Select a story from a reading material, such as a storybook or comic.
- Based on the story, prepare a few questions having one- or two-word answers.
- Ask the child to read the story thoroughly within a given time to answer correctly.
- Once they have read the story, instruct them to take turns to ask each other questions.
- Every question should start with the phrase, “I spy something that I can … (kick/drink/eat).”
- The other students should guess the answer using the hints given in the text that they have read.
11. Word bingo
Image: Shutterstock
Children above five years of age can play this game to foster phonemic awareness, the ability to identify individual sounds in spoken words, and identify simple rhyming words.
- Paste different cutouts of words on a chart paper.
- Stick the chart paper to the wall, and ask your child some questions, such as “Which word on the chart rhymes with the word cat?” Or “What word rhymes with the word bowl?”
- The child has to identify the word in the chart with the word mentioned in the question.
Playing such reading games can help fine-tune your child’s perception and recognition skills, develop vocabulary, and promote logical thinking.
12. Take turns reading
In this game, you and your child take turns reading the paragraphs of a story. You can choose a storybook that your child likes to read or use their schoolbook. Help your child read with proper pronunciation and intonation. Take pauses after every three to four paragraphs, to discuss what the child has understood. It will help keep the child remain alert and focused.
13. Word search
Image: Shutterstock
Word search crosswords or puzzles involve tracing hidden words from letters arranged vertically, horizontally, and diagonally in a grid. Children between the ages of five and six can begin solving word search crosswords/puzzles to combat boredom and develop their vocabulary, reading, and recognition skills. Encourage your child to practice word search by participating in online/offline games or print some worksheets.
14. Fluency target
Draw four circles on the ground, each a feet apart from the other.
Ask your child to stand within the first circle and read a paragraph within the given time. If the child reads it with proper pronunciation and intonation within the set time, they can pass the first circle and move to the second. If not, they have to reread the paragraph and try to do better. Guide your child on the mistakes that they make and hand-hold them to improve. The game can help develop the reading skills of children aged seven years and above.
15. Pirate island
Image: Shutterstock
It is an exciting board game for two to four players where the participants have to read short passages and answer questions on some details given on the board. The children need to answer each question to reach the treasure chest. You can buy this game or prepare one at home. For added fun and excitement, set a time limit to reach the treasure chest. Involving children aged above seven years in such games can help develop their reading and comprehension skills.
16. Word towers
Involve your six-year-old child in this entertaining game and help them frame sentences/phrases using blocks that have words written/pasted/printed on them.
- Take some plain white stickers and write nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, sight words, etc., on them.
- Paste one sticker on each Lego or Duplo block in random order.
- Once done, pass the blocks to your child and instruct them to make a tower.
- The tower should be built in such a way that it looks and reads like a sentence or phrase.
Engaging a child in such activities can help enhance their cognitive abilities and foster creative thinking.
Related: 4 Stages Of Cognitive Development In Children & Ways To Support
17. Bringing stories to life
Image: Shutterstock
Assign a story from a storybook, comic, or textbook to your child, and ask them to prepare a skit. Provide them with all the necessary props that they would need to perform the skit efficiently. Involving children above six years of age in such activities can help improve their reading and comprehension skills, promote language development, foster creativity, and develop public speaking abilities.
18. Reading paintings
This artful and engaging activity provides an opportunity to display one’s reading and comprehension skills through painting.
- Provide a sketchbook, colors, and a printed passage to your child.
- Guide your child to read the passage/paragraph and recreate it in painting in their sketchbook using colors within the given time.
- Discuss the painting with your child to help them express feelings, emotions, and thoughts.
Such activities can help foster creativity, develop emotional intelligence, and hone your child’s reading and comprehension skills.
19. Dear diary
Image: Shutterstock
Keeping a diary can be an enriching experience, allowing children above seven years of age to express their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Motivate your child to jot down their thoughts in the diary daily and read it aloud the next day with you. Reading a diary with a parent strengthens the parent-child bond, enables self-expression, and simultaneously improves their reading and writing skills.
20. Put the story together
Organizing information in a logical sequence is an important part of active reading for children above six years of age. In this interesting and engaging activity, your child needs to sort and arrange the story pieces written on different flashcards in a sequence to complete the story. Practicing story sequencing can enhance their reading comprehension skills and strengthen their logical reasoning and analytical thinking skills. You can get story sequencing worksheets online or prepare some at home for a great learning experience.
1. How to encourage my child to read?
The best way to encourage your child is by creating the right atmosphere to read at home. So set up a cozy reading corner and surround your children with reading material. Lead by example and set aside time for reading every day. Moreover, avoid reading materials that are beyond your child’s reading abilities.
2. How do you make reading practice more fun for kids?
Create a fun reading space.+21.16.24.png)
Buy picture books and give them books they would love. For example, buy books about their favorite characters or animals. You may read books together and act out the story to capture their interest.
Reading games for kids help enhance a child’s focus and reading skills. Reading helps children learn the pronunciation of new words, speech and language development, and cognitive development. Spot the alphabet, sequence letters, junior scrabble, riddle treasure hunt, and word bingo are some of the interesting reading games for young children. You may choose the game according to the child’s age and grip on the language. For example, you can use alphabet games for preschoolers and more complicated games and activities such as writing a letter or diary or tough spelling for older children.
Key Pointers
- Reading games focus on enhancing speech and improving the child’s chances of learning new words.
- Charades, scrabble, snakes and ladders with words are examples of some fun reading games for children.
- Reading games improve a child’s vocabulary and cognition and contribute to academic development in the long run.
References:
MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.
1. Helping Your Child Learn to Read; Healthy Children; American Academy of Pediatrics
2. Reading Benefits for Kids and Teens; Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
3. The Value of Children’s Literature; Luther College
4. Sait Akbaşh, et al.; The Effect of Reading Comprehension on the Performance in Science and Mathematics; Education Resource Information Center
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Reading Games | PBS KIDS
Reading Games | PBS KIDS Reading GamesMore Games
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Educational games - Learn to read
- Home
- Toddlers aged 2 to 4
- Learning to read
Educational games "Learning to read" are designed for kids who are just learning to read.
Here we will upload games that will help children learn words and syllables, learn how to make words from syllables, find hidden letters and much more. All games are full of bright pictures that will make learning fun and interesting even for very young students...
And if you want to download various teaching materials for reading for printing on a computer, then the section "Teaching reading for preschoolers and not only ..." will help you. In this section you will find both the Russian alphabet for printing and unique Reading Tasks for syllables, and original Stories with pictures instead of words, and fun colorful tasks Compose a word from letters and much more interesting ...
This game will teach the child the phonetic transformation of one word into another. The game will help the kid understand that just one letter in a word can completely change the meaning of the word. Tasks are divided into three types: insert the desired letters, remove one letter, change the letter.
..
In this educational online game we learn to read by collecting words from given syllables. The game is designed for children who are just learning to read. In the game, you need to collect the indicated words on the topic "Vegetables" from the proposed syllables. To do this, you just need to drag the syllables to empty cells with the mouse ...
An educational game in which we learn to read , collecting words from syllables on the theme "Nature" is intended for children who are just taking their first steps in reading. Learn to read better by syllables. The child remembers the sound of each syllable, and then makes words out of them ...
Games - Learn to read with "Funny Alphabet". This game is for kids who already know the alphabet. The game is designed to consolidate the child's learned letters and search for these letters in words. The game consists of 29 levels, each of which represents one of the letters of the Russian alphabet...
When children cannot read yet, the first thing they are taught is, of course, the alphabet.
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Description
Here is a unique application that will help teach your child to read words without the participation of parents!
Children's application No. 1 according to Roskachestvo.
We are known by: Life.ru, RBC, Moscow 24, AiF, Ferra, Livelib, Techfusion, Computerra, Regnum and other well-known CIS media.
Consultant - famous speech pathologist - Olga Karabuta @logoped_karabuta
“Letters” is a universal tool for composing any words using a convenient voiced keyboard.
Words are automatically split into “*warehouses”. The child will see the whole word, its constituent warehouses, listen to the sound of letters and warehouses in the word. And our character unicorn Ray will tell the kid how to read warehouses one by one!
“Letters” is a teaching tool with the recognized sound-letter method, combined with the advantages of other methods.
Older children will benefit from dividing a word into syllables to prepare for school and do homework.
In the “Letters” application, we implemented:
- Constructor of any words in the voiced keyboard
- Dividing words into warehouses and syllables
- Professional sounding of sounds and warehouses
- Meetings with kind characters on the "Inhabited Island", 25+ thematic sets words for memorizing letters
- Construction Simulator "Wonder Building" with game tasks for the development of vocabulary and literacy and learning letters
- “Play town” with three educational games that will help kids memorize common letter combinations
- "Syllabary House" - a simulation of a room that can be furnished with objects obtained during the solution of tasks for composing syllables
- Interactive thematic panoramas with 200+ voiced riddles and objects
- Motivation system in the form of an album with stickers and rewards for completing tasks
- A timer for parents to control the time spent in the game
- Statistics and analytics of the baby's success on the screen for parents
"Letters" is not just a game, but a faithful assistant to parents in teaching children to read!
Once your little one is comfortable with reading in Russian, we invite you to try Uniword - our application for learning to read in English
If you like Bukovki, we will be very happy if you give it a positive review.
This will help us make even more great apps for your child.
If you have any questions or comments, please email us at [email protected]. We are always open for communication and will be glad to know your opinion about the app!
* warehouse - a combination of a consonant and a vowel, a consonant with a hard or soft sign, as well as any single letter.
Version 5.34
Friends, we have made a number of changes to make playing and learning even more fun:
• 5.31 Big update with new features, new game mechanics and bug fixes.
• 5.34 The layout of some screens has been fixed.
Thank you for your kind feedback. Good luck to your kids!
Ratings and reviews
ratings: 599
Lost sound
Everything worked fine before.
Now the sound is gone and I can not understand what's wrong. Help me please.
Good afternoon! Please write to [email protected] if the question is still relevant.
tiki tok
Am I not one of the tik toks?😂🐁
Not alone :)
Class
By the way, are you from Tik Tok too?
hello hello :3
Developer Victor Lavrentyev indicated that, in accordance with the application's privacy policy, data may be processed as described below. Detailed information is available in the developer's privacy policy.
