One of the best reading games is also the simplest, and your students can play it throughout the year. Establish several reading levels, maybe two or three for a small group. Have a reading test to place students at the appropriate levels. Over the course of the year, move students up or down as their reading skills improve or weaken. This will motivate them to continue learning and striving to reach the highest level. An alternative: You can move students up according to public readings. Put a writing sample on the board and underline difficult words. Students can move up if they say the majority of words correctly. Keep the levels posted at the front of the class as a reminder.
Give your students a small writing excerpt. Ensure that you match the difficulty of the excerpt to the level of your class. Set a time limit for reading, one that's suitable for the length of the passage. Take the excerpt away from the students after the time expires. Have each student write down as many questions about the passage as possible. Then have them ask their questions to the rest of the class. Award one point for each question and one point for each correct answer. The student with the most points wins. Do this activity in pairs if you have enough students.
Write several sentences on separate strips of paper, then cut each strip into different parts. Put each divided sentence into an envelope. If you have enough students, divide them into pairs. If not, let students work individually. Set a time limit or a point limit for this activity. Students should work against the clock to decode as many sentences as possible. Tell them to put up their hands when they've completed a sentence. Check to see if it's correct, then give that pair or student a point and a new envelope. The student or pair with the most points at the end of the time limit or the first team to reach the point limit wins.
One of the easiest ways to create reading comprehension games is to modify existing games, for example, a scavenger hunt. Write a detailed riddle at each location. Students must use reading comprehension skills to solve the puzzle and move on to the next location. Similarly, they can play a modified version of Bingo. Provide several question sheets and arrange the answers to these questions on Bingo cards. The students take turns reading the questions in front of the class. This activity also tests your students' listening comprehension skills as they strive to understand each reader.