Lotto reinforces letter-sound relationships. Make two to four Lotto game boards using card stock. The game board has 12 squares with 3 across and 4 down. Use card stock to make picture cards that will fit in each square. The pictures should be simple objects that are easy for students to identify. Make a different set of picture cards to use as the deck. Students take turns drawing a card from the deck. If they have a picture on their game board that begins with the same sound as the card drawn from the deck, they place the card over that space. The first player to cover all the spaces wins.
Snap teaches children high-frequency words. Use card stock to make 2 identical sets of cards, each displaying high-frequency words. Students begin with their decks face down. Simultaneously, they turn over one card. If the words on the cards match, a student must say "Snap!" and wins the two cards. Students continue turning over their cards until all of them are matched. The student with the most matches wins. Make the game more challenging by printing vocabulary words on one set of cards and the corresponding pictures on the second set of cards.
Follow the Path helps students practice letters and their sounds. Make the game board by drawing a curved path on a large sheet of paper or bristol board. Divide the path into 20 to 25 spaces, marking the last space as the finish line. Randomly print a different letter of the alphabet on each space. Find two to four small objects for players to use as game pieces to move along the board. Students take turns rolling a die and moving the corresponding number of spaces. They must say a word that begins with the letter on the space. Make the game more challenging by asking students to say a word that ends with the letter. The first player to the finish line wins.
Concentration teaches students about digraphs. Use card stock to make two sets of 15 cards. Write words containing digraphs on one deck. For example, the words "chair," "bush" and "tooth" can be used. Print pictures to correspond with each word on the second set of cards. Shuffle all the cards and spread them out on a table, face down. 2 to 3 students take turns flipping over two cards. If the cards match, students win the cards and take another turn. If they do not match, the cards are flipped back over and the next player takes a turn. When all the cards are gone, the student with the most matches wins.