Internet games are ideal for reading practice because they are designed to allow students to practice skills at their own pace and combine stimulating graphics and multimedia. For instance, the PBS website has a suite of free online games called Between the Lions in which games like The Quiet Machine give children animated pictures of objects such as a log, guitar and book that they must match to the onscreen letter. Each game provides graphics and audio that allow a child to begin and progress independently. A link to Between the Lions is provided in Resources. For help identifying more online reading games, consult with your school's technology instructor or specialist.
Sight words are a group of words that readers encounter every day in texts they read but are difficult or impossible to represent using pictures. Words like "to," "there" and "but" are displayed through early readers' classrooms so children become accustomed to seeing them, and educators often create games that reinforce learning the words. For instance, Sight Words Uno (Cars version) is a variation on UNO, that uses four sets of cards (various Cars characters) with nine word cards each plus one set of "special" cards (draw two, wild, reverse, skip, draw 4/wild). The game is played by giving five cards to each player. Put the rest facedown in the middle of the table and turn one card up. The first player reads the card and matches either the word or the character. If she puts down a matching character (new word), she must also read the new word. If a player does not have a match, he draws a card from the pile, just like in traditional UNO. The player who places all of his cars down first wins. A game board is available in Resources.
The practice of decoding helps children learn the necessary sounds that combine to form various words. Parents and educators can practice phonetic skills by purchasing prepackaged decoding games or by creating their own. For instance, by altering the classic game of Bingo educators can help children practice decoding skills. Create Bingo letter boards that focus on consonants, vowels or a combination. During game play, instead of saying the letter or letters, say their sounds. So if you say "la," students can look on the game boards for similar sounds that you created such as lu, lee and ly. The object of the game is for every student to correctly identify the sounds you say. The first player to reach Bingo is the winner.
Learning new vocabulary is ultimately the skill that allows children to read increasingly complex texts. Word recognition games help build vocabulary and can be altered to include new words as children become adept with the current set of words. In one variation of a word recognition game, write simple words on an index card, such as chick, egg, fox and king. On a separate set draw or cut out magazine pictures that illustrate the words you have chosen. Then lay all cards face up on the table and challenge children to match the word with its picture. Variations can use photographs of siblings, friends or relatives, and challenge your child to match each person's name to the appropriate photo.