words are introduced.

These are only

Fast Phonics Games for Kids to

Boost Their Reading Skills
Reading can be a difficult skill to master. From decoding new words to decoding
passages, reading requires a lot of practice. Fortunately, there are games that can help
kids practice their reading skills and build their confidence. These games range from
reading comprehension games to phonics games that focus on reading fluency.
 
For kids who are having a hard time reading, playing these games can be a fun way to
practice their skills and improve their reading comprehension. Here is a list of the best
fast phonics games for kids to help them practice their reading and boost their
confidence.
 
Sight Words Scramble
 
Sight words are the building blocks of reading. This fun sight words scramble game
helps kids to practice recognizing and reading words in sequence. The first player to
guessed all of the sight words in the scrambled sentences wins.
 
Kids will love this word scramble game because it’s fast-paced and engaging. If your
child is having a difficult time with reading, this game can also be helpful in building
their confidence as they try to tackle more advanced reading skills. In each turn of the
game, one player reads a scrambled sentence. The other players try to guess the words.
If a player gets a word correct, they can steal a letter from the word on the board and
replace it with one of their own. If the word is guessed incorrectly, the player with the
word can take a letter from the word on the board and replace it with one of their own.
 
Phonics Bingo
 
Bingo is a fun game that can be used for many different purposes. In this phonics bingo
game, kids will practice recognizing and placing specific sounds in syllables. This bingo
game is best for kids who are just learning how to read or are having a hard time with
sounding out words. To play, each card has a picture of a different animal on it. In each
column of the card, there are various sounds that the animal makes. The goal is to mark
off the spaces on the bingo card that have the sounds that the animal makes. As players
mark off cards, they will earn points. The player with the most points at the end of the
game wins.
 
Reading Comprehension Games
 
Reading comprehension games are perfect for kids who are having a hard time
understanding what they read. These games help improve a kid’s ability to comprehend
what they read by using visual and auditory cues. These games can also be used to help
kids stay focused when reading.
 
Here are a few examples of reading comprehension games:
 
Color-Word Games
 
These games will help your child stay focused while reading. The goal of these games is
for the child to find the specific color that is mentioned in the word. To play, have the
child read the word out loud. Then, have them draw a picture of the word. After the
picture is complete, have them name the color that was mentioned in the word. Once
the color is named, have them find the corresponding card and place it in the correct
pile.
 
Phonics Games
 
These games will help your child practice their reading skills while having fun. There are
many different types of phonics games out there, so it can be hard to know which ones
to use. To help your child get started, here are a few basic phonics games that you can
start with:
 
Find the Sound in This: This is a great early literacy game for kids. It helps build a
child’s confidence as they practice recognizing letters and sounds.
 
Blind Man’s Bluff: In this game, one player is the “Bluffers,” and the other players are
the “Bluffees.” The Bluffers start by saying a word out loud, and then the Bluffees have
to guess what the word is using only their ears. This is another great game for building
confidence.
 
Matching Game: This game is great for developing a child’s visual memory.
 
Word Searcher: This is a “find that” literacy game. It can help with reading
comprehension by verbally requesting that a child find a specific word in a book.
 
Mosaic: This is a great game for developing a child’s concentration and patience.
 

Phonics Games
 
These games will help your child build their confidence while improving their reading
skills.
 
Guess the Word:  This is a fun game where the objective is for the first person to guess
the word to win. The player will say the first word that comes to mind when they hear
the word that is being guessed. This can be a difficult game to play if words are a
challenge for your child, but it is a great way to build confidence as they try to tackle
more difficult reading situations.
 
Word Wall: This game is similar to pin the tail on the donkey. The only difference is
that in this game your child will be placing words on a word wall. This is a great way to
practice reading comprehension and also build confidence by achieving success.
 
Fluency Games
 
These games will help your child practice reading out loud and sounding out words.
 
Story Telling. This is a great way to build confidence while having fun. Have your child
practice telling you stories while you try to be the audience. This is also a good way to
work on your child’s storytelling skills.
 
Listen and Spell: In this game, you will be competing against your own voice. You will
read a word out loud and then your job is to try and spell the word that you just read as
fast as you can. This game is best played with a friend or two. Try listening to different
speeds and tone of voices to practice reading out loud and sounding out words.
 
Reading Races: This is another fun way to practice sounding out words. The game is
based on a “reading race,” and the last player who can’t pronounce the word loses. This
is another good way to work on your child’s patience and they will learn to love losing.
 
Summing Up
 
Reading is a fundamental part of a child’s education, and it can be a difficult skill to
master. Fortunately, there are many games that can help kids practice their reading and
build their confidence. In this article you’ve been provided with a list of the best fast
phonics games for kids to help them practice their reading and build their confidence.

Spring into Reading: The 3 Key

Elements of Reading
Comprehension
As schools across the U.S. transition into spring break, it’s a reflective time for both
teachers and parents of early readers. From New Hampshire to North Carolina, several
states are proposing curriculum changes and teacher training to support the youngest
generation of readers. While school districts continue to invest in gradual - but
necessary - systemic change, we’re taking time to reflect on the three fundamentals
of reading comprehension, outlined by academic officer Dr. Gene Kerns.

1. Decoding
If you’re an elementary teacher, it’s highly likely that you’ve encountered - and even
used - the Meaning, Structure, Visual (MSV) approach, also known as the three-cueing
system. MSV encourages students to draw meaning from context or pictures, syntax,
and visual information, such as images on the page or parts of words. While many
teacher training programs champion the effectiveness of MSV, the practice distracts
students from actually decoding the words in front of them. After a student has learned
to decode, they’ll be able to recognize more words by sight and associate them with
sound and meaning: a phenomenon known as orthographic mapping. To improve
students’ decoding abilities, it is essential for states to invest in teacher education that
emphasizes the importance of explicit and systematic phonics instruction. Recent
pushes in Oregon, North Carolina, and New Hampshire reflect a growing awareness of
the need for upfront investment in teacher training to support the essential skill of
decoding.

1. Vocabulary:
Vocabulary is a key marker of reading fluency, which is supported by exposure to as
many words as frequently as possible. Using and hearing these words in conversation
helps students build their orthographic maps and recognize the sounds of certain
words - sometimes even before they’re taught how to read them. In addition to
engaging in wide-ranging conversations, students can enhance their vocabulary
through wide and varied reading. Keep in mind: teachers can only directly teach
students an estimated 400 words per year, so it’s crucial for students to acquire the
decoding skills that will empower them to read for pleasure - and, in turn, develop
vibrant vocabularies.
 
1. Knowledge:
Instead of an “achievement gap,” Kerns encourages us to reframe this common term as
a knowledge gap. Educators and researchers recognize the correlation between reading
ability and socioeconomic status: affluent students often have more opportunities to
travel and/or access to a wider range of subjects and vocabulary. With this
understanding, educators can honor the relationship between knowledge and literacy
by introducing students to a broad range of content from an early age. By encouraging
students to read and think about an array of complex social issues, high-quality Social
Studies instruction is just as - or perhaps even more  important - than English Language
Arts.
 
The quest for knowledge continues long after 3rd grade: a make-or-break year when
students are declared at, above, or below grade level reading benchmarks. Data
suggest that less time is invested in reading proficiency in older grades: in the most
recent National Assessment of Educational Progress report, only 37% of high school
seniors were proficient or advanced in reading. Measures for fourth graders were
similar, with 35% of students performing below the basic reading level. While this report
only provides a snapshot of a national reading problem, it suggests that students make
minimal reading progress after the third grade. To combat this trend, middle, and high
school teachers can promote class conversations and assign readings that continually
sharpen older students’ decoding skills and expand both their vocabulary and
knowledge.

Take-Aways:
 Reading comprehension can be broken down into three key elements:
decoding, vocabulary, and knowledge.
 Teachers can improve students’ reading comprehension by emphasizing
decoding over MSV, exposing students to a broad range of literature and
subjects, and prioritizing reading skills even after the foundational K-3 years.
 As schools make more gradual changes to teacher training and curricula
grounded in the science of reading, teachers can take action now by focusing
on these three dimensions of reading comprehension.