5 Fun Literacy and Reading Games Your Child will Love
Reading is one of the most important skills for your child to learn. It not only helps them to learn new vocabulary and develop a love for reading, it also improves their academic performance and language comprehension. Reading more is one of the best things you can do as a parent to help your child become a better reader. But how do you get your kids to do so too? This article provides five fun literacy games that are perfect for children who may be reluctant or difficult readers. These games will help your child to improve their reading skills and make reading enjoyable at the same time! Find out what they are now!
5 Fun Literacy Games
Reading is a difficult task for many children. In fact, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics, one-third of fourth-graders are not reading on grade level. As parents, it can be hard to come up with fun ways to encourage your child to read more and improve their reading skills. The good news? There are plenty of literacy games that engage kids and make reading enjoyable!
1) You can read a book together
You can start off this game by choosing a book you think your child will enjoy. Let them choose the first page and then alternate back and forth after that. Reading books aloud together is an excellent way to create a bond with your child through shared interests.
2) Read in another language
If your child is interested in learning how to speak another language, this game is perfect for them! You can learn how to say words in another language and work on improving pronunciation skills at the same time. This game can also help to extend their word knowledge and introduce new words into their everyday vocabulary.
3) Try speed reading
Speed reading is an excellent way to increase the reading pace while maintaining proper comprehension skills. It’s also been shown that children who read faster have better comprehension than those who don’t practice speed reading skills. That’s because when they read slowly, they have more time to consider each word individually, which leads them get distracted by other thoughts or ideas that don't relate directly to the text before going on.
Why Playing Literacy Games is Important for Kids
Educational games are a great way to make reading more fun. Think about it. What are some of your favorite games? Chances are, they’re the ones you played when you were younger. Now that you’re older, do you still play them? Games can be just as fun for adults as they are for children and that’s why they should be used as an educational tool.
Games have been shown to improve the reading ability in children who may be struggling with literacy skills and might be difficult readers. Playing these games allows your child to practice their reading skills in a fun environment where they don't even realize they're learning. Not only will your child improve their reading proficiency through playing these games, but they'll also build problem solving and critical thinking skills at the same time!
Game 1: What's in the Word?
It's time to play a new guessing game with your child! The goal of this game is to figure out what word is being displayed. The word will be an object, a person or an animal, and only the first letter of the word will be shown. For example, if the word was "dog," then all you would see is "d."
The first player needs to think of a letter from the alphabet that starts with that letter and say it out loud.
For example, if the first word were "cat," then you would say "c."
If your child guesses correctly, you get to choose another letter for them to guess. If they can't guess correctly after three tries then they lose.
The next player gets a chance to guess without giving another letter and so on, until someone wins!
Game 2: Play a literacy game?
In this literacy game, the child needs to fill in a sentence with words that he or she knows. The sentence could read: "I hope we can _____ soon." Fill in the blank with something your child likes to do, such as play soccer.
This is an excellent way for your child to learn new vocabulary words and have fun reading at the same time!
Game 3: Memory-Based Spelling Test
A memory game is a perfect way to help your child learn how to spell. This game can be played on paper or with a tablet, depending on your child’s age and level of comfort with technology. The goal of this game is to take a picture or a digital image of the word, cut it out and then have your child find it in a pile of mixed-up letters.
For a younger child (ages 4-7,) write each letter of the word on a separate piece of paper and then have your child sort through them until they find the right one. For an older child (ages 8-13,) use a tablet or allow him or her to hold up pieces of paper with the letters written on them.
Game 4: Make a list
The fourth game is called "Make a list".
A great way to improve reading skills is by asking your child to make a list of items. They can include anything they want to - their favorite colors, what they want for dinner, or their favorite video games.
Ask your child to write the first item on the list and then have them think of another item that fits with the first one. If you want to challenge your child even more, you can provide them with a word bank that will help them come up with great lists. For example, if this activity were about colors, you could give them the word bank "blue, green, pink" and ask them to make a list of colors that all fit together.
Game 5: Take turns reading
One of the best ways to improve your child’s reading skills is by allowing them to practice reading out loud. One way to do this is by taking turns reading a book together. Your child will be less likely to zone out when it’s their turn to read. In addition, they will learn how to better pronounce words and understand sentence structures. This is an easy activity that doesn’t take up too much time or need much preparation but can have a big impact on your child's literacy level.
Why Literacy Games benefit Reading
There are many benefits to playing literacy games with your child. From improving their reading comprehension to developing language skills, these games will make your child a better reader and develop their love of reading as well. This is one of the most important skills to teach our children because it impacts every aspect of their lives in a positive way.
Reading or sounding out words is an important step in the reading process for children. It’s also a crucial skill for adulthood, which is why mastering this early on can have such a significant impact on their future. With literacy games, children learn how to decode words and improve their vocabulary while having fun at the same time. Additionally, these games help develop other skills like coordination and problem-solving too.
Literacy games also promote reading in general because they make reading more enjoyable and less intimidating for children who may be reluctant or difficult readers. As parents, you should be looking for ways in which you can improve your child’s literacy without them even realizing it! These literacy games are perfect because they’re easy to do and kids love them!
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