I love to play games! I love games in the classroom even as much as students love to have games in the classroom. These are my top go-to games that can be used in so many ways- whole group, small group and can also incorporate whatever literacy skills or subjects you are working on.

Erase the Monster

This one is definitely a favorite game for my students. It is also one that students can play in partners or in a small group. The flexibility is endless with this game.

How to Play:

  1. Create a monster. You can do this by drawing one on a whiteboard or using clipart to make one. I know Rainbow Sprinkle Studio has a great monster clipart set for this.
  2. Decide what skill you are focusing on.
  3. Add a speech bubble for the things the monster will say. Optional: Give the monster a name and make up a fun fact about them. Students love this added fun!
  4. Let the game begin! You write something in the speech bubble that the monster is going to say. Then tell the students how the monster says it. Usually I have the monster say it wrong.
  5. Students then say if the monster said it right or not. If the monster said it wrong they need to correct it and get to pick one part of the monster to erase if it drawn or to delete if monster is on the computer.
  6. Play continues until all parts of the monster are gone.

Ways to Play:

  • Monster says a letter name wrong, so students have to say the right letter name
  • Monster says the letter sound wrong, so students have to say the right sound or what letter the monster should has wrote
  • Monster reads a word or sentence wrong and students have to read it correctly.
  • Monster spells a word wrong and students have to spell it correctly.

Tic Tac Toe Meets Bingo

Even though I don’t really know what to call this game, it is a good one. Honestly, I have mainly used this game to practice math facts and heart words, but I started using it with our weekly word lists that focus on a certain spelling and it works just as well.

How to Play:

  1. Prior to starting to play, pick what skill you are going to focus on and make a list of words or letters or numbers for students to pick from.
  2. Students need something to write on and something to write with.
  3. To make their gameboards, students draw 2 lines across and 2 lines down to make a tic-tac-toe board. You could add more lines.
  4. Then students finishing creating their own gameboard by filling in each square with something from the list you had prepared.
  5. Once everyone has their gameboard ready, play begins!
  6. Each student gets a turn calling something from the gameboard. It is good to highlight or mark in some ways what students have called to keep track.
  7. As the caller says something, everyone else looks at their gameboard. If they have it, they get to cross it off.
  8. Play continues until someone gets three in a row or a gameboard is completely crossed off.

Ways to Play:

  • Students write numbers 1-3 on their gameboards. When it is time to call something, the caller says a word. Together count the number of syllables and cross out one of those numbers on the board.
  • Use a targeted word list (heart words, word list for a phonic skills) to put on gameboards and students read the words and cross off if they have them.
  • Use letters for the gameboards and focus on letter names or sounds.
  • Use letters but focus on blending or segmenting. The caller would segment a word and students would cross off the letters they hear.

 

Cup Game

In all honesty, I’m shocked this game is still such a hit with my students. My kindergarteners request this still almost daily. The fact it gives some of them the targeted practice they need I’m all for it.

How to Play:

  1. Get 3 or more plastic cups that aren’t clear.
  2. Write a letter, grapheme or word on each one with a dry erase or wet erase marker. (I write one of the front and one on the back so I can easily mix it up.)
  3. Set up the three cups and say what is on each cup to make sure all students know.
  4. Pick something fun to hide under a cup. Adding 1-2 other things from time to time keeps engagement up.
  5. Have students close their eyes so they can’t see the cups. While they are doing that, hide your fun thing under a cup.
  6. Students open their eyes and say the letter, grapheme or word that is on the cup they think you hide the thing under.
  7. Play continues until it is found. Then play a couple more rounds shuffling the cups around.

Ways to Play:

  • Put letters on each cup and have students say the letter sound or letter name. You could also do it so all the letters make a word so you can practice blending too.
  • Put different graphemes or morphemes on each cup and students say the sound or meaning it represents (Can also work in the saying that goes with it to review when to use it in a word. Example – “ai” is on a cup. Review it is used in the middle of a word.)
  • Put a math fact on each cup and students say the answer
  • Put a heart word on each cup and students read the heart word
  • Put a word from the spelling pattern you are working on each cup and students say the word. You could also have all the words make a phrase or sentence, so students can practice reading the phrase or sentence.

I hope these games add some fun and engagement to your classroom and small group time.