Word Games

'Word of the Day' Jar

Expand your child's vocabulary! Create a 'Word of the Day' Jar for your house. Decorate a large jar in any way you want -- glued-on tissue paper, construction paper, stickers, etc. You can encourage your child to practice his or her letters by dressing up the jar with various letters of the alphabet! Once it's decorated, fill the jar up with all sorts of words written on ...(read more)

Consonant Crazy

This is a music activity that my daughter learned in preschool, and now she applies it to any song that she knows. Two tunes that work well are "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and the traditional birthday song. Choose a consonant letter from the alphabet and use that sound to sing every word of the song. Example: B = Bed, Boulders, Bees and Boes or ...(read more)

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This Word Starts with A

Here is a game for long car rides, and it works for everyone in the car, even if there is a wide age range. For example, if your kids are 5, 7 and 10, have one kid pick a letter and have everyone in the car come up with as many words as he or she can that start with that letter. The catch is that while the youngest ...(read more)

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Mixed-Up Words

This game requires that your child know at least some of the consonant sounds from the alphabet. Start by choosing an object (for example, a table), then substitute the first letter with another one (maybe a 'P'). Say the result, 'pable,' and see if your child can guess which object you're talking about. When they guess correctly, it's your child's turn. If they can't guess it, ...(read more)

Word Search

Make a simple word search for your beginning reader. On a piece of paper, hide simple, familiar words in rows of letters. Let your child find and circle them. If you have quad-lined or "graph" paper, it's even easier. This is great for times when you're waiting at a restaurant or doctor's office, even a long plane trip. (read more)

Rhyme Time

When you're in a waiting room with your child or anywhere where you need to 'kill' a few minutes, you can play this easy rhyming game. The parent starts by saying, 'I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with ____ and it starts with ___.' For example, you could say 'I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with BED and it starts with H.' Your child would then yell out ...(read more)

What's Your Middle Name?

This is a fun game that helps kids learn their letters. We have an imaginary friend named Samuel Serendipity and we continually change the first letter of his middle name and then think of all the words his middle name could be. Ex. For Samuel P. Serendipity, my son and I brainstorm all the words we can think of that start with the letter P. Everything from ...(read more)

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Bored with Board Games?

After you've played Candy Land or Chutes & Ladders for the 10th time in one day, mix it up a bit by playing them in Spanish (or another language). Games that use only colors or numbers work best to keep it simple for your child (and you!).(read more)

Identifying Opposites

Read The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss. Have your child demonstrate the pairs of opposite words using their own feet. For example, put one foot low and one foot high. One foot forward and one foot back. One foot loud and one foot quiet. The parent can call out the first word, and the child can finish the opposite pair.(read more)

Pick a Letter!

Kids become fascinated by letters and sounds at a very early age. To encourage this fascination and to develop pre-reading skills and phonemic awareness, this is a simple game you can play at home or on the go. There is a 26-sided die with each letter of the alphabet in the game Scattergories. You can take turns rolling the die and see if each player can come ...(read more)

Hopscotch Spelling

A great way to improve spelling skills while having fun! Using either sidewalk chalk or foam interlocking-letter squares (you can find them at Right Start or Ross), list the alphabet. Say a word and have your kid(s) spell out the word hopping on the letters. Younger kids can play by just finding a letter and then progressing to finding the letter that sounds like "ssss."(read more)

The Opposites Game

A great game to play while in the car, waiting at a doctor's office, etc. Start teaching your children antonyms. You say hot, they say cold. You say up, they say down. Continue and once they get the hang of it, siblings will play by themselves! (read more)