Did you know that while the holidays are a nice break from the school routine, kids can lose up to two months of reading skills during this time? Why not freshen up those skills before the new school year starts with some fun literacy games for kids? From online literacy games to literacy board games, there are lots of options available that will keep those reading skills in check.
In this article, we’ll explore the literacy games that make learning exciting and provide hours of fun in the process.
1. Play Literacy-Based Board Games
Playing literacy-based board games helps children develop all the key skills that fall within the literacy bracket. It’s also the perfect activity for a rainy afternoon during the long break. With the UK weather being its usual unpredictable self right now, you’ll be glad of some fun and engaging activities to have in the bag.
Not only do kids have to read instructions and game cards, but they will also need to speak clearly, describe objects without using keywords, and listen to information that other players are giving them. Games such as Scrabble and Boggle involve children writing down notes and information, and using random letters to create words, which can help them expand their vocabulary and flex their spelling skills.
Here are 7 must-have literacy board games to choose from.
2. Reading Bingo
Summer reading bingo is a wonderful reading game for children to take part in over the holidays. Not only does it encourage kids to engage with reading but also challenges them to try out different book categories and reading-related activities on a bingo board.
With the aim to shout ‘Bingo!’ by the end of the summer holidays, they’ll be busy reading and building skills too! Here are some reading bingo ideas, or alternatively, you can both get creative and make your own board. You could even get them involved in the Summer Reading Challenge. There’s a different theme each year and this year’s theme is sports and games. On your marks, get set, read!
3. The Alphabet Game
Keep things interesting on long car journeys by playing the alphabet game with your kids and be sure to involve all the passengers too to make it more exciting.
Start by choosing a category like animals and get the first person to name an animal that begins with the letter A. The game continues through the alphabet until you get to the letter Z or until everyone is stuck. You can try a whole host of different categories like clothes, food, and names.
It’s a simple but fun game and a great little literacy booster you can play on the go.
4. Educational Video Games
Utilising technology can be a great way to engage kids in some learning during the summer. With lots of literacy-based apps or educational literacy games to choose from, there’s plenty that will help build reading and writing skills without kids even realising it.
We love Scribblenauts, which is a unique word-based video game where kids are encouraged to use a mix of problem-solving, logic, and language-based skills to complete. Using their imagination, kids can use almost any means to complete these tasks, such as magically spawning a trampoline, ladder, or even plane onto the screen- all they need to do is spell the word correctly.
There’s also a whole host of different apps that combine games with reading and writing too, here are some of the best ones to make use of this summer.
5. Online Literacy Games For Kids
In addition to console games and apps that combine fun with literacy, there are lots of online games that can be accessed from a browser. The Reading Machine from Education World is one of our favourites as it has lots of games for kids between the ages of 6 and 12. Check out Turtle Diary, too, for online literacy games like Maze Alphabet and Punctuation Mystery.
Support the Enjoyment of Literacy Games With a Summer Tutor
Literacy is crucial to the academic development of your student. These fun literacy games for kids are a great way to practice literacy and apply the skills that have been learned.
Before you can practice, your child needs the fundamentals down. A tutor can be a great way to help with this. From teaching basic reading skills to going over phonetics, a tutor will get your child’s reading journey off to a tremendous start.
Find a local tutor and discover how some summer one-to-one tutoring is a great way to keep those reading skills fresh.
