TOS Crew Review: The Reading Game

My children love games so when I can combine that with teaching phonics it is a huge plus!!

We recently had the opportunity to review The Reading Game by the author of Wordly Wise. It is a fun and fast two player memory card game, for ages 4 and up, that teaches sight words. It was a great supplement to Ava Mae's phonics/reading program.

The game comes with 180 memory cards and six fun storybooks. Each storybook has 30 memory cards that go along with it. What I loved is that when Ava Mae had memorized the first 30 memory cards she was able to read the first storybook. I have found one of the biggest motivators when teaching reading is the ability for a child to be able to read a book by themselves. Ava Mae was so excited when she read her first book "Skunk". I found it really nice that the memory card game is played in six sets of five words. The smaller sets allow for your child to learn the words more quickly without being overwhelmed.

From The Reading Game website:

Frequent exposure through play hard-wires these words into long-term memory. The card game requires two players, the student and a tutor. When used in classrooms and reading centers, parent volunteers or student “reading buddies” can easily be shown how to play the matching card game. By transforming rote learning into a fast paced game where there is a winner every few seconds, learning to read becomes fun.

After completing stage six of the first game, the student has a reading vocabulary of thirty words.

The first story is told using just those thirty words. It tells of a skunk without a stripe who is rejected for being different but finds acceptance among a group of cats and becomes their defender. Each subsequent game in the series adds a further thirty words for a reading vocabulary of 180 words by the time the complete series is finished. Of the twenty-five most commonly used English words, twenty-two are on that list; of the forty most commonly used English words –thirty. The multi-sensory teaching approach – through the card game play and the storybooks - works well for retention and student enjoyment.

My son and daughter both enjoyed playing the role of "reading buddy" for Ava Mae. It is a game easily paired with an older sibling - another plus in our homeschool. I think this game would make a great Christmas gift for a new reader and a wonderful addition to any reading/phonics curriculum. It can be purchased directly from The Reading Game for just $24.95.


Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of The Reading Game? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free copy of The Reading Game, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the curriculum.