Games for Reading and Engagement in the Classroom

Adding some fun games for reading in the classroom schedule will instantly get your kids excited to read and learn! These 5 fun reading games are some of my favorites to use in any reading intervention or guided reading lesson.

***FREEBIE alert– I threw a couple of printable, FREE games for reading in this post! Keep reading to download and use them in the classroom! 👇⬇️

***Double freebie!! Have you downloaded my FREE Reading Intervention Cheat Sheet? You can grab it here to help you pinpoint what your struggling readers need!

Do your kids LOVE playing games too?

I don’t know about you, but any time I add a game element to my lesson, engagement INSTANTLY ramps up 1,000%!

Whenever I set the stakes higher and add some competition or even a challenge, the kiddos just dive into the activity. There’s nothing like some classroom games that set the stakes a little higher (hello competitive 1st graders!) and get kids invested in their learning.

 

I adore bringing games into teaching and helping students have fun while they learn (see this post with my Ultimate List of Reading Intervention Activities for more fun ideas!). I’ve been collecting games for a while now, and I’m excited to share some of my favorites with you! My goal is to load you up with some fresh new ideas to get your kids EXCITED and ENGAGED in your reading lessons.

I also want the games to be low-prep and easy for you to pull out whenever you need a little something to make your lesson✨EXTRA✨💃. After you try the games out, I’d love to hear how your kids liked them!

In my opinion, reading intervention needs 3 things:

1. Effective strategies (Science of Reading aligned)
2. A way to monitor progress/track data
3. FUN!

 

Students need to enjoy it, be engaged, and feel joy when they learn to read. I want to bring as much of that joy as I can while still using effective practices. Using games for reading intervention is a great way to bring that FUN into their learning!

So, if your kids are anything like mine…

you are going to love these SUPER fun games for reading practice!

 

Here’s a quick video showing all of these games in action:

 

Super Fun Reading Game #1: Secret Word Pass

This is like a telephone-style game for reading. Students get excited about having their own secret word and don’t even catch that it is just sneaky word-reading practice. 😏

This activity works great in small group lessons. Students get to practice writing one specific word and reading new words. The more students in the group, the more times they will write their word and the more different words they will read. This is awesome for practicing cvc words!

Materials:

• Pencil for each student
• Index card for each student 
• Instructions:

Instructions:

1. Assign each student a “secret word”. (You can have all of the words be in the same word family, use your spelling words, or use sight words)
2. Give each student an index card.
3. Have students write their secret word at the top of their index card and “whisper read” it quietly.
4. On your signal, have them pass their card to the right.
5. Students then “whisper read” the word on their new card, and write their original “secret word” on that card.
6. Pass the cards again.
7. Students read the words on their new card, and write their secret word on this new card.
8. Continue passing, reading, and writing until students get their original card back, and they can see all of the secret words on it.

 

 

Super Fun Reading Game #2: Red Light Green Light Reading

This one is so simple and can easily be adapted to virtual learning as well. It’s also great for boosting reading fluency.

PLUS you do not need any materials other than some text to read for the kiddos. It can be ANY text…

• A list of spelling words, sight words, or word family words
• A list of random sentences
• A paragraph
• A longer passage
• A book or textbook
• ANYTHING!

When you use a list of words, it is great for phonics practice (here’s a step-by-step guide for how to teach phonics if you need it!).

If you use phrases, sentences, or connected text (multiple sentences strung together in a meaningful way), it is great fluency practice.

(I have an extension explained below that helps you throw in some comprehension too)

And you know what simple and no extra materials mean, right? Whip it out whenever you have those odd extra minutes to fill and you got nothin’ else planned! I love these “back-pocket” ideas to fill my lesson idea toolbox!

Materials:

• Text to read (can be a list of words, sentences, a paragraph, or a whole passage)

Instructions:

1. When you say green light, students start whisper reading their text.
2. When you say red light, they stop.
3. Keep alternating between red light and green light until they make it to the end.

Notes and Extensions:

• You can choose whether to add a speed/racing element or not. For some students, the competition might stress them out, but for others, it will motivate them to push their fluency. They always need to be reading naturally and for comprehension as well though.
• For an extra comprehension challenge, when you say red light and they stop–have them take turns telling you about what they just read!
• You can also have students go back to the beginning if they keep reading past “red light”. This will help them not go so fast that they lose control.
• Optional:
  • Yellow light— read slowly
  • Blue light— read in a silly voice

 

Super Fun Reading Game #3: Secret Word Detectives

 

Here’s another ZERO PREP game for reading you can whip out at any moment–in person or virtual– for some phonics practice.

Kids love being detectives and uncovering hidden secrets, which is part of why this game is so exciting for them!

It also helps them practice phonics and word analysis skills as they focus on how words are spelled. And as you’ve heard me say before, spelling is a key way to integrate the Science of Reading into your instruction! It really gets them connecting those sounds to the letters that make them, and promotes orthographic mapping for fluency.

Materials:

• A way to display letters for students to see (i.e. white board and marker, paper and pencil, computer screen that students can see, etc.)

Instructions:

1. The teacher chooses a word that they want the student to practice.
2. They start by revealing one “sound at a time” by writing the letters that make that sound.
   • example: to reveal the word “cheese” you would reveal:
     1. ch
     2. ee
     3. s
     4. e (silent e’s don’t make their own sound, but you can reveal them at the end)
3. As soon as the student thinks they know the word, they put their finger on their nose.
4. The teacher keeps revealing the letters one sound at a time until the whole word is revealed.
5. If the student realizes they have the wrong word in their mind, they can take their finger off their nose until they think they know what it is again.
6. Students who got the word right (self-checking) can show you a “thumbs up” underneath their chin.

Variations and Extensions:

• To make the word easier to guess, you could have “blanks” (empty lines) for each sound from the beginning, and write the letters on the lines (hangman style).
• To get a little more teacher-monitoring, you can have them say the word at the end so you can see if they got it right.
• For a challenge (and to add more teacher-monitoring), when a student puts their finger on their nose have them finish writing the rest of the sounds their own paper and turn it around so you can see.
• Make it trickier by revealing the sounds out of order!
• Advanced students can take turns being the mystery-revealer and choosing their own words to give hints for.

 

Super Fun Reading Game #4: Musical Words

 

This game for reading is so fun and SO easy!

Music is one of my favorite things to integrate into teaching. It’s so easy to throw into an activity, and it instantly makes it magical and 1,000x more fun! And because of that, this reading game is one of my favorites!

Your kiddos will LOVE the extra flair PLUS get focused word-reading practice.

Materials:

• Any type of music to play (kids love kidsbop but the lyrics are distracting. I stick to Piano Guys, instrumental versions of songs, instrumental soundtracks from kid movies, or even classical music!)
• A piece of paper with words written around the edge (like below)
• You can have the kids fill in their own “game boards” by writing the words on their papers.
• The boxes around the words are optional, but here’s a pdf version in case you’d like to print it out and use that.

Instructions:

1. When you start the music, have students go around their boards and touch and read each word
2. When the music stops, have them cross out whichever word their finger is on
3. When the music starts again, have them continue going around their board and reading the words (have them keep going around the board in a continuous circle).
4. The game is over when students only have one word left.
5. Go around and have students share which word on their board won. See if any are the same!

Variations and extensions:

• For older students, you could give them a paragraph or a passage to read. When they get to the end have them start back over again. They cross out a word or a sentence each time. When the game is over they can try reading their text out loud–without all of the crossed-out words just for fun!
• If you reeeally want to add engagement, let them do it standing up leaning over their table or desk so they can dance while they read! Of course only on the condition that they don’t get too caught up in the dancing that they stop reading.

Here’s a free game board to use for Musical Words!

Click here to download: Musical Words Game Board

 

Super Fun Reading Game #5: FREE Games for Reading Download!

If you have read many of my blog posts, you will know how much I love reading intervention. I REALLY love making my teaching systems easy and streamlined, which is why these Reading Intervention Binders are so amazing.

Recently, I completely beefed up 💪 these binders and they now each include a GAME SECTION! 🙌 🎉

 

The reading games are the perfect review for each of the skills practiced earlier in the binder. All week you work through the learning activities for that skill, and then end it with a fun game to solidify the skill on Friday!

Super easy.

The kids love it.

ZERO prep.

All the fun!

Plus it’s reusable so you can pull these games out whenever you need to spice up a lesson. 

 

In the spirit of sharing games with reading flair, I want to share part of these reading intervention binders with YOU!

Here is a free sample that includes 7 free reading games (1 from each of my 7 Reading Intervention Binders).

 

You can download them here: 👇⬇️

FREE Games for Reading Intervention Download!

 

In my list of game ideas for you, I wanted to include some easy print-and-go options for you. These no-prep reading games are so easy to throw into your guided reading lessons or one-on-one intervention sessions!

 

Here are the games included in the free sample:

 

1. Phonemic Awareness: Rhyming Memory

2. Letter Skills: Letter Ladder

3. CVC Words: CVC Board Game

4. Phonics: Silent e Tic Tac Toe

5. Fluency: Phrase Spin-It Race

6. Listening Comprehension: Spin a Question

7. Reading Comprehension: Detail Memory Toss

 

These are some good ones! I hope you download them and give them a try!

 

For LOADS more reading games + EVERYTHING you need for successful reading intervention, check out my complete MEGA Reading Intervention Binder Bundle.

 

That wraps up my list of super fun games for reading! I hope you and your students have fun bringing reading games in the classroom, and that they help you enjoy teaching and learning reading a little (or a lot) more!