13 Hot Toys and Fun Games for Reading
Fun games for reading are on every parent and teacher wish list for the holidays. We are always on the lookout for gifts and toys that are fun, educational, and can help our kids become better readers. Look no further because here are some of the hottest toys and games that will get kids excited about reading. These are great for beginning and struggling readers and for kids with dyslexia.
Here are some great games for reading to help kids practice word recognition, spelling patterns, and letter-sound knowledge. Games should be chosen according to the child’s individual level and goals to promote a sense of competence and success. Read more about why learning with games is the best way to teach.
If you need holiday gifts, classroom activities, homeschool resources, or just some fun family game night choices, add some of these to your bag. If you are looking for some fun printable games, check out my new phonics card games at the end of this post and grab a free printable board game.
(This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Learning Toys for Reading
1. Guided Reading Highlight Strips
Pair these with a book and you have a great gift that aids kids who have difficulty tracking while reading. These reading highlights strips are simple and effective tools; designed to aid students with skipping words, skipping lines, so it’s great for strengthening visual tracking skills, blocking distractions, and helping to keep focus while reading verbatim.
See this post for some fun book ideas. 15 Books About Dyslexia for Kids
Trusted by Families Worldwide – With over 50 million sold, ThinkFun is the world’s leader in brain and logic games. Gameplay provides a stealth learning experience, where players build vocabulary and learn spelling patterns. Two levels of play support both early and more advanced readers.
3. Play-Doh Shape and Learn Letters and Language
Play-Doh play lets kids take the lid off their imaginations and explore their creativity. Playsets come in many different themes and offer lots of creative role play.
4. APMIEK Sensory Fidget Toys Set
Children interact with the toys by seeing, hearing, and touching, which strengthens their sense of perception and observation. Fidget toys: 1. Promote the improvement of perception ability; 2. Promote the development of children’s language; 3. Promote the development of children’s imagination; 4. Help relieve stress and anxiety.
Fun Games for Reading
My Word – The Classic Party Word Game From Reiner Knizia where you find The Solution – Spell A Word Using At Least 3 Cards
The Spelling Game With So Many Ways To Play.
Extra-Creative Word Making Fun for All Ages
AWARD-WINNING FAMILY GAME: Winner of a Parents’ Choice Foundation Silver Honor Award. Parents’ Choice calls it a “clever, fun-to-play, mind-expanding game.”
PERFECT CARD GAME FOR AGES 8 & UP: For 1-4 players, or play in teams for more fun. This family game is perfect for casual word game players, novice spellers, parents and kids, teachers and students! Everyone can enjoy it at home, at school, or while traveling.
7. Bananagrams
My First Multi-Award Winning Kids Spelling Game
FOR YOUNG READERS: The perfect word game for the pre-reader and early learner, My First BANANAGRAMS utilizes lowercase letters that help children grow a love for word games and wordplay. My First Bananagrams aligns with school reading curriculums, prepare your little ones for learning. It is great for older kids to use as word-building practice.
8. P for Pizza: A Word Race to Build a Giant Pizza Slice
Get this fast-paced word game where the aim is to shout out a word that links the letter on one card to the category on another.|Best New Family Board Games
9. Upwords
Fun and Challenging Family Word Game with Stackable Letter Tiles, for Ages 8 and up
10. Scrabble Junior: Disney Junior Edition Board Game
Double-Sided Game Board, Matching and Word Game (Amazon Exclusive)
- SCRABBLE GAME FOR KIDS: Do you love playing the classic Scrabble game Introduce your little ones to this version of the iconic word game with the Scrabble Junior: Disney Junior edition board game
- MATCHING GAME FOR KIDS: One side of the board features letter matching. Players cover the gameboard letters with their matching letter tiles and get points for matching words
- CROSSWORD GAME FOR KIDS: Another side of the board lets more advanced players come up with their own words, crossword-style
11. Looney Labs Mad Libs – The Game
- All the fun of Mad Libs in a fantastic new card game
- Humor-inducing gameplay is perfect for any gaming group or party
- Great for learning (or refreshing your mastery over) the parts of speech
- Roll the vowel dice and combine the letters with the consonant cards in your hand—build the highest-scoring word and you win the round
- Includes 108 consonant cards, 2 vowel dice, and guide
- Develops word building and spelling skills, and builds vocabulary
Spellchecked can help young learners to recognize spelling patterns, use critical-thinking strategies, and learn from misspellings. The game plays to young learners’ strengths in identifying images and choosing a correct spelling from a group of three possibilities. This provides a sense of success and encouragement, even for those who struggle to spell on their own. Once young learners master a set of lower-level words, they can graduate to another level and continue learning.
Printable Card Games
Check out these printable card games from Tammy’s Toolbox.
Just print, cut, and play. You may also like printable board games that can be used for review of any subject.
Here is a game freebie to get you started.
Have Fun,
P.S. If you haven’t signed up for my mailing list yet, now is the time. You get subscriber-only access to my growing library of free resources and some great free games you can use now.
