Reading Games for 1st Graders

Children love stories and books. And what better way to entertain them than to have them read their own!

We love doing what we are good at, and children are no different. The more a child can read, the more they will want to. Learning the right methods and techniques can help children read faster. When they have fun in the process, it only becomes a bigger thrill.

Reading games for 1st graders help engage and push children to read more words, build fluency, and gain familiarity with reading concepts. It also develops a greater interest in reading, writing, and spelling as a result.

Learn more about reading and learning from SplashLearn’s educational repository.

Putting Fun and Challenge into 1st Grade Reading

Thankfully, learning has come a long way, and innovation and creativity have made the journey very exciting. When games become a part of practice and skill-building, children can keep at it for hours. Take a look at some innovative reading games for 1st graders:

• Sight word ludo: Ludo is among the most popular children’s games. Perk up the Ludo board by adding grade-appropriate words on the squares. The child needs to read the word on the square to be able to move forward. If not, they miss a turn.
• Online books: Online books can help the child enhance their reading skills and build familiarity with words. Books have bright illustrations making them eye-catching. As the audio plays, words light up, and your child can look at the word carefully, creating a strong association. Once read, go over the book again and invite your child to read it with you.
• Dig it up!: The one thing children love more than toys is a mess. Have some fun reading, but prepare yourself for a messy baby! Write some words on pebbles and bury them in the mud. Give your child 3 minutes to dig into the mud and pull out as many pebbles as possible. Now he needs to read out all the words on the pebbles, or he loses them.
• Count to three: This is a fantastic exercise that teaches children to read and spell. Spread out flashcards on a table. Ensure one word is written on each. Now take simple pictures of the words on the flashcard and show them. The child needs to identify the picture, pick out the word, and sound it out. They then hand over the flashcard and try to spell the word. To play this the other way round, lay the pictures out on the table. Now hand over the word card to the child. They need to read it out, spell it, and then find the associated picture.

Timing it Right – Teaching Your Grade 1 Reader

Rules always prescribe some guidelines about what a grade 1 reader should know – but remember how we as children loved to break them?

The point here is that these are only indicative guidelines. Your reader will let you know exactly what you should teach and how slow or fast you need to go. When teaching them to read, here are some tips you need to follow:

• Start reading only after your reader knows all the letter and vowel sounds. While most readers in this grade will be fairly familiar with them, always practice because children may lose touch or forget.
• Work with word groups. Pick a concept and practice similar groups of words or patterns. This will help them make strong associations.
• Give your child enough practice with learning, recognition, and recall. They should be able to perform all three before you move on.

Supporting your 1st grader

Children love to ape their parents, their teachers, and their friends. If they notice their friends reading certain words, they will not want to admit they can’t. Keep an eye out to identify exactly how much your child is able to understand and reproduce what they’ve learned.

Children seek validation. Always remind them that they are doing a great job. Make some mistakes yourself, and laugh with the child. It will help them feel secure. Remember that loving words and motivation can go a long way in helping them learn.

The best way to help children read is to set them up for success. Through consistent practice using varied techniques, we can help expose children to more innovative learning styles. SplashLearn’s online learning reading aids are the best way to make reading for 1st graders joyful. 

Children love stories and books. And what better way to entertain them than to have them read their own!

We love doing what we are good at, and children are no different. The more a child can read, the more they will want to. Learning the right methods and techniques can help children read faster. When they have fun in the process, it only becomes a bigger thrill.

Reading games for 1st graders help engage and push children to read more words, build fluency, and gain familiarity with reading concepts. It also develops a greater interest in reading, writing, and spelling as a result.

Learn more about reading and learning from SplashLearn’s educational repository.

Putting Fun and Challenge into 1st Grade Reading

Thankfully, learning has come a long way, and innovation and creativity have made the journey very exciting. When games become a part of practice and skill-building, children can keep at it for hours. Take a look at some innovative reading games for 1st graders:

• Sight word ludo: Ludo is among the most popular children’s games. Perk up the Ludo board by adding grade-appropriate words on the squares. The child needs to read the word on the square to be able to move forward. If not, they miss a turn.
• Online books: Online books can help the child enhance their reading skills and build familiarity with words. Books have bright illustrations making them eye-catching. As the audio plays, words light up, and your child can look at the word carefully, creating a strong association. Once read, go over the book again and invite your child to read it with you.
• Dig it up!: The one thing children love more than toys is a mess. Have some fun reading, but prepare yourself for a messy baby! Write some words on pebbles and bury them in the mud. Give your child 3 minutes to dig into the mud and pull out as many pebbles as possible. Now he needs to read out all the words on the pebbles, or he loses them.
• Count to three: This is a fantastic exercise that teaches children to read and spell. Spread out flashcards on a table. Ensure one word is written on each. Now take simple pictures of the words on the flashcard and show them. The child needs to identify the picture, pick out the word, and sound it out. They then hand over the flashcard and try to spell the word. To play this the other way round, lay the pictures out on the table. Now hand over the word card to the child. They need to read it out, spell it, and then find the associated picture.

Timing it Right – Teaching Your Grade 1 Reader

Rules always prescribe some guidelines about what a grade 1 reader should know – but remember how we as children loved to break them?

The point here is that these are only indicative guidelines. Your reader will let you know exactly what you should teach and how slow or fast you need to go. When teaching them to read, here are some tips you need to follow:

• Start reading only after your reader knows all the letter and vowel sounds. While most readers in this grade will be fairly familiar with them, always practice because children may lose touch or forget.
• Work with word groups. Pick a concept and practice similar groups of words or patterns. This will help them make strong associations.
• Give your child enough practice with learning, recognition, and recall. They should be able to perform all three before you move on.

Supporting your 1st grader

Children love to ape their parents, their teachers, and their friends. If they notice their friends reading certain words, they will not want to admit they can’t. Keep an eye out to identify exactly how much your child is able to understand and reproduce what they’ve learned.

Children seek validation. Always remind them that they are doing a great job. Make some mistakes yourself, and laugh with the child. It will help them feel secure. Remember that loving words and motivation can go a long way in helping them learn.

The best way to help children read is to set them up for success. Through consistent practice using varied techniques, we can help expose children to more innovative learning styles. SplashLearn’s online learning reading aids are the best way to make reading for 1st graders joyful.