My beginning reader loved this set of games for learning to read short a words. We think your learners will like them too!
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I’ve been teaching my Five to read, and it’s kind of slow going. That’s because sounding out words is just plain tough when you’re starting out.
While my Five knows the basic mechanics of saying each sound and blending them together, I’ve found that it works best if we focus on just one short vowel at at a time.
So I created this set of 21 reading games to nail down those short a words.
21 Games for reading short a words
How to play
- Print the game board of your choice (use the Table of the Contents so you don’t have to scroll through the file to find what you want!)
- Grab two Do-a-Dot markers or a set of pair of crayons or markers in two different colors. Power magnets work if you put the game on a magnetic baking sheet.
- Take turns reading a word on the board. Dot, color, or cover it.
- Whoever gets four in a row first, wins!
We started with the “at” board because this is a word family he knows really well. Since the whole board features just words that end with at, your child gets a lot of practice reading the same words over and over again. Let’s hear it for automaticity!
We practiced “am” words too.
Many of the boards come with a second game featuring the same word family – but this time, they add words with beginning digraphs (such as sh, ch, th, and wh) or beginning blends (such as sw, sp, pl, and tr).
We played a few games before my little learner was ready to be done.
Another day, we pulled out the games again. This time we also used a game that reviewed three word families all at once. You’ll also find two games in the download that review all the short a words.
Enjoy this fun way to practice reading short a words!
We highly recommend these colorful reading mats!
Get more freebies for teaching short a words
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Jennifer Hall says
I have to tell you, I love your resources. They are fun, engaging activities that my students love doing. I don’t know how much money you make on your site but I hope it’s a lot. Your products are just the best!
Anna Geiger says
Thank you for your kind comment, Jennifer! Thankfully I am able to make a full time income while still giving most of my resources away for free. I’m so thankful God is blessing my work here – it’s an absolutely joy!
Crystal says
Anna i’m not sure if you know it yet, but you are Godsent. i’ve been searching for the right materials to teach phonics to my ESL students, and these get the job done. keep up the good work.
Anna Geiger says
Thank you, Crystal, that’s wonderful to hear!
Tara says
I just stumbled upon your site and I love the resources that I have seen so far! This game is perfect for my daughter and motivates her to keep going and push through any frustration she has in order to get her dot on the card. Thanks.
Anna G says
I’m so glad to hear that this resource worked for your daughter, Tara!
Anje says
I am from South Africa and I am teaching hearing impaired learners. Grade 2 and 3. I absolutely love your resources. The visual aspect are very important when teaching my learners and you absolutely meet the requirements! You make my work easy and I would like to thank you for all your time and effort.
Anna G says
Thank you so much for your encouragement, Anje! It means a lot!