Phonics games?
 

I was wondering if anyone knew of any fun ways to introduce phonics in the classroom. I haven't been able to find much that is useful online. I teach elementary and middle school students in Japan, and Karuta (slam) and bingo seem to be the go-to games to teach phonics. I'd like to have a little variation to make it more fun and interesting for the kids. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Re: Phonics games?
 

There are some board games in the games section of www.eslcity.com I haven't used them but maybe they are useful. If you use them, you can share your experience with us.

Re: Phonics games?
 

Hey,

Thanks for telling me about the website! I'll check it out and definitely let everyone know how they work if I end up using them.

Re: Phonics games?
 

Choose two or three sounds that are difficult for your students to distinguish. For example, I teach Japanese and Mexican students. All have trouble with th, s, and z. I put flashcards of the letters on the board. I say a word that may contain either of the letters and students run to the board to slap the correct letter.

I also use rhyming to reinforce the sounds. The students have to make up words that rhyme with the word that I say (even if it is not really a word, the sound is more important).

Dictation: You say a word that includes sounds that they students have learned. The students must write the word. You can do this in the game telephone as well so that everyone is speaking. You say the word to the first person. Every whispers the word to the next person. The last person writes it on paper, on the board, or with scrabble like word cards/tiles.

I made sets of letter cards (like scrabble) for the students to use in small groups or pairs. I say words and the students make the word with the letters. Stick with words that contain the sound that you are working with. It seems helpful to keep the principle sound constant and change only one letter at a time. For example, start with bat, next sat, mat, man, pan, etc.

hope this helps.

Re: Phonics games?
 

Also, a Japanese game called shiritori is good for beginning and ending sounds and vocabulary building. One person starts by saying a word (the teacher). The next person must stay a word that starts with the sound at the end of the first word. This continues until someone cannot think of a word. Japanese is completely phonetic and there are no silent vowels. So it can be confusing for my students when the come across a word like make. If I am teaching phonics, I tell them to use the sounds (the next person must say a word that starts with the 'K' sound.) If I am working on vocabulary building with older students who should know how to spell, I tell them to pay attention to the last letter of the word.

Re: Phonics games?
 

Hi, I have found a new website dealing with phonics: www.adrianbruce.com I haven't used it but you can see whether they are useful to you. Tell us how they work if you happen to use them. You have to check the reading section to find them. Hope they are useful.
Sabrina;)

Re: Phonics games?
 

Hey guys,

Thanks for all your help. It might be a little while before I have to do phonics again, but I'll let you know if anything worked well.

rabu,
the o

Re: Phonics games?
 

Bingo is a good game for a bunch of skills, including phonics. You can use this site to make a game board, or make one of your own. Laminate them and then the kids can mark the card using a white board marker and then re-use it. On the game card, use target letters or words (such as 'sh' words). The kids then have to listen for the word, then cross it off on their card. To get them talking, you could also have the students take turns calling out the words or letters.

Re: Phonics games?
 

I checked out Free Educational Teaching Resources of Adrian Bruce-Reading Games-Math Games-Educational Software-Motivational Posters-Line Symmetry-Readers Theater-Art Lessons-Science Lessons- and it was a wonderful site for print outs. I found a section where you can print out phonics posters to use in the classroom as well ;)

This can help with making ideas for games and such.. For me, usually just seeing words that are connected with the same phonic sound helps me to create something to do

Dr. Seuss books are always good to have as well..

Good luck in the future!

Re: Phonics games?
 

There's a podcast at www.eslteachertalk.com about teaching phonics and there is a phonics game at the end of the show.
here's the link Phonics Part 1

Re: Phonics games?
 

I am teaching grade 1 in China. My phonics game is:

Once the Ss. have learned the sounds of the alphabet I play - beat the teacher. I do have a TA who records score on board, but you could choose the strongest student who does not need the review to record the scores.
I work systematically up and down the rows - 32 Ss.

Mark on board T S grid. (as soon as I put this on board students cheer)
I hold the alphabet cards. The Ss. can't see them.
Choose card and say sound.
First S. has to say the corresponding letter quickly or I move to next S.
If the student is correct - I say 'student' for my TA to award them a star on board, under Student heading.
When S. gets correct answer I show the whole class my alphabet letter card, to reinforce learning.
I usually get around the classroom twice.
I play this game everyday. The students at this point are beating the teacher which of course is good for them and good for me.
This game can be played for any review material e.g. rooms in a house, occupations etc.

Re: Phonics games?
 

I'm a little confused by this reply...

Did you just teach Phonics for one class? Was it like a Phonics sampler lesson?

Re: Phonics games?
 

I'm in the process of typing up some general games that can be adapted to any Phonics lesson. I'll let you know when I finish.

Re: Phonics games?
 

Presently, I'm kinda backlogged in my schedule so here are some sites to give you some ideas:

1. Phonics_gamesactivities
2. Phonics Activities and Phonics Worksheets
3. Musical Spelling Rules

Re: Phonics games?
 

I'm an ALT, so I don't go to every single English class. Originally, I thought that I'd be present for more of the phonics classes, but as it turned out, I was only there for a couple. Our English books only teach phonics to the first year JHS Ss, so once the phonics unit was over, we didn't really cover it any more. I won't be doing any phonics units again until the start of the next school year in April or May, but I was under the impression that the unit would be longer when I originally posted. I appreciate everyone's replies, and I'm still interested in phonics activities because I might be able to throw in a review activity here or there, but I won't be able to give any feedback on the games until I'm able to use them again.

Anyway, thanks everyone for all your help.

the O

Re: Phonics games?
 

Here are some games I have taken (with permission) from the You Can Teach TESOL and Recruitment in China : Home TESOL course:

Quick draw – This highly versatile game can be used to practice phonics too. Simply have a number of cards with words containing the sound you wish to practice. You then hold them up to the students and the first to read it gets a point.
*
Phonetic Board Games – If you have a bit of time (both to prepare and during class) you can make up a board game in which the students need to role the dice in order to get to the end. On each square, you write a word containing the letter/letter group, and as the students move along they must read out the words they pass.
*
Word list – Students work as individuals, pairs or groups to write as many words containing the target language as they can in one minute. To make this more interesting, you can allow your students to write down some that they think may be words, but are not sure. Students get one point for each correct word, minus one point for those that are not English words.

Beat the bomb – The teacher lines up a number of word-cards containing the target sound. While the students aren’t looking, they slip a picture of a bomb under one. The students then move along line reading each words as they go. The aim of the game is to stop as close to the bomb as possible. The closer they get, the more points they get.
*
Phonics Mystery Grid – The same concept as the Mystery Grid (covered in the games section of Chapter 2) except now instead of being blank, the grid you draw on the board is filled words containing the target letter/letter group. So instead of the students choosing by saying “A-2.” or “D-4.” They read the word written in the square, after which you reveal the outcome.

Hope these help!

Re: Phonics games?
 

Give each student an ice cream stick (I have a lot of sticks from eating Magnum ice cream) with a phonetic sound. You or a student stand in front of the class and say a word. Use your current vocabulary list. If the word has that sound the students with that sound must stand up. This keeps the whole class on their toes to listen for what ever sounds you are studying. The students also get a little exercise.You can also have the student check with a neighbor to see if the sound is correct. After a few words the students can change sticks.

Re: Phonics games?
 

I teach technical school boys, so I form teams to compete for points. I'd post the target phonic types on the electronic whiteboard (e.g., words beginning with s_ and with sh_). Each team will come up with as many words for those phonic targets in correct spellings and L2 translation). I teach a monolingual ESL class, so the L2 is an aid to check their comprehension. They can use their smartphone or desk dictionary if they wish.

Re: Phonics games?
 

The guys at Genki English, ESL games, songs and ideas to make your ESL lessons better than ever! seem to have a very good array of phonics games and songs. Anyone have used them and can comment on them?

Re: Phonics games?
 

I always use a phonic song "A for apple, A says Aah" - I don't know who sang it but my mum was an English teacher and so taught it to me when I was very little. I can't seem to find it anywhere but if there is a Japanese equivalent on youtube, it might be worth taking a look. Another thing I do is allow them to play with those toys that make noise - that say "Aah" when you touch A. Or since our class is techfriendly, we use the mini educational games from Knowledge Adventure. The key, as with everything, is practice, practice, practice. Or in your case, it would be repetition.

Re: Phonics games?
 

For a professionally made product, you might want to try AGO phonics card games. They are made and sold in Japan, but ship overseas, too. There is also a free app available which supports the content.

Here is the link:

There are three levels - each with 36 target phonemes, and 108 beautifully illustrated vocab items. The decks also have "action cards (jump, change direction, pick up, wild cards, etc). Small groups usually play crazy 8 type games with the cards.

Re: Phonics games?
 

I like to play pit pat putt to practise vowel sounds, it works best with adult learners but I'm sure you could make it work with younger workers too.