Reading practice disguised as a party game
The caller says a word, and children find it on their own card without any help. That is real reading, and because everyone wants to win, nobody minds doing it. The 22 words range from easy ones such as sled and star to stretch words like reindeer and stocking.
Why a 4 × 4 card
With sixteen squares, a game lasts long enough to feel like an event but not so long that the room gets restless. There is no free space on these cards, so children have to listen for all four words in a row. If your class wants a quicker round, turn the free space on in the settings.
Let children be the caller
Once the class knows the game, have a child draw slips and read each word aloud. It is a confident moment for a strong reader, and it frees you to help anyone who is stuck. Change callers after each win.
Winning patterns to try
- Any row, column or diagonal for a first round.
- All four corners for something quicker.
- A full card to finish, while you tidy the party away.
There are 30 different cards here. Print two to a page to save paper, and keep the caller sheet back from the student copies.