Teaching Reading Skills

 

Having 6 children, it seems that I’ always teaching reading to someone!  Either they’re just learning their letters or they’re improving their reading speed and comprehension.  While, I generally teach them with the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons book, I am always on the lookout for more free tools to make my teaching literacy easier.  I think I’ve finally hit the jackpot with these sites!  If you have small children who are just beginning to read or just needing more practice on the skill, check out the fun sites below!

Cool Math Games

My kids have loved the math games on this site for quite a while.  I didn’t realize until recently that they have reading and spelling games as well!

Starfall

We have loved Starfall for a long time, too!  Each of my new readers love playing the games and doing the activities.  It’s a must see if you haven’t been there yet!

PBS Kids – Read

There are tons of games, many of which are based on the popular shows that PBS offers to improve reading, like Super Why and Between the Lions.

Story Time for Me 

This site has several story books that are read to the children.  You can see the pictures in the book and it highlights the words as they read.  They break it into two age groups.  Ages 1-4 and Ages 4-8.  They also have a free personalized book where you can upload your child’s picture and free personalized video songs.

BBC Schools Literacy Games

We’ve typically only used the BBC site for their online typing games, but….now I discover that they have reading and other educational games as well.  If your child can get around the thick British accent, this should prove to be a great asset to you.

Funschool Kaboose

Hangman, Connect the Letters, Connect the Opposites and many other fun word type games to choose from.  I’m only linking to the reading games, but this Disney owned site has many other educational games to choose from!

Literactive

This site doesn’t look like much when you first get there, but the content that they are sharing for free is amazing if you’re working on teaching and/or improving reading skills!  They have several downloadable interactive books and at the end of each book, you can play rhyming games and more to improve the skill that particular book is focusing on.  There are over 100 interactive reading games to choose from as well as printable coloring pages, e-poetry resources, etc.  This resource is a gem that you don’t want to miss!

Fun Fonix

This site is full of printable worksheets to help you teach your beginning readers.  It also has free online games for the students to play.  There are only a few games at this point but they say they’re going to add more.

Learn to Read Free

The Reading Game is:

• Interactive, phonics-based, programmed reading
• Classroom-proven over 20 years in 6,000 public schools
• Based on proven Montessori educational principles

This site offers free programmed reading lessons that introduce 55 English words to new readers. The Montessori-style presentation of lessons encourages pupils to focus on the learning opportunity without unnecessary distractions. Montessori Home, Inc. has produced the Reading Game for the Web.  

Learning Today

“Our reading games and activities are research-based and designed to help build key reading skills in a fun and engaging way. Included are phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension.”   The games are a nice video quality.  There are only a few free ones and then they sell access of 100’s of more games and reading helps.  Looks like a really nice program if you have some extra $$ to spend!