Reading Games – Make Learning Fun for Kids

Reading games for kids help to unlock the magic of reading through play. Mary Poppins was right: “In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap! The job’s a game!” Reading is no exception. Reading success is directly related to the amount of time a child spends on reading activities. Reading games can nurture a love for reading in children, motivating them to stay on task and get them wanting to come back for more.

In this article we’ll explore how reading games can make the (often challenging) task of learning to read an enjoyable and fun experience for children. We’ll cover a range of activities for different learning needs and opportunities – from online interactive games, providing a seamless blend of education and entertainment, to DIY reading games for creative learning at home or ‘on the go’ when you’re out and about. We’ll also discuss the benefits of reading games and how they help children learn.

Learn-to-Read Reading Games

Starting on the journey of learning to read is a huge step in a child’s development. Online learn-to-read reading games such as Reading Eggs Junior and Reading Eggs provide easy-to-navigate games for toddlers and preschoolers, helping them take the first steps into the liberating world of recognizing letters, sounds and words. In addition, the interactive nature of game-playing improves their cognitive abilities and keeps them actively involved in the learning process.The very first lessons for pre-readers and very early readers take place in a child-friendly, child-safe virtual world, moving children from a zoo, to a playground, to a theme park. Young learners love following the structured maps in this virtual world and moving their character along a “path”, which is easy to see on the screen and looks like a board game.

Reading Fluency Games

Once a child has conquered the basic skills of learning to recognize letters, sounds and simple words, the focus moves to reading for fluency. That is, reading for speed without the need to slowly sound out each letter or phoneme (sound). This takes a lot of practice and repetition, which potentially could be tedious. But reading games make it fun!

Through interactive lessons and engaging activities, kids develop the confidence to read smoothly and effortlessly. Reading games provide a platform to expose them to letters, sounds and words repeatedly in new and exciting ways without becoming boring. Engaging graphics and activities make the lessons fresh and novel, and often amusing. Highly motivating kids’ reading games that offer consistent rewards encourage even the most reluctant readers to actively participate.

The immersive world of Fast Phonics (for ages 5–10) delights children as they master phonics by completing reading games and end-of-lesson assessments. With engaging challenges and beautiful graphics, the games accelerate your child’s phonetic understanding, paving the way for proficient decoding.

Reading Comprehension Games

Then, when they’ve mastered the basics and can read fluently, it’s time to focus on reading comprehension. Comprehension is unlocking the meaning of words on the page beyond identifying just letters and sounds. We like to refer to it as ‘reading for meaning’. It’s the final, yet crucial, step in the learn-to-read journey.

Reading comprehension games cover various aspects of comprehension, from identifying main ideas and drawing inferences, to understanding context and making connections. Whether exploring fictional stories or informative non-fiction texts, each activity is designed to stimulate critical thinking and promote a deeper engagement with the written material.

Reading Eggspress, developed for ages 7–13, offers a more advanced reading experience. It covers comprehension, vocabulary and grammar, ensuring a well-rounded approach to literacy.

Interactive Online Reading Games

Interactive online reading games are a great way to get kids practicing their reading skills. Children love the cute characters, bright colors and fantastical worlds these games offer. Carve out a short amount of time they can look forward to – 15 minutes a day is enough. Choose positive screen time for your child with online reading games that are kidSAFE and part of a comprehensive, science-based reading program, such as Reading Eggs.

Designed by highly experienced educators and literacy experts, Reading Eggs incorporates all five key literacy areas in the structure of its lessons. Instructions are embedded in game-like activities that encourage kids to play as they learn. All games relate directly to the content of the lesson and, after lesson 9, culminate in reading an e-book. All the reading games in Reading Eggs, as well as all lessons, are designed to get kids to enjoy reading and learn how to read books.