6 literacy and numeracy early learning games

Ewan found blending so tricky; he just couldn’t hear how the sounds could fit together to make words. I played these kinds of games with him many times before he started getting it, so don’t worry if, the first twenty times you play, you are the only one modelling how to blend the sounds together, with very loooonnnggg clues to help them. They will get it eventually, and this game is perfect to support them as they do.

When it comes to blending sounds together, I find some children prefer to do this while moving their bodies. An occupational therapist once wrote a guest blog for me on my website about why children fidget, and how helpful it can be for them to physically move while they are trying to compute something in their head. It’s useful to remember this when kids read books, as sometimes they like to wriggle around. It can be really quite annoying for an adult, with a kid squirming next to you as you try to read a story, but they can’t help it! So if you too have a little one with ants in their pants, perhaps these ideas might help...

GRAB:
chalk
pen
paper
letters of any kind
any kind of toy or vehicle on wheels – skateboard, bike, scooter, roller-skates, toy vehicle and so on

Just this word makes me think of the ticking clock track on the TV show! When I was a teenager and at secondary school, at the end of every day I would walk home, have a hot chocolate, and me and my mum would watch Countdown together. Recently it was on when Ewan was home and he started trying to spot words in the letters on the screen, so I said, ‘Shall we make our own version?’ And we did!

GRAB:
any letters (at least 20) – they could be magnetic letters, letters on bits of paper or Scrabble tiles
2 bags of any kind
a pen
paper
a timer of any sort (you can use the Countdown clock on YouTube if you like!)

The process of simply ordering the letters to create the words we need to spell can be all it takes to make spelling seem more interesting. These are the spelling games Ewan enjoys the most. He enjoys constructing, so anything that taps into this joy he will join in with! If you know what makes your child tick, then that’s half the battle won! Here are some of the ways we construct our spelling words, using bits and bobs we often have around the house:

• Write the letters on the side of DUPLO® or LEGO® bricks and make word walls.
• Cut up empty toilet-roll tubes and write letters on them. Use a kitchen-roll holder or a broom handle to put the letters on and construct the words vertically.
• Write letters on ball-pit balls and use a muffin tin or cups or cupcake cases to hold them to create the words.
• Give old baby building blocks a new lease of life by writing letters on the side and building word towers.

THE WASHING LINE
Another way to order the letters is to use a washing line. You can either use masking tape as your washing line, or a string and some pegs. Just set up a line between two chairs at your child’s height.

TO SET UP...

1. Cut the spelling words written on bits of paper up into individual letters and mix up the order of the letters but keep them in word piles.
2. Set up your washing line. If using masking tape, make sure the sticky side is facing you.

TO PLAY...

1. Get your child to unscramble the anagrams. You can prompt them by saying which word it is.
2. They need to put the letters on the washing line in the correct order to make the word.

If you are looking for a game that you can vary for any age, then this is for you! I trialled this first with people who follow me online and it was a huge hit, probably because it is so versatile. The idea behind the game is that your little one is adding up and taking away over and over without even realizing they’re doing loads of maths. If they already love maths, this game might seem like even more fun for them!

GRAB:
a big piece of cardboard
paper and pencil
a marker pen
2 different-coloured toy cars
scissors
tape to create edges, or something to make a barrier around the edges
chair (or anything else that’s a similar height, like a stool or low table)

Using a grid to support your child when introducing times tables can be helpful. For some children, the idea of working out the answers can seem hugely daunting. In a similar way to how I’ve often suggested we play with words to familiarize our little ones with them before they have to learn how to spell them, I also recommend playing games where the answer is readily available at the beginning. This can help to build confidence, which is always worth doing.

GRAB:
chalk
bean bags (if you don’t have bean bags, fill a sandwich bag with some uncooked rice and seal it)
pen, paper and scissors – or multiplication number sentences on flash cards
a container