Tuesday, September 29, 2015

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5 Literacy Games for the Car AND LeapFrog's Word Whammer!

How much time do you spend in the car with your children every week?  Do you capitalize on that time so it is fun and educational?  Today I'm sharing six ways to use that time to strengthen early reading and literacy skills!  You can also play these games when you're waiting in line at grocery stores, outside the bathroom, or even just for fun outside!



#1: Keep the Story Going!  Each person takes turns telling 1-3 sentences in a story.  See how crazy your story can be!

#2:  Name "Poems!"  Choose one person's name, for example, Sarah.  Take turns thinking of a word that starts with each letter in her name.  For example, the first person says a word that starts with "S" and the next person says a word that starts with "A."  Continue until everyone has had a turn with their name.

#3:  Does That Rhyme?  Each person takes turns telling two words to the group and asking, "Does that rhyme?"  The words can be real or made up!  For example, I could say, "Elephant and Belephant!  Does that rhyme?"  After everyone agrees, someone else gets a turn.



#4:  First Letter Words!  Everyone takes turns choosing a "First Letter."  For example, the first person may choose the letter "L."  For the next minute, everyone has to name as many words as they can think of that start with an "L."  Then, the next person chooses the "First Letter."  Older children may enjoy choosing a "Last Letter" where you all name words that end with the same letter, but that's definitely more challenging!

#5: Alphabet Story!  Each person takes turns telling one sentence in a story where the first word of the sentence must start with the next letter in the alphabet.  For example, the first person could say, "A tiger jumped in a lake."  The next person could say, "But the lake had another tiger in it!" The next person could say, "'Can I play,' the tiger asked?" And so on.  Younger children may need coaching, but we've had a lot of fun with this game with children as young as four.

#6: LeapFrog's Word Whammer!  Sometimes you need a break from the constant engaging-of-children that comes with having young kiddos, and that is the perfect time to let your kids play with LeapFrog's Word Whammer!  It helps build those same early reading skills, but is so intuitive that my kids picked it up and started to play it without any instructions at all!



They love it so much that I have to time them so they can take turns!

There are three fun games on the Word Whammer that teach and review letter recognition (upper case and lower case), the sounds letters make, building words, and more!  My kids are enjoying it so much that they don't even think they're learning, but it is exactly what my 5-year old needs as he starts to focus more on letters and sounds.  AND, even more cool...the games have 5 levels that Word Whammer automatically moves through as it detects your child's skill level!

It's relatively small and light-weight, easy to transport, and easy to use.  It is recommended for kiddos 4-6 years old, and my 5-year old and 2-year old (who believes she's five!) think it is one of the coolest toys ever!

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What is your favorite thing to do in the car or when you have "down time" between activities?  I'd love to hear!  Feel free to send me a note or stop by our Facebook page!



Disclosure:  As a LeapFrog Mom Ambassador, I receive products, promotional items and educational material to use and share as I see fit.  However, any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.



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