I am so happy that I took the time to create these Slides and Ladders games for my firsties. They are truly enjoying interacting with each other, learning new social skills while reviewing the phonics rules they are learning in their differentiated Word Study Groups.

I started off by assigning the children the appropriate game for their differentiated Word Study focus, but when I saw that the children who were not in their group (perhaps in a spelling stage below) were attempting to learn a new phonics rule, I gave in. Not only were they learning a new spelling rule, but the children who already new the rule were taking the time to explain the spelling pattern. Higher Order Thinking at it’s finest. Win-win!

I have found these games also to be a successful tool to motivate the children to complete all their Daily 5 center activities. When they complete their “Must Do’s” the Phonics games in our classroom are “Can-do’s”. Another benefit is that keeping my firsties engaged and interacting with one another in a fun manner eliminates behavioral problems. Another win-win!