Fun Literacy Games
Word Pyramids
Players start with a 3 letter word at the top of their sheet of paper (e.g. can)
The rules are to add a letter to the first word to make a new four letter word on
the next line. Then add another to make a 5 letter word and so on until no more
can be thought of.
CAN
CANE
CRANE
This can be played in pairs against each other or against the clock.
Word Pyramid – (Version 2)
This version is similar – you still have to build a pyramid of words. But each
word in the pyramid has letters from a previous word in the pyramid but in a
different order.
Start with just a single letter:
A
AS
SEA
SALE
SLATE
Word Ladders
Start with one four letter word and end with a different one – changing just one
letter at a time.
Variations: How many different versions from the same starter word?
Have children make ladders for each other – giving the starter and end word
but others having to fill I the steps in between
E.g.
HOME
Solution:
HOME
--------COME
_____
CAME
______
SAME
______
SAND
LAND
LAND
Word snakes
Big pieces of paper are useful here.
The first player writes down a word. The next person has to write word using
the last letter of the previous one. Words can be written down, across and up –
as they ‘snake’ across the paper.
Do only as I say…
This is a bit like ‘Simon Says’. Create some space and get children to stand up.
Give a series of simple instructions ‘Clap your hands’, ‘Touch your elbow’ etc.
Then begin to say one thing and do another – e.g. say’ Touch your elbow but
you touch your head instead’
Children have to do what you SAY not merely follow what you DO
(Will sort out the best listeners!!)
Mastermind
One player thinks of a 4 letter word. Others take turns to say any four letter
word they know by way of a guess. The first player can give clues about any
letters that match their ‘secret word’ and what position in the word they are.
Harder with longer words or if no written notes are allowed.
Words from words
An old favourite that many children like to have as a competitive challenge.
Make as many words as you can from…
e.g.
Elephant
Hat
or
hen
pet
Father Christmas
Opposites Memory Game
Part 1 of the game: Give out blank pieces of paper or card to each player.
Everyone writes down a word on their piece of paper and passes it to the
person on their right. They look at it and write a word that is its Opposite on
another piece of paper.
Repeat this until there are up to 40 different pieces of paper.
Then they can be placed face down and a game of matching pairs/memory
game can be played. Discussions about what are opposites or not are
inevitable.
Create a Story from Pictures
Ask about 10 children to draw a simple picture – if you can fit them all on the
whiteboard at the front that would be the best. They mustn’t tell any of the
others what they are going to draw before they do it.
Then challenge pairs or small groups of children to choose some of the pictures
(you can limit it to between 3 -5 for some children) and make up a story using
those pictures.
They can write a sentence to go with each of the pictures or try and remember
it to retell orally.
Category Challenge
Children to think of a Category: Animals, transport, capital cities etc.
Timed limit for writing down as many words in that category.
Take turns to choose the category or have them on cards to turn over.
Alphabet Categories
One player thinks of a category and then there is a timed challenge to think of
something in that category for each letter of the alphabet.
Points awarded for the person or team with the most after a set amount of
time.
Scrabble – can be played according to its usual rules but the letter tiles can be
used for variations:
Against the Clock: Each player is given 7 or 8 tiles at random. When the time
starts they have to make as many different words as possible using their tiles.
They need to write them down to record their score.
Speed Word Search Place 25 tiles into a 5X 5 grid – just randomly selected.
Players then spot as many different words in it as possible in just 2 minutes
PDQ – This is normally a card game but it can be done with letter tiles.
Turn over any 3 tiles. The first person to shout out a word that contains all
three letters wins them. To make it easier just turn over two letters. Or start
with just one letter but then make a rule that it has to be at the beginning or
end of a word.
A chain of whispers
Similar to Pictionary but with the added complication of Chinese Whispers.
Make up a set of cards to use beforehand – can be nouns, adjectives- or other
vocabulary or alternatively a set of instructions: ‘Draw a triangle inside a
diamond.’ ‘Draw a circle with a cat inside it’
Get children into teams and ask them to stand/sit in a line. The child at the end
has a whiteboard or pen and paper.
Start at the other end and show one of the cards to the first child. That is then
whispered from child to child in the line until finally the last child receives it and
draws what they heard.
Points for correct drawings. Then swap over so the next child has the turn of
drawing.
Pass the Pencil
Put children into small groups round a table. Write some questions to revise
particular spelling or grammar objectives that are appropriate on some paper
strips.
Each group also has a marker pen.
Put on some music (or sing if you’re brave enough). The children have to pass
the pen between their group members.
When the music stops the child holding the pen is the ‘scribe’. The rest of the
team can contribute but they can’t touch the pen.
They then take a strip of paper and write their answer:
Example questions;
 What is another word for ‘nice’
 Write a sentence that you might find at the beginning of a ghost story.
 Write 5 words that rhyme with ‘ singing’
 Write one sentence that best describes how you feel on Christmas Day