7 Spectacular Reading Games For Kids

While traditional reading strategies can work, keeping children engaged and focused using books and worksheets is now harder than ever, and we’ve found that one of the best ways to improve children’s reading skills is by gamifying the learning process.

There are thousands of fun ways to teach reading, but we've gathered our top reading games to kickstart your child’s journey:

(Psst... Jump straight to the ultimate reading game!)

Game 1: Alphabet Treasure Hunt

Goal

This early reading game helps children become more familiar with the letters of the alphabet, reinforcing their reading foundation. It will help your child improve their letter recognition and knowledge of letter sounds.

How to play

Write each individual letter of the alphabet onto separate flashcards and hide these around your house. Come up with some fun clues for your child to follow, until they find each hidden letter. Whenever they find a flashcard, get them to name the letter they found, and name a word that starts with that letter. You can level up this game by including uppercase letters and lower case letters and getting your child to point that out too.

Game 2: Theater Night

This game encourages a deeper understanding of stories, as your child will experience characters' emotions firsthand. It also builds reading fluency. It's been created to improve children's reading comprehension and communication skills.

How to play

Choose a story or book your child loves. Assign the characters of this book to different family members. Act out the story, encouraging your child to read their part with expression - get them to speak using silly voices, or rhyming words only for an extra challenge!

Game 3: Picture Book Adventure

This game will help your child develop their storytelling skills, comprehension, phonics & knowledge of vowel sounds, and vocabulary. It also gets them to think critically and use descriptive language. Picture Book Adventure will improve your child’s storytelling skills, comprehension, and phonemic awareness.

How to play

Turn books into an interactive game with Picture Book Adventure! Pick a wordless picture book from the local library, or your own bookshelf. Once you’ve found the right book, get your child to create their story by narrating what they see in each picture!

Game 4: Book Club Quest

Narrating a story will encourage your child to use their storytelling skills to make the experience engaging and entertaining for their audience. It will also test their reading comprehension, as they’ll need to remember and understand the key points in the story to be able to recite it. It’s also a fun way to learn new words! Book Club Quest will boost storytelling, reading comprehension, and vocabulary.

How to play

Turn bedtime stories into an exciting quest for the whole family! Every night before bed, get your child to pick a short story to read. Once you finish reading, ask your child to retell it using synonyms for the actions, adjectives, and adverbs in the story.

Game 5: Story Swap Challenge

Goal

Story Swap Challenge improves reading comprehension, retelling skills, vocabulary, and creativity. It encourages active reading by summarizing and analyzing story elements, fostering critical thinking as your child imagines alternative endings. This game also boosts vocabulary and reading comprehension through exposure to various storylines and writing styles. It will improve reading comprehension, retelling skills, vocabulary, and creativity.

How to play

Get your child to select their favorite storybook from your personal collection - you can add even more fun ot this game by going on a day trip to the library! Once your child has picked their book, set a timer for 15 minutes and allow them to read silently. After reading, ask your child to summarize the plot and describe the characters of their chosen book. Here's the twist: after the summary, each child swaps their book with another player (this can be another child, a parent, or a friend who is also playing the game). Your child now has 10 minutes to skim through their new book and create a short, imaginative ending or shocking plot twist.

Game 6: Adventure Story Dice

This game transforms reading into an interactive journey. By encouraging your child to create narratives influenced by chance, this game not only boosts creativity but also reinforces their comprehension as they connect story elements seamlessly. The element of surprise keeps them excited about reading while honing their storytelling skills. Adventure Story Dice with boost creativity, storytelling, and reading comprehension.

How to play

Get a set of story dice or create your own by drawing various objects or characters on small cubes. Before reading a story, roll the dice. As you progress through the narrative, whenever one of the rolled items appears, pause and let your child take over the storytelling. They must incorporate the chosen element into the plot, fostering creativity and boosting imagination.

Game 7: Night Zookeeper

Empower your child’s imagination and boost their creativity with Night Zookeeper!

Our reading & writing program for kids makes English language fantastically fun for children aged six to twelve!

There are thousands of award-winning activities available for all elementary grade levels, from reading comprehension lessons, to fun reading games, to bitesize word games - perfect for early readers!

Sign up today to get a FREE 7-day trial!

Got any questions? Reach out to us via email at support@nightzookeeper.com! Follow us on social media for more activities, tips, and freebies: