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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Review of The Reading Game

The Reading Game, which I received free in exchange for my review, is a fun memory-style card game created by the author of Wordly Wise.  Through an iterative learning process, children learn progressively more challenging sets of words in game sessions that result in winners almost continuously.  The fact that there is always a new winner means that kids don't get discouraged! The fact that the game is played in a familiar format, but with the addition of beautiful storybooks, means that kids have a great time.



The first thing you will notice about The Reading Game is its quality.  If you're anything like me, you get discouraged by how quickly the boxes on your kids' games seem to disintegrate, first splitting at the corners, and then ripping up the sides.  That is not going to happen with The Reading Game.  Everything from the box to the softcover storybooks to the laminated and damage-resistant cards is of the highest quality. This is a game that will stand the test of time.  If you happen to be fortunate enough to have younger readers in your home, you will be using this game quite frequently!


The Reading Game works by telling six stories, each only using 30 words.  By breaking these down into six sets of five, students learn the new words quickly through the frequent exposure gained by seeing them in the memory matching game.  To see a quick, one minute demonstration of how this game works, watch this video: How The Reading Game Works

While all of my children are proficient readers, they still liked playing this game.  A couple of them said that they would have loved learning to read this way.  I'll admit that, while I found the pace a little slow (which is good! I would be worried otherwise!), I definitely think that this game would help teach a child to read.  Of course, it is not the only reading instruction needed; a solid phonics-based approach is still, I think, a necessity for reading excellence.  However, in terms of giving kids confidence in recognizing sight words and making them feel that they can actually sit down and read a book, this game can't be beat.

The Reading Game is recommended for kids 4+ and is for two players.  The most important factor in using it, though, is not age, but reading readiness.  Also, there are many ways you could use the cards and books outside the context of the game, so don't hesitate to buy it just because you only choose games the whole family (or more than two members of the family) can play.  The game retails for $24.95.  For more information, visit their website and, as always, check out the Crew blog.

1 comment:

  1. HI Laura,
    You very kindly reviewed The Reading Game back for us in the fall of 2011 through TOS Homeschool Review, when it first came out. We are now about to launch the 2nd edition which is updated and enhanced based upon parent and teacher feedback. This new edition will add a set of picture flashcards to help in the transition from stand-alone words to short sentences and phrases, as well as introduce capitalization and punctuation in the flashcards and storybooks. Since its initial release, the game has won four awards, including the Dr Toy and Tillywig Brain Child of the Year Award.

    To help raise funds for the 2nd print run and raise donations for children in need through the non-profit, First Book, we launched a crowd-funding Indiegogo.com campaign yesterday - "Give the Gift of Early Literacy". Through this campaign, backers can receive a discounted, pre-release copy of the new second edition of the game, or help a child in need by donating as little as $1 or even just by sharing the campaign with others. In order to be successful the campaign needs as many supporters, shares, tweets, links, etc. as possible.

    Would you mind sharing this on your social media outlets and through your blog?

    Give the Gift Of Early Literacy! http://igg.me/at/gift-of-literacy
    Get your hands on a DISCOUNTED pre-release 2nd, enhanced edition of The Reading Game through this Indiegogo.com crowd funding site. Or for as little as $1 donate a game to a child in need through First Book.

    I also have an eblast about the campaign that I would be delighted to send to you if you have an email list you would like to send it to!! Let me know and I will forward it over to you.

    Thank you so much!

    Blessings!!

    ReplyDelete