Dictation is a powerful tool for reinforcing important phonics, spelling, and vocabulary skills. Despite these benefits, it can often feel repetitive and boring for students. Using interactive phonics games for dictation practice can make learning engaging and effective instead of dreadful. Read on and easily implement these top 5 phonics games for dictation practice that your students will truly enjoy!
- Who Will Get the Last Word?
- Guess and Groove
- Run and Write
- Word Wigglers
- Decoding Hopstoch
Dictation Basics
Dictation is the process of writing down what someone else said. In early elementary years, it likely involves you (the teacher!) reading a word or phrase aloud and students writing it down. It allows students to practice recently learned phonics skills as they write down sounds or sound patterns they hear spoken.
Other benefits of dictation:
- Better listening skills
- Foundational literacy skills
- Improved spelling skills
- More handwriting practice
Phonics games are the perfect solution to making dictation practice memorable and fun!
Benefits of Using Games in Instruction
We all know students pay better attention and are more excited to learn when participating in hands-on, active learning methods like games (research by S.Y. Cheung and K.Y. Ng in 2021 supports this too!)
Using games in instruction also incorporates multisensory learning, allowing you to cater to the different learning styles in your classroom. They also help reinforce important concepts as they repeatedly practice.
Games can also be versatile! Choose specific games that can be used to target various skills. That way, you only have to teach the game once, but you and your students can play it again and again!
Phonics Games to Practice Dictation
1. Who Will Get the Last Word?
“Who Will Get the Last Word?” is a super versatile game that can be used for spelling, vocabulary, sight words, or even math! It is easy to prep and keeps students engaged.
Materials Needed:
- Word Cards with Decodable Sentences
- White paper
- Crayons or markers
How to Play:
- Prepare teacher cards with 1 word per card.
- Give each student a piece of paper and crayons or markers.
- Read aloud all the words on the teacher cards.
- Students write each word as you say them (all in the same color), but they use a different color to write the “Last Word”.
- Collect the cards and pull them one by one, giving clues as you go.
- The student with the correct “Last Word” left wins!
2. Guess and Groove
Next up is “Guess and Groove”. This movement game will quickly become one of your students’ favorites! Guess and Groove is a whole-class activity where EVERYONE WINS!
Materials Needed:
How to Play:
- Show students two pictures.
- Students guess one word and write it down.
- Click to the next slide to check their writing.
- Click to see which guess is correct.
- Students who guessed correctly perform the movement on the screen.
3. Run and Write
“Run and Write” is the perfect phonics game for dictation practice because it involves lots of movement. It’s perfect to play when your students have extra wiggles or when transitioning from a sedentary portion of your day.
Materials Needed:
- Dry erase boards
- Dry erase markers
How to Play:
- Start with students sitting at a small table or on the rug. Lay out dry erase boards and markers in a different part of your classroom (one for each student).
- Choose a word card and tell it to your students.
- Decodable word cards are a great choice because they are sorted by skill!
- Students walk (or run!) to a board, write their word down, and hold it up.
- Everyone checks the word, erases it, and returns to their starting place to begin the fun all over again
4. Word Wigglers
Next up is “Word Wigglers”. This game combines word ladders with whole-body movement for lots of fun and dictation practice for your students. It’s super low-prep for you as well!
Materials Needed:
How to Play:
- Project the slides with pictures and words
- Students decide what letter to change and write the new word
- They check their words and make corrections if needed
- Everyone does the fun movement shown on the slide
- Repeat until the end of the game!
5. Decoding Hopscotch
The final phonics game for dictation practice is “Decoding Hopscotch”. Just like traditional hopscotch, this game includes lots of hopping.
Materials Needed:
- Word Cards with Decodable Sentences
- Clipboards, white paper, & pencil (OR) dry erase board & markers
How to Play:
- Give each student a clipboard or dry erase board.
- Tell the students a word. They hop for each sound in the word.
- Example: Sled = four hops for /s/ /l/ /e/ /d/
- After hopping, students write the word on their paper or board.
Adding phonics games for dictation practice can make a significant difference in student engagement and learning outcomes! Choosing versatile activities like these can streamline your teaching while creating a positive learning environment where students love to be. Give these 5 games a shot this year, and watch your students’ skills soar!
Resources
Cheung, S. Y., & Ng, K. Y. (2021). Application of the Educational Game to Enhance Student Learning. Frontiers in Education, 6, 623793. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.623793
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3 Responses
My kids BEG to play this every day!! Thank you for sharing this!
I am an online teacher and I guess this is the perfect idea haha thank you!
-Jane@snaptubeapp
my son really loves to play this game.
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