• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

we heart alphabet board games

home / early literacy / alphabet / we heart alphabet board games
23 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

It’s yard sale season!

Wooo-hoooo!

Some of our most favorite learning materials have found their way to our home via yard sales, including these two alphabet and early literacy board games that we’ve played for the last three months straight.

Owen’s always been my “go-to game guy“, but recently he cannot seem to get enough of these simple–but worthwhile–games. And really, if my kiddo wants to play an alphabet or reading game, I’m not going to say no, especially if it means he’s just getting more sneaky learning practice. But I have to admit, I’m (gulp!) getting (just a little!) sick and tired of these two games. . .

  • Alphabet Board Game: Seriously, this game is so old that I couldn’t even find a link for it on the internet. It’s part of the Macmillan Beginning Reading & Language Program, and ours is in pretty good shape considering it’s probably been around for well over 20 years.
    a very, very, very old but pretty cool alphabet board game

    The premise is basic, and there are several ways of playing it, but we’ve been spinning, moving our game piece (which has ranged from a lego to a car to a block. . . ) that number of spaces, identifying the letter and naming one word off the top of our heads that begins with that letter. So easy. But for some reason, my boy has gotten a kick out of it. And there are pictures all around the board to help kiddos think of words, which I think is pretty darn thoughtful of the boardgame creators.

    • Spelling Bee Early Literacy Board Game: I really, really thought that this was a Scholastic game, but I was unable to locate it on their site, so it’s origin is kind of a question mark. But what I do know is that again, Owen and Maddy love to play it, and I have a last-summer yard sale to thank for it.

    This game is a little harder than the above game because it takes literacy a step further; instead of stopping with letter-sound identification (the alphabetic principle), this game moves into more wild and incredibly exciting phonics principle.

    Players roll a dice and move their game piece that many spaces. Then they spin, identify the letter that the spinner lands on, and then they have to put that letter’s sound into the word on the board. It’s tough. It’s requires looking at a letter, knowing the sound it makes, and then shoving that sound into a part of a word–it’s phonics at its finest, with its letter-sound correspondences and application of that information to reading and spelling.

    the long vowel spinner

    One side of the spinner has the short vowels (a, e, i, o, u), and the other has long-vowel patterns. We’ve played more often with short vowels, but Maddy and I have played with long vowels once only to find that it was really, really difficult for her. We flipped the spinner after our second or third turns. No big deal. I don’t plan to sell this baby back for quite some time, so maybe we’ll give the tricky long vowels a try down the road.

    And that’s been our little sneaky, game-playing learning for the last few. . . well, way too long. And my purpose in sharing this was not to brag about these two games that I’m not even providing links for you to pick up your own (gosh I feel horrible about that!). Rather, it is to remind you: ’tis the season to grab some really good games and materials for some really good deals.

    fyi: For the love of yard sales. . .
    Check out our Yard Sale Look-For’s for all of the things a savvy teacher-parent should pick up for only a few bucks, come springtime sales. Sure, most families look for extra shelves and second-hand sporting equipment, but you can also find a boatload of educational tools you might otherwise overlook.

    Thanks for subscribing to teachmama! Have a good one!

    You May Also Like...

    • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
      Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
      how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    • Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
      Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond

    About amy mascott

    teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
    tweet with me: @teachmama

    Previous Post: « know where the offenders and predators are: family watchdog know where the offenders and predators are: family watchdog
    Next Post: what you need from your local yard sales »

    Sidebar

    our books & freebies

    setting the stage for rock-star readers
    raise a reader
    amy mascott profile blog
    subscribe teachmama

    join the coolest club around:

    Find Us On Social Media

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    Helpful Links

    • About
    • Contact
    • Press
    • Media Kit
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

    Follow Us On Instagram

    View
    Open
    Aaawwwhhhhh live this little Welcome Pack from @univofmaryland @umddining โ€” countdown is on! 

T-minus 8 days until our #1 hits campus!

#bts2022 #OldBay #marylandlife #universityofmaryland
    View
    Open
    Super easy, homemade dog treats! 

Kids can helpโ€”they love the scraping into molds part!

Recipe below: 

ingredients 
1 egg
1 12.5 oz can chicken
1/4 cup chickpea (or tapioca) flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

instructions 
1. preheat oven to 350โ€ข

2. add all ingredients to blender and mix on high

3. pour into silicon molds

4. bake 10 min then switch trays to opposite oven racksโ€”our racks cannot fit two trays). bake for another 10-12 min or until treats pop easily out of molds. 

5. let cool on tray so they get a little more crispy. 

store in airtight container for up to a week!

#kidsinthekitchen #homemadedogtreats #pettreats #diydogtreats #dogtraining #familyfun
    View
    Open
    Pop Up Shops for Musikfest!

New tees and tanksโ€”super cool and perfect for โ€˜festing!

@bethlum.shop is where itโ€™s at!
    View
    Open
    happy saturday ๐Ÿš™
    View
    Open
    Painted rocks are a lifesaver most days, arenโ€™t they?
    View
    Open
    Hello, Teacher Wish List.

You are welcome here. In fact, we are incredibly glad that youโ€™ve made your way into our culture.

Youโ€™re like the Wedding Registry or Baby Registryโ€“but better. 

You are a dream because you are the list that gives and gives and gives. Youโ€™re not full of weird kitchen appliances or ugly China patterns or tiny baby Air Jordans. You are made of books, pens, pencils, journals, math manipulatives, bulletin board letters, lab goggles, staplers, and hole punchers.

You are helping to equip and educate the youth of the world and are taking a tiny bit of stress off of the shoulders of our educators. And we all know that our educatorsโ€“especially in the last few yearsโ€“have been stretched to the absolute max. They are tired, worn down, and stepped on. Theyโ€™re pushed and pulled every which way and are expected to do the job of 27 different people.

What an amazing thing you are, you little Classroom Wish List! Just a simple Amazon Wish List, you let us all feel like we are helping in a teeny way, and we thank you.

We hope you never, ever leave and that youโ€™re here to stay.

Sincerely,

Everyone

Want to help #ClearTheList ? 

Please visit: bit.ly/HELPclearthelist

#BTS2022 #HelpClearTheList #ISupportTeachers #TeachersRock #linkinbio
    View
    Open
    TEACHERS! 

We appreciate you. 

We know that you have been spending your own money for AGES for your classroom and students, and we want to help. 

Hereโ€™s everything you need to know about creating your own Amazon Wish List: https://teachmama.com/help-teachers-clear-the-list/

Am I missing anything? Please let me know! 

#ClearTheList #CreateTeacherWishList #ClassroomWishList #AmazonWishList #BTS2022
    View
    Open
    Friends, if you have an extra $5 or $10 that you could spare to help some amazing educators, we would be SO GRATEFUL.

Head on over to find out what I'm talking about and to learn how you can help.

And? If you're a teacher, add YOUR list to the mix so it gets more eyes (and more support!)

Check it out: https://teachmama.com/help-teachers-clear-the-list/

#ClearTheList #linkinbio #BTS2022 #ShareYourList #AmazonClearTheList
    View
    Open
    nosotros votamos!

Find YOUR Gun Sense Candidates here: https://gunsensevoter.org/candidates/

#FirstTimeVoter #GunSenseVoter #AppleBallotVoter #yovotรฉ

    Copyright © 2022 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

    • 4
    23 shares