We are so excited to be able to offer the new Basic Phonics Skills Series from Evan Moor. This four volume series of easy-to-make phonics games (Take it to Your Seat Phonics Centers) is designed to go along with the Basic Phonics Skills activity books (see related products below.) Each of the Phonics Centers books contains 12 - 14 phonics games. The games are all self-checking for ease of use. These games are printed in full-color and are very easy to assemble. You will need a large manila envelope for each game. Each game includes:

*** teaching suggestions including ideas for using the games in a small group or for an individual child playing alone

*** a full color cover to fasten to the front of the envelope

*** a full color back cover which contains the instructions for the game

*** all needed game pieces

*** a reproducible activity sheet that provides additional review of the target concept

Because these games are stored in envelopes, they are easy to store on a shelf or in a plastic milk crate. Even young children should be able to play these games easily on their own after seeing them demonstrated once or twice. My children have all really enjoyed using these, and I love seeing them have so much fun while learning and reviewing important concepts. Here are some ways that we have used these in our home:

*** I will hand an envelope or two to a child to keep him constructively busy while my attention is elsewhere.

*** I will use the promise of a game as an incentive for good work. For example, if a child does particularly well at his phonics lesson, I may allow him to skip a workpage and play one of these games instead.

*** I like to keep a couple of the games out and handy while we do table work. If I am called away by a small child, a discipline problem, a load of laundry, etc., the children know that they can grab an envelope and work on it until I get back.

*** I can give one to a small child that is simply being too loud or active. The mental concentration required will slow him down at least a little! Because the games are portable, it is easy to keep one right by my desk, in the kitchen, or anywhere else that I want to keep a child both near my and quietly occupied.

*** I will ask an older child to play the game with a younger child if the concept is new or challenging for the younger child.

*** Plan to sit down with your book, the envelopes, a pair of scissors and roll of tape so that you can assemble a number of games at once. They only take a couple of minutes to cut out and put together, and any child with decent scissors skills can help you. Enlisting your children to help put the games together will whet their appetite and add excitement to the games.

*** I initially planned to make several copies of each reproducible activity sheet and keep the copies in the envelope. Hannah had the excellent idea of laminating the activity sheets and keeping a package of water-soluble overhead transparency markers in the crate with the games. The markers add interest and novelty to the activity pages, and the pages can easily be wiped clean with a baby wipe or damp paper towel. A few pages require some sort of cutting activities, but most are suited to lamination.

I am certain that once you try a volume of these games, you will be hooked. They are very colorful and extremely attractive. They can be used to supplement any phonics program or provide remedial work to a child that just needs to brush up a couple of skills. Because they are designed to complement the Basic Phonics Skills books, we highly recommend using the games if you are using Basic Phonics Skills. As children play the games over and over, they will get a tremendous amount of review without having to do a lot of extra writing.

Take it to Your Seat Phonics Centers Level B is the second book in the series and is targeting for children in K - 1st or who are ready to learn letter sounds, read 3 letter words, and other similar phonics skills. To view this entire book page by page, please click here.

Level B contains the following games:

Pair Them Up Puzzles: Children complete two piece jigsaw puzzles by matching words that are the same. This strengthens visual discrimination and forces children to really look at the letters in each word.

Rhymes Go Round: Children complete four piece jigsaw puzzles. Each piece is illustrated with a picture and children put rhyming words together to complete each puzzle.

Ant Families: This game introduces word families. The envelope contains a number of folded paper pockets labeled with a word family such as -et. Children take cards that are printed with three letter words and sort them into the correct pockets. For example, set, wet, net, and jet would go into the -et pocket, while dig, pig, wig, and fig would go into the -ig pocket. At the end of the game, you can ask your child to pull the words out of each pocket and read them to you!

Cookie Sort: This game is similar to the one above. Paper cookies printed with words are sorted into folded paper pockets that look like cookie jars and are labeled with word families such as -an and -ick.

Bunch of Balloons: This is another word family game.There are work mats labeled with word families. Each is illustrated with a child holding a bunch of outlined balloons. The words are printed on colorful balloons and sorted onto the mats.

All Aboard the ABC Train: Children take train cars printed with capital letters and line them up in alphabetical order. They then take discs printed with lowercase letters and place them on the train cars with the correct upper case letter.

Beginning Sounds: Children match picture cards to strips containing the letters b, c, f, h, j, l, n, p, r, and z. They are matched according to the beginning consonant sound of each picture.

Flower Garden: This is another beginning consonant sound game. Pictures printed on "flower petals" are matched with "flower centers" printed with the beginning consonant sounds. (d, g, k, m, q, s, t, v, w, and y)

What's at the End? Children make tree piece jigsaw puzzles. Two of the pieces are printed with pictures that end with the same letter, and the third piece is printed with the letter. (Example: a picture of a leaf and a picture of a wolf are matched together with the letter f.)

Make a Word: Word strips are printed with a picture, a blank space, a vowel, then another blank space. Children use letter cards to spell the word represented by the picture on each card. (Example: one card has a picture of a fox, a blank space, an o, and a blank space. Children place an f and an x in the blank spaces to spell fox.)

Cluck! Cluck! Paper "eggs" printed with pictures are sorted into hen-shaped paper pockets printed with the corresponding short vowel sounds. These are medial vowels such as "i" in pig. Listening for medial vowels is much harder than listening for initial vowels. We were thrilled to find this game!!!

What's Missing? This is another terrific medial vowel game. Word cards are printed with a picture and the first and last letter of a word. Children use letter cards to fill in the correct short vowel to spell the name of the picture.

Count the Parts: Children sort words according to whether they have one, two, or three vowels. This game has a very cute circus theme.