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 C is the third book in the series and is targeting for children in 1st - 2nd or who are ready to read three letter words, two vowel words, words with initial and final consonant blends, and similar phonics skills. To view this entire book page by page, please click here.

Level C contains the following games:

Long or Short Vowels? Children sort word cards onto work mats. Each mat is printed with the five vowels and there are columns for short and long vowel words. The word "had" would go in the short vowel column next to the letter "a" and the word "made" would go into the long vowel column next to the letter "a."

What's My Vowel Sound? Children sort picture cards into pockets according to their long or short vowel sound.

Spell It! Children place cards printed with vowel digraphs onto letter strips so that they can spell the name of the picture on the card. For example, a card printed with "ai" would be placed on a strip that is printed with a picture of a snail and the letters "sn."

Find the Sound: Children sort word cards onto work mats according to whether the word contains the soft "c" or "g" sound or the hard "c" or "g" sound. The cards are printed with both the picture and the word. In other words, this is more of a listening and identifying game than a reading game.

What's Missing? Children place letter cards printed with consonant digraphs onto word strips printed with a picture and the rest of the letters needed to spell the name of the picture. A card printed with "wh" would be placed on a strip containing a picture of a whale, a blank space, and the letters "ale."

It's a Puzzle: Children assemble three piece jigsaw puzzles. Two of the pieces for each puzzle are printed with pictures, and the third piece is printed with the consonant blend that is in the beginning of the names of both pictures. A picture of a cloud, a picture of a clown, and the letters "cl" all go together.

Listen to the End: Picture cards are sorted onto work mats that contain final consonant blends - for example, the picture of a tent would go onto the mat printed with "nt."

Count the Parts: Children sort word cards according to whether they have one, two, three, or four syllables. The word cards contain the word and a picture of the word.

Word Family Fun: Word cards are sorted onto work mats according to their word family. The word knight would go onto the mat for the "ight" family. Cards have both words and pictures on them.

Make a Word: Word strips are printed with word families with a blank space in front of them. Each word strip has the word family printed three times. Children place letter cards in front of the word families to make words.

Sounds of Y: Word cards are sorted into pockets according to whether their letter "y" sounds like long i or long e.

The Right Word: Each work mat contains three sentences with a word missing from each one. Children place the appropriate word cards into the blank spots. The skill here is inflectional endings: they must choose between tenses such as "picked," "picking," or "picks" to find the correct word.