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 D is the fourth book in the series and is targeting for children in 2nd - 3rd or who are ready to read three letter words, two vowel words, words with initial and final consonant blends, and similar phonics skills for more advanced phonics. (Many 4th graders would benefit from this book!) To view this entire book page by page, please click here.

Level D contains the following games:

Book or Moon? Word cards are sorted by whether the "oo" in the word sounds like book or moon.

Sound Wheels: Children sort word cards that feature the different (hard or soft, voiced or unvoiced) sounds of c, g, and s.

It's a Puzzle: The child completes completes three unique jigsaw puzzles. The pictures and words on each piece all contain "ch," and are sorted according to whether the "ch" sounds like /k/, /sh/, or /ch/. Each puzzle pieces is wedge-shaped and each completed puzzle is a circle.

Then or Thin? Word cards are sorted by whether they have the voiced or unvoiced "th" sound.

What's Missing? Letter cards with the diphthongs "ou, "ow," "oy," or "oi" are placed onto word strips. Each word strip is printed with a picture and a partial spelling of the name of the name of the picture. The child uses the diphthong cards to complete the correct spelling of the word.

Can You Hear It? Children read word cards and sort them according to whether the consonants b, h, k, n, w, g, c, l, or t are silent or not silent in that word. This is a big help for spelling as silent letters such as the "b" in "lamb" are often omitted by children.

Syllable Count: Children sort word cards according to whether they have one, two, three, or four syllables.

Can You Spell It? Children look at word cards that are printed with a picture and the name of that picture. The word has letters (vowel digraphs) missing. Three choices of vowel digraphs are printed beneath the word. The child selects which digraph is correct, then writes the entire, correctly spelled word on an activity sheet. (This is one of those cases where the laminated sheet really comes in handy!)

Rhyming Riddles: Riddle cards are printed with a short riddle and two blank spaces. Rhyming word cards are placed onto the spaces to solve the riddles. Children love this!!

Fill It In: Children read sentence cards that each have a missing word. Word cards are used to complete them. This activity provides practice reading words from the -ead, -ew, -ain, and -air families. (And it is more fun than it sounds!)

Word Family Riddles: This is similar to the riddle game above, but it focuses on word families rather than rhymes. Children find these vastly amusing!

More Than One: Children sort picture and word cards into pockets according to how those words are pluralized - do they add an "s," add an "-es," change the "y" to "i" and add "-es," or change the "f" to "v" and add "-es." This is a terrific way to really practice those tricky spelling rules.

The Right Ending: The child looks at word cards that ask them to add an inflectional ending such as "-ing" or "-ly" to a word. Two possible spellings (only one correct) of the word are printed on the card. The student slides a paper clip over the correctly spelled word. For example, one card says "Add -ed to jump." The spelling choices are "jumped" and "jumpped."

Make a New Word: Children add prefix and suffix cards to words to make new words.