Free Phonics Video Games

Gamequarium.com

Gamequarium has a nice set of free phonics games that center mainly on vowels. The games are listed on the site in order of popularity and run the gamut on students just starting out with learning through phonics. Play phonics games similar to Hangman, Jumbles, and Battleship, and in the style of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. See if the following list below has any games that could assist you in phonics:

• Long ‘A’ and long ‘E’ (hangman)
• Long ‘I’ and long ‘O’ (hangman and jumble)
• Long ‘U’ (hangman and jumble)
• Vowel sounds ‘OU’ and ‘ô’ (battleship and jumble)
• Vowel + ‘R’ (hangman, jumble, and millionaire)
• Vowel + Consonant (hangman and jumble)
• Ending sounds ‘-AR’, ‘-ER’, ‘-OR’ (millionaire)

The hangman games tend to be easy and get progressively harder, but not on a curve that is impossible. The most guesses you can miss is between 5 and 7, depending on the game. Just remember the topic of the game you are playing and you should do fine. The jumble games give you a word to unscramble. The best thing is that the word list is random each time you play the game. The millionaire games have you picking which one of the four answers is spelled correctly in order to climb the money ladder. You don’t win actual money, just pride.

Yourchildlearns.com

At Yourchildlearns.com, users can play interactive games to learn through phonics. The games are simpler, but more challenging. The following list of games are available free to play online:

• Letter Sounds-choose the correct letter that the word starts with.
• Blends-merge consonants together to make the beginning sound of a word.
• ‘S’ Blends-blend ‘s’ and another consonant to make the beginning sound.
• Short Vowels-Pick the correct short vowel of a word.
• Long Vowels-Pick the correct long vowel of a word.

The site also has a more challenging lesson, which is more reading material than a game (it has a few games in it), but it is a fun diversion from the easy point-and-click phonics games. Bridge to Reading needs to be downloaded, but it is free. Children learn to read by going through a fantasy adventure gaining proficiency in order to move from page to page.

Free Phonics Video Games from the Reader Rabbit Series

Not entirely free, Reader Rabbit: Learn to Read with Phonics (at Reader Rabbit) allows you two days of gameplay before you have to purchase the program at $24.99. The upside is that you can figure out if Reader Rabbit is what you are looking for. There are over 100 interactive games and exercises and there are even offline activities you can do. You can even track progress with a special report designed to encourage the learner. Reader Rabbit also has adjustable levels to coincide with your child's learning ability.

Downloads

At Free Download Manager, you can find a few freeware and shareware programs that help with pronunciation and sound recognition through animated comic books, songs, and 3D pictures. Most of the programs don't require a high-end computer with a fast graphics card and are very easy for any child who can operate a mouse.

It's All in the ABCs

Most of the free phonics video games available range from easy to difficult, so it's best to assess your child's learning curve before diving into these games. While the child may be good with 'A's and 'O's, he or she might need help with 'I's or the short forms of certain vowels.