Literacy Games.

Sand Hangman

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Feel free to buy specific phonics games but in all honesty there are some rich & easy to achieve alternatives we’re here to share with parents. Take a look below at your new go to game.

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how to play

  • Something to write on & with e.g. finger in sand, pencil on paper, stick in dirt whilst camping.

  • Hangman is a word guessing game for two or more players.

    1. One person thinks of a word & the other tries to uncover it by guessing letters within ten attempts (or more if you want to make it easier).

    2. The secret word is represented by a row of dashes (one dash for each letter of the word).

    3. If the guessing player suggests a letter which is in the word, the other person writes it in all its correct positions. If the guessed letter is not in the word, the other person adds one stroke to an image (see example).

    4. Generally, the game ends once the word is guessed, or if the image is complete. However, sometimes it’s nice to stretch the rules a bit or change things to suit your exact needs.

  • Below are skills taken straight from the Australian Curriculum so you know playing this game is adding to your child’s at-school learning.

    • Reading & writing some high frequency words & other familiar words

    • Spelling one- & two-syllable words with common letter patterns

    • Using knowledge of letters & sounds to spell words

    • Writing words by representing sounds with the appropriate letters

    • Blending sounds associated with letters when reading short words

    • Orally manipulating phonemes in spoken words to generate new words (phonological awareness)

  • Feel free to change the image being drawn (e.g. rather than the macabre traditional version of a person being executed). Any easy to draw image with ten strokes will do the trick. See images for alternatives (a spider, UFO or snowman).

    If your kiddo is new to reading words then provide a set list for them to choose a word from (such as the CVC Word List available in the Download Vault).

    It can also be a helpful support for your kiddo to have an alphabet at the ready to use as a reference.

    Grab a book from your Home Reader bag & use those words to play Hangman with.

    Discuss strategy with your kiddo as you play. Things such as:

    • guess the five vowels first

    • guess more common consonants

    • think about letter combinations that always go together (e.g. QU)

Hand-drawn images depicting a snowman, a UFO, and a spider on a background with the text 'Common Reader' and a plaid pattern.
Handwritten word game with blanks, letters J, A, S, C, I, and a simple drawing of a five-legged creature. Text 'COMMON READER' and plaid pattern below."