Learning sight words can be tedious, so I love when I find fun ideas to spice it up. I saw this idea all over Pinterest, so I'm not sure who originally thought of it, but what a great idea!
I had no idea that Jenga games can cost upwards of $15, so I put out a plea on Facebook and was lucky enough to have a friend donate a game to me. (She said she originally bought a generic version for $5 at Five Below.) Because I might want to change the words, I stuck orange washi tape on the sides of the blocks and wrote the words on the tape with a Sharpie. (Washi tape is a kind of paper tape like masking tape. You can find it at craft stores and even Target in many different colors.) I really recommend using a Sharpie instead of washable markers because those will rub off on the kids' fingers when they play.
For my second grade class, I used the Dolch sight word list, but you could use any words that you are focusing on: other sight words, spelling words, vocabulary words, etc.
To Play:
You follow the regular Jenga rules, except that you may not pull out a block unless you can read the word on that block. Don't knock over the tower or you are out!
My students LOVED playing this game and probably would have played all morning if I let them! I like that it incorporates not only reading, but also strategy and cooperation. Win-win!
I had no idea that Jenga games can cost upwards of $15, so I put out a plea on Facebook and was lucky enough to have a friend donate a game to me. (She said she originally bought a generic version for $5 at Five Below.) Because I might want to change the words, I stuck orange washi tape on the sides of the blocks and wrote the words on the tape with a Sharpie. (Washi tape is a kind of paper tape like masking tape. You can find it at craft stores and even Target in many different colors.) I really recommend using a Sharpie instead of washable markers because those will rub off on the kids' fingers when they play.
For my second grade class, I used the Dolch sight word list, but you could use any words that you are focusing on: other sight words, spelling words, vocabulary words, etc.
To Play:
You follow the regular Jenga rules, except that you may not pull out a block unless you can read the word on that block. Don't knock over the tower or you are out!
My students LOVED playing this game and probably would have played all morning if I let them! I like that it incorporates not only reading, but also strategy and cooperation. Win-win!
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