Reading Game

Reading Game is a gentle early reading game for kids aged about 4 to 8. Dino the reading buddy cheers your child on through phonics, sight words, sentences and short stories. Play it free in your browser on a computer, tablet or phone, with no download and no sign-up.

How to play

Pick one of four games from the home screen. Each game has four levels, and every level opens once your child earns at least one star in the level before it.

• Sound It Out (phonics blending). A three-letter word appears as letter tiles. Tap the glowing letter to hear its sound, then the next, then the last. The tiles slide together into one word, and three pictures appear. Tap the picture that matches the word. Levels 1 to 3 practice short a, short i and o, and short e and u words. Level 4 mixes them all with four look-alike pictures.
• Word Bubbles (sight words). A word sits on a purple card, and five bubbles float below it. Pop the bubble with the same word. In levels 3 and 4 the card hides after a couple of seconds, so your child has to remember the word. Level 4 adds look-alike pairs such as was and saw, and where and were.
• Sentence Builder. A drawn scene sits above a row of mixed-up word tiles. Tap or drag the words into the sentence line so it tells about the picture, such as “The cat is on the bed.” If the order is wrong, the correct start stays in place and the rest go back to try again. In later levels the same words can make a different sentence, so your child has to look closely at the picture to choose.
• Story Time. Read a short story of three or four sentences, then answer one question about it from three choices. The last level asks your child to think about what probably happened.

Stars: finish a level with no mistakes for three stars, one or two mistakes for two stars, or more mistakes for one star. As the stars add up, Dino earns prizes: a scarf, a reading cap, glasses and finally a gold crown, for 48 stars in all.

Sound: on devices with a built-in voice, the game can read sounds, words, sentences and stories aloud. Tap the speaker button or press H to hear the prompt again. Every game works fully without sound, and the Sound button on the home screen turns it off.

Tips for parents and teachers

• Say the sounds together. In Sound It Out, say each sound out loud as your child taps it, then stretch them together slowly: c-a-t, cat. Blending out loud is the skill the game practices.
• Let mistakes happen. There is no timer and nothing to lose. A wrong picture or bubble simply greys out or wiggles, and your child can try again right away.
• Use the peek. In the harder Word Bubbles levels, peeking never costs a star, so encourage your child to check the card rather than guess.
• Read the sentence when it is done. After building a sentence, point to each word and read it together. It turns a puzzle into real reading.
• Talk about the story. Before answering, ask what happened first and last, and how your child knows the answer.

For more practice, try our ABC game for letters and letter sounds, or the spelling game once your child is ready to spell words on their own.

FAQ

Is the Reading Game free?

Yes. It is free to play in any modern browser with no account and no download.

What age is it for?

It is made for children aged about 4 to 8: preschoolers who know their letter sounds, kindergarten, and first and second grade.

Does my child need sound to play?

No. The game uses your device’s built-in voice to read words aloud when one is available, but every level can be played by reading alone. If your device has no voice, the speaker button simply does not appear.

Does it save progress?

Yes. Stars, open levels and Dino’s prizes are saved in your browser on that device. The Reset button on the home screen (tap it twice) clears them for a new reader.

Does it work on tablets and phones?

Yes. Everything can be tapped, and words in Sentence Builder can be dragged with a finger.

Where do the words and stories come from?

All the words, sentences, stories and pictures were written and drawn for this game. The phonics words are short, regular three-letter words, and the sight words are common early-reader words such as the, said, was and where.