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Using card games and flashcards in building your child’s reading skills makes learning more enjoyable. I found 15 reading card games and flashcards to help your child become a more confident reader!
These 15 reading card games and flashcards are great tools for building your child’s reading fluency. All of them can also be used to widen your child’s vocabulary. Some are also helpful in developing young readers’ comprehension skills.
Reading Card Games and Flashcards Comparison Table
| Game | Age | Players | Rating |
| Fluency SuperDeck | 4+ | 1+ | ★★★★★ |
| 100 Task Cards in a Box | 9-11 | 1+ | ★★★★★ |
| 100 Idioms | 7+ | 1+ | ★★★★☆ |
| 220 Dolch Word Flash Cards | 4-9 | 1+ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Following Directions Fun Deck | 5+ | 2+ | ★★★★★ |
| Positional Words Resource Box | 4+ | 1+ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Match & Sort Early Reading Comprehension Quickies | 4-6 | 1+ | ★★★★★ |
| 328 Phonetic Family Sentence Cards | 4+ | 1+ | ★★★★☆ |
| 94 Phonics Comprehension Passages with Questions | 4+ | 1+ | ★★★☆☆ |
| 1,000 Sight Word Sentence Strips | 4-8 | 1+ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| 3-Level First Word, Phrase, & Sentence Set | 4-7 | 1+ | ★★★☆☆ |
| 1,200 Sight Words and Sentences Reading Flash Cards | 4+ | 1+ | ★★★★★ |
| Tap and Track | 4-6 | 1+ | ★★★★☆ |
| Nonfiction Comprehension Quickie Cards | 8-10 | 1+ | ★★★★☆ |
| Building Fluency Card Bank | 6-11 | 1+ | ★★★★★ |
Reading Card Games
Fluency SuperDeck (Strong Learning)
★★★★★
For Families and Schools | Age 4+ | 1+ players | Price $$ | Duration 10-20 min
Strong Learning’s Fluency SuperDeck features 16 sets of card decks to master reading different phonetic patterns. Each deck has over 50 cards – a combination of playing and non-playing, that can be used to play more than 10 games, such as:
- Go Fish
- Memory
- Reading Race
- Bingo
- Lotto
- War
The different card decks cover specific word patterns, including:
- 3 Letter CVC Words
- 4 & 5 Letter CVC Words
- Long Vowel VCE Words
- CVC & VCE Suffixes
- Long Vowel Digraph Words
- Consonant Blend Endings (-mp, -sk, -nd, and -sf)
- R-Controlled Vowel-Words
- Diphthong Pattern Words
- Words Ending in LE
- Word Endings TION & SION
- Word Endings OUS, SURE & TURE
- VC Blends Endings (-ng and -nk)
- Silent Consonants (kn, ck, gn, mb, wr, and dg)
- Prefixes & Suffixes
- 3 Syllable Challenge Words
These decks are easy to play because you can use them with common card rules. I also like them because they can be used for independent and competitive playing. You can also use them to introduce writing sentences for young players as it shows the basic rules like capitalization and punctuation.
100 Task Cards in a Box (Scholastic)
★★★★★
For Families and Schools | Age 9-11 | 1+ players | Price $$$ | Duration 10-20 min
For more fluent readers, Scholastic’s Task Cards in a Box is a great way to help your child move from learning to read to reading to learn. There are six different boxes, varying from the types of text and skills taught. Here are your options:
Each set comes with 100 task cards complete with passages and comprehension questions. The concept taught or focused on is also printed at the back, so you can pick which one to use when playing with your child. I like these games because:
- It uses interesting texts to enhance reading and comprehension skills
- It expands player’s vocabulary
- The box comes with kid-friendly definitions of terms and examples
- The cards are durable, making them perfect for multiple uses
You can use this as a game in classrooms or for guided learning at home.
100 Idioms (Junior Learning)
★★★★☆
For Families and Schools | Age 7+ | 1+ players | Price $$ | Duration 10-20 min
100 Idioms features an illustrative take of figurative expressions and their meaning. This set also gives an example of how to use idioms in sentences.
I like this set because most idioms and sentences can be decoded or include sight words that beginning readers are familiar with. The cards are also double-sided, so you can use them to test your child’s understanding of the idioms and how well they can read these expressions. Also, using idioms to teach reading helps:
- expands your child’s vocabulary
- develops their comprehension skills
- deepens their understanding of language
The only downside is the illustrations showing literal depictions of the idioms. They are intentionally designed in that manner to make the sayings more memorable, but I think it defeats the purpose of teaching children about these figurative expressions
220 Dolch Word Flash Cards (Joy Dynasty)
★★☆☆☆
For Families and Schools | Age 4-9 | 1+ players | Price $$ | Duration 10-20 min
220 Dolch Word Flash Cards features five levels of Dolch sight words. This set helps your child master reading their sight words and learn how to use them in sentences.
This set of reading flashcards can be used to play three different games. These are:
- I Can Read More Than You – lay a set of cards face up (or face down for more challenge) and take turns reading a card. If you read it correctly, you keep it. Otherwise, leave the card on the table.
- Hide and Seek – this is not exactly a reading game, but nonetheless, a fun way to engage your children in learning. Choose the flashcards you want to hide (try to pick the words your child struggle with the most), then hide them around the house. Let your child look for them. After, they have to read the cards to you.
- Word Hunt – give old newspapers and magazines to your children. Pick a word, then ask them to look for it on the page or set of pages from the reading materials. The first word they see is equivalent to three points, and the rest gets one point each. The person with the highest points wins.
I like this flashcard set because it includes several games that you can try with your children to make reading more fun. I also think that the color-coded edges make it easier to organize and keep these cards.
But I give this set two points only because there are some grammatical errors in the sentences. As a tool used to teach the English language, it is highly problematic to have such issues.
Following Directions Fun Deck (Super Duper Publications)
★★★★★
For Families and Schools | Age 5+ | 2+ players | Price $$ | Duration 10-30 min
Following Direction Fun Deck is a great way to practice reading while having fun. This set comes with 52 playing cards with instructions. It also has four additional “connector cards” for a more challenging play.
You can use these cards to play a simple following directions game. Or you can try the following:
- Token Hunt – Lay down six facedown cards and hide a token underneath. Let the players take turns choosing a card and performing the action. The player who finds the token wins.
- Circle Time – Ask your students to form a circle. Assign player one and let them choose a card. Have the first player perform the action. After, the other players will take turns giving the player one instruction to follow. Each correct movement is equal to one point. Continue until everyone gets a turn as the doer of the action. Bonus points will be given to anyone who can recite all the instructions given to them.
- Multiple Direction Connection – Place the deck of instruction cards and connector cards on the table. The connector cards have to be in a pile. Then, the first player chooses two cards from the deck and one connector card. After, they have to perform the action. Play, then, continues in turn.
I like this set because it combines learning with play. The instructions are also decodable words and sight words, making it perfect for beginning readers to develop decoding skills.
Positional Words Resource Box
★★★☆☆
For Families and Schools | Age 5+ | 1+ players | Price $$$ | Duration 10-20 min
Positional Words Resource Box is a great card game to use for teaching reading and comprehension. Although this game was meant initially to teach prepositions, I believe it is also an excellent tool to practice fluency.
Each set comes with 24 instructions cards and four pairs of manipulatives. I like this game because the directions are simple enough that beginning readers can successfully read them and follow them. The added manipulatives also make the game more engaging.
However, I hope that they also spelled out the name of the objects instead of just putting pictures. A combination of words and images will be better for vocabulary development and developing reading fluency.
Match & Sort Early Reading Comprehension Quickies (Lakeshore Learning)
★★★★★
For Families and Schools | Age 4-6 | 1+ players | Price $$$ | Duration 10-20 min
If you’re looking for short texts for your beginning readers, Match & Sort Early Reading Comprehension Quickies is a great set to buy. It is a set of 110 cards that you can use to play matching, sorting, and quiz games.
I like these reading cards because it’s simple to use. This set is initially meant for practicing comprehension, but I think it is also great for practicing reading fluency because:
- The texts are also appropriate for beginning readers because it uses decodable words and sight words.
- They are also short enough, so young children can practice reading them with ease.
There are 55 pairs in this set, so I think it has good replayability. And you can also use them as a quiz-type game and forgo using the answer cards.
Reading Flashcards
328 Phonetic Family Sentence Cards (Little Champion Reader)
★★★★☆
For Families and Schools | Age 4+ | 1+ players | Price $$$ | Duration 10-20 min
Little Champion Readers’ 328 Phonetic Family Sentence Cards feature a set of flashcards that helps your young readers develop reading fluency. They focus on the following phonetic patterns:
- Short vowels
- Consonant blend
- Digraphs and word endings
- Long vowels
These flashcards have color-coded borders for easy organization after use. The sentences are a mix of decodable words and sight words that is appropriate for beginning readers. I like this set because the sentences are easy to comprehend. There are also a lot of cards to go through, so this set can also be used in classrooms.
94 Phonics Comprehension Passages with Questions (Little Champion Reader)
★★★☆☆
For Families and Schools | Age 4+ | 1+ players | Price $$$ | Duration 10-20 min
94 Phonics Comprehension Passages with Questions is a 2-in-1 set of flashcards for teaching reading fluency and comprehension. It features 94 passages that focus on specific phonetic patterns, divided into:
- 25 short vowel passages
- 30 consonant blend passages
- 24 digraph and word ending passages
- 15 long vowel passages
I like this set because the typeface used is easy to read for beginning readers. The sentences are also simple enough to be understood by children. The wh- questions make this set more helpful because students also begin to shape their comprehension skills. These flashcards come with a box divided into 5 tabs, so you can organize the cards with ease.
However, I only give this set three stars because not all the words are sight words or decodable. In addition, some words can be challenging to read for beginning readers.
1000 Sight Word Sentence Strips (Little Champion Reader)
★★☆☆☆
For Families and Schools | Age 4-8 | 1+ players | Price $$$$ | Duration 10-20 min
1000 Sight Word Sentence Strips help your child master Dolch’s sight words. The cards are also numbered for easy organization.
I like this set because it allows your child to practice reading their sight words in context. The sentences and the pictures can help widen their vocabulary and give them a better understanding of how to use these sight words. You can also use the images in the cards to challenge your young readers to make their own sentences based on them and featuring the sight word.
However, I can only give a two-star rating because beginning readers will not be able to read these cards independently. Most of the words are not decodable, even in the first one hundred sets.
3-Level First Word, Phrase, & Sentence Set (Little Champion Reader)
★★★☆☆
For Families and Schools | Age 4-7 | 1+ players | Price $$$ | Duration 10-20 min
3-Level First Word, Phrase, & Sentence Set features 150 cards with text and pictures. There are 50 words for each level to help your child build their vocabulary and reading skills.
This set is composed of simple nouns and verbs, making it ideal for early language development. I like this set because:
- It allows your child to progress from one stage to another, which is good for motivating them to learn
- It has pictures to help them in each stage
- It is durable, so it can be used even by toddlers
- It has color-coded edges and numbered cards for easy organization
- It can also be used for ESL classes
These flashcards have many pros, but I still give them 3 stars because they are more about memorization than reading. Most of the featured words are neither decodable nor frequently used (sight words). So, children with poor memory skills may only get frustrated as they move from words to phrases.
Practical Phrases and Sensible Sentences (Marnotes)
★★★★☆
For Families and Schools | Age 4+ | 1+ players | Price $$ | Duration 10-20 min
Marnotes’ Practical Phrases and Sensible Sentences is an excellent tool for developing your child’s reading and communication skills.
I like this set because:
- Each phrase and sentence use only two-five words, making it easy to remember for young children
- It uses helpful pictures to engage readers
- It can also be used in ESL classrooms to teach standard greetings and actions
This set focuses on teaching everyday actions and phrases that your child will encounter even at a young age. For example, it includes “thank you,” “I can brush my teeth,” and “I see you,” among others. I think the only thing that they can improve on is using larger texts for the sentences for better readability.
50 Sight-Word Phrases for Fluent Readers (Essential Learning Products)
★★★★☆
For Families and Schools | Age 4+ | 1+ players | Price $$ | Duration 10-20 min
If you’re looking for flashcards to further develop your child’s sight word reading fluency, then 50 Sight-Word Phrases for Fluent Readers may be what you need. This set features:
- complex sight words from Fry’s list
- other commonly confused sight words like behind and before
- three- and four-word phrases
I like these flashcards because of their minimalistic design. The typeface on the cards is simple and easy to read, and the cards are laminated for durability. In addition, each set comes with two blank wipe-off cards that you can use to review specific words or practice your child’s spelling skills.
1,200 Sight Word and Sentences Reading Flash Cards (Pat’s Flash Cards)
★★★★★
For Families and Schools | Age 4+ | 1+ players | Price $$$$ | Duration 10-20 min
1,200 Sight Word and Sentences Reading Flash Cards features all Dolch sights words and over 400 Fry sight words. It also has three levels, namely:
- Level 1 – sentences contain words from level 1 Dolch and Fry sight words list
- Level 2 – sentences with words from Level 1 and Level 2 Dolch and Fry sight words list
- Level 3 – sentences with words from Level 1-3 Dolch and Fry sight words list
I like this set because it covers all sight words, so you can use it as your child progresses through the whole list. It has color-coded borders for easy organization of double-sided cards, making it easier for you to guide your reader as they read the sentences.
This set also only uses sight words or decodable words, making it perfect for developing your child’s reading fluency.
Tap and Track (Really Good Stuff)
★★★★☆
For Families and Schools | Age 4-6 | 1+ players | Price $$$ | Duration 10-20 min
If your reader is just starting out with their sight words list, you may want to add Tap and Track in your homes or classrooms. The sentences included in this set uses words from the Dolch pre-primer list.
There are 80 sentence cards in this set. I like these flashcards because:
- It uses easy to read typeface
- It features tactile dots, letting young readers track their reading and helping tactile students develop their skills better
- It is big, so easier for younger ones to hold and flip through
- The words are also either decodable or from the pre-primer list
The only thing I want to be improved on is the spacing between the words. They are too close together, so some children may struggle to read them even with the tactile dots.
Nonfiction Comprehension Quickie Cards (Lakeshore Learning)
★★★★☆
For Families and Schools | Age 8-10 | 1+ players | Price $$$ | Duration 10-20 min
Nonfiction Comprehension Quickie Cards features fascinating passages and multiple-choice questions to help your child practice reading fluency and comprehension. Each box comes with 125 color-coded cards.
This set is primarily meant to teach comprehension using nonfiction texts. But I think it can be an excellent tool for practicing reading fluency too because:
- it shows different types of nonfiction materials for variety and engagement
- it also showcases interesting and informative topics that widen your child’s vocabulary
- it has a minimalist design that makes the text easier to read
Some of the texts included in this set are passages, charts, and diagrams. So, if you will use these cards for fluency practice, you may need to remove the graphic charts and graphs.
Building Fluency Card Bank (Lakeshore Learning)
★★★★★
For Families and Schools | Age 6-11 | 1+ players | Price $$$$ | Duration 10-20 min
Lakeshore Learning’s Building Fluency Card Bank is the best addition to any emergent and early fluent readers’ collection. It features a variety of texts – fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to help with your child’s fluency practice. There are two sets:
I like these sets because:
- there are different types of engaging texts to read
- it features a simple design for readability
- the card has color-coded edges for easy organization
- it can be used for practice at home or assessments in schools
- it has ten different levels with increasing difficulty to match your child’s needs
Each box also comes with four timers that your young reader can use to monitor their time reading. You can also ask them to read a passage within that set time and assess their reading difficulties.
Other ELA Card Games for Homes and Schools
Some children get intimidated when reading blocks of texts from books. Card games and flashcards often only show a few sentences, making them more accessible for beginning readers and even struggling emergent readers. These tools are also great for fluent readers because they break away from the monotony of flipping through book pages.
And if you’re looking for more card games to help your child become a more confident and successful reader, check out these other ELA card games:
- 10 Action Verb Board & Card Games For ELA or ESL Classrooms
- 14 Vocabulary Card Games from Pre-Kindergarten to Elementary
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