Create a simple DIY literacy game for spelling and reading small words with this fun, space rocket themed puzzle game! It can be adapted for different stages of ability and changed to suit different topics or particular interests to get kids excited about learning!
We made a fun space rocket themed spell and read game from patterned papers, black card, tissue paper and marker pens! To make this for the girls I cut out 8 different rocket shapes from a variety of patterned, coloured papers, with a point on the front piece of each.
I cut each rocket shape into thirds, making sure to cut a different pattern with the scissors each time to turn them into unique puzzle pieces. For e.g., one rocket was joined by zig-zags, another by waves, square pegs, triangles etc. If you look closely at the pictures you should hopefully see what I mean! This made sure that each rocket shape could only be joined to itself and not any other.
Onto each one I wrote out a simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word, and then mixed all the separate pieces up to be reconstructed into rockets flying through into space! For the base board I simply taped pieces of black card together at the back and drew some gold stars on the front.
Once they had built all the word rockets they sounded each one out by pointing at the individual letter sounds and blending them together to say the words.
Next we used the rockets to play word I-spy games and raced to see who could find the words being said the fastest!
For more able children you could create longer words, or try using digraphs or trigraphs in the spaces. Adapt it or simplify it to suit your own situation!
If you liked this you will enjoy browsing our entire Playful Literacy section for so many more activity ideas and easy-to-make resources!
What they are learning as they play:
literacy: recognising, naming and sounding out graphemes with their corresponding phonemes, blending sounds to create words, recognising and reading CVC words
maths: solving puzzles and problem solving
Cakie: 5.3
Pop: 3.9
Bean: 1.10
Thank you for this fab resource. I’m going to share it with the Teach Monster fans. You have a wonderful website!
Great idea, we’re doing a space topic at the moment so I’ll definitely use it.
I think I may leave the joins the same shape as the point and the fire shows them the beginning and end. We could make a massive range of words.