Multisensory Monday: Spooky Spider Tic-Tac-Toe

Happy Halloween week! Tic-Tac-Toe, anyone? Tying phonics review to a fun game such as Tic-Tac-Toe can help readers become automatic and confident in letter and sound relationships. See below for this week’s Multisensory Monday treat. 

Spooky Spider Tic-Tac-Toe

Level 1 

Cut up an alphabet chart and put the letters in a pile. Be sure the letters have a key word picture to serve as a visual cue to students. 

Steps to Play

1. Pass out one Tic-Tac-Toe game board to each student. Try out our Halloween Tic-Tac-Toe board, equipped with spooky spider markers: Spider Tic Tac Toe
2. Students take turns picking the top card from the pile and saying the letter name and sound that they see. If the sound is said correctly, the player gets to put a spider on their game board. If the letter name and sound are said incorrectly, the student puts their card in the discard pile and does not put a spider on their board. Consider reviewing the letter and sound together before the next student plays. 
3. Play continues as each student takes a turn picking a card and naming the letter and sound. The winner is the first player to get 3 of their spiders in a row! 

Level 2  

When ready, up the challenge by playing the game as mentioned in Level 1, however, now only provide index cards that have the letters of the alphabet (no key word picture). This is a bit harder because the child does not have the picture clue on the card to help with the sound. 

Level 3

Using the same index cards from Level 2, make three piles of letters. One pile of consonants goes to the left, the vowels go in the middle and the rest of the consonants go to the right (CVC words).

Steps to Play

1. The first student flips one card from each pile while saying each sound separately, and then combines the sounds to read the whole word. 
2. If the word is read correctly, the student gets to put a spider on their game board. If the word is read incorrectly, the student puts all three cards in the discard pile and does not put a spider on their board. You might consider asking the student to try again by pointing to each card, saying each sound, and then blending to say the whole word. 
3. Play continues as each student takes a turn picking new cards and adding to either the consonant or vowel pile(s). They then continue to read each sound, then the whole word. 
4. The winner is the first player to get 3 of their spiders in a row. 
5. Reading nonsense words can be quite the challenge! If this becomes too hard, try using letter cards that also have a key word for that visual cue of the sound.  

Written by Karen Oliverio

Karen is a Brainspring Tutor in Clarkston, Michigan and a Kindergarten Teacher in Pontiac, Michigan

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