“The children found playing the memory game fun and they learned the words quickly. The books had a story the children enjoyed and I liked the content. We had fun, and learned at the same time. I recommend this book to any teacher that needs quick results.”

Julieta Peterson
De Colores Children's Center
Exeter, NH

“I found the game to be a phenomenal tool for memory and reading. There is nothing I would change about the game.”

California’s Central Coast
Field Study through the
San Luis Obispo Family Care Network

"The Reading Game is a favorite activity with my kindergarten students... I'm amazed by how quickly they are retaining all these new sight words-and enjoying the process!"

Susan Drinker, Kindergarten Teacher Main Street Elementary, Exeter, NH

“The Reading Game is a great product - it is the foundation
of reading, period!”

Jennifer Skeels
Reading Intervention Specialist, La Mesa/Spring Valley School District, CA

"All the students love the concentration memory game piece and the stories about animals are age appropriate/engaging (even my third grader with learning disabilities loves it and doesn’t find it babyish)"

Nicole Thoen
Instructional Intervention Coach Hillsborough District, Portland Orgeon

“My son has benefited tremendously from The Reading Game. He loves playing the matching card game and it is a great way to get him learning words. My son was so proud the first time he read book # 1 - he couldn't wait to begin the next set of flash cards so he could read the second book. I love that the books tell interesting stories. Many of the other beginner reading books are boring in comparison. He has also learned more challenging words by doing the flash cards. It is much better to see and learn the words on the flashcards first, rather than seeing them in a book and getting frustrated by not knowing them.
It’s been a fun way to learn.”

Larissa Kiers
Parent

 

Come see The Reading Game

in person!  Click: Events Page

 

 

  

$24.95 ea

15% off orders of 8 or more

 

The Reading Game consists of six beautifully illustrated story books,
six decks of matching playing cards,
and a Teacher and Parent's Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Kenneth Hodkinson first developed his “vaccine against illiteracy,” he followed a long-standing tradition by testing it first on a member of his own family, his granddaughter Ashleen.  The Reading Game's results exceeded Ken’s best hopes: Ashleen, while not yet in kindergarten, learned to read in just over a week.  But, of course, the tests that really count are the ones carried out independently, without bias, and with the participants having no stake in the outcome.  They’re called field trials.

The opportunity for such field trials came when the San Luis Obispo Family Care Network in California agreed to try out The Reading Game.  Its website describes FCN as a private, non-profit children and families services provider.  Established in 1987 for the purpose of creating family-based treatment programs as an alternative to group home or institutional care for children and youth, the agency now operates multiple, accredited programs designed to strengthen and preserve families and individuals.  In its more than twenty-year history, FCN has grown to serve over 2,000 children, youth and families annually in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.  Many of those served by FCN are handicapped by poor and undeveloped reading skills.

Jay Turner is the education coordinator at FCN and thought that The Reading Game might have a role to play in the agency’s efforts to improve the reading ability of those falling behind.  He established a number of tutor/student partnerships.  Each tutor was given a copy of The Reading Game and allowed to proceed without any interference and with the sole requirement to provide a brief report on the “learn to read” program’s effectiveness.

Here are a few excerpts from reports from schools in California’s Central Coast which participated in the field study:

“The cards offered many opportunities to play different games. We played Go Fish
and a Memory Matching game.”

“My student was anxious
to get to the next book.”

“Directly after the game,
the learning curve was sharp.”

“I found the game to be a phenomenal tool for memory and reading. There is nothing I would change about the game.”

The Reading Game has also proved effective in helping to boost confidence and literacy skills in children who have had a difficult time learning to read. The feedback below is from the tutor of a student who is a fourteen-year-old male.

“Although he was in the 8th grade, his STAR reading scores showed that he had a first-grade reading level. He loved The Reading Game, which is amazing since he has never had success at reading before. I think he liked it so much because of the success he had with the game and books. He really liked everything about it. He said, ‘It was fun, easy, and I really liked the short stories. Thanks for letting me try it.’ The only thing that wasn’t perfect was that the student resisted any kind of testing. He just wouldn’t do anything that resembled a test, but I know that he learned new words. All in all it worked wonderfully. He would
love to have continued with more of the same.”

From this great start the field studies were expanded for The Reading Game.  We included day care centers, home schooling parents, kindergarten teachers working with mainstream children, and those working with kids who are struggling with learning to read.  With that in mind, we sent requests for participants for the field study all over the USA.  Below is a sampling of the feedback we received about The Reading Game.

“We’ve been playing a new game at our house called The Reading Game (it’s put out by the author of Wordly Wise — which I really LIKE a lot!) and we both enjoy playing AND learning as we play. This was the easiest set-up for a game and a fantastic way to improve reading skills. I KNEW that The Reading Game would be a good fit for our family. Kenneth Hodkinson has another great success with it!...”

Read the full review: The Reading Game at This Day Has Great Potential

“LOVED This game. We will play this with
our non-reading children
and grandchildren for years to come!”

Krista LaRocque, Parent

“As a Mom with three active children…one thing that is a MUST for me is: anything that comes into our home must be a good value and be self contained. I truly can not handle anything that has poor craftsmanship. This game definitely fits the bill. The box is sturdy, the cards are made to last and the books capture my little guy’s attention. Truth-be-known…his big sister (who is eight) has been enjoying the games, too! … I give The Reading Game two thumbs up. And….I’ll let you in on a secret….I have had my 8 and 9 year old play with the little guy “to help Mommy” some nights while I cook dinner. What they did not realize is that…it was helping them with their reading, as well! ....”

.… Read the full review: Have Fun with The Reading Game | Mom's Mustard Seed

“I LOVE IT!!!! I can’t contain it until the middle of the post! I had to tell you right off the bat, The Reading Game is awesome!!... I am so very pleased with the results. Whether you are working with a brand new reader, or a reader with special needs, The Reading Game can help..…”

Read the Full Review: Creative Learners » The Reading Game – A TOS Review

“It was sooooo much fun to play! …How do I know it works? Well, (my son) can write and read the words weeks later. I give him a “spelling test” and asked him to write his 5 words. We look for those words when we are out, on menus or signs, even on labels. We hunt for them inside books. They are being locked into his memory, and that is evidenced by squeals from the back seat as we drive around town doing errands, squeals that nearly make me levitate”

…Read the full review: Jeremiah is learning to read | ~ a teaching heart

“In terms of accessibility, the series is perfect for many special needs populations including those with processing disorders due to the non-distracting, clear, crisp, and contrasting print of the cards and story books where the words are displayed. …The cards were easily brailled for blind and DeafBlind students. For the blind and DeafBlind teacher such as myself, I brailled the cards with not only the word, but also the game number and the book animal to help me keep the cards properly separated for ease of use and to prevent confusion while teaching…It is wonderful to see a product that is useful as is or so easily modified to benefit the possible varying abilities of many students…. “

Read the full review: The Reading Game: The Fun Way That Works « DeafBlind Hope

“I know my (three children) enjoy playing the game because they ask to play it. I know the game is helping them with reading because I have seen improvement in my 7 year old, and my 5 year old has memorized quite a few words and remembers them when she comes across them later. I would recommend The Reading Game for beginning readers, or readers who struggle a bit with common sight words….”

Read the full review: Stairsteps Academy » Blog Archive » The Reading Game

“ANYONE CAN LEARN TO READ. This is the motto over at The Reading Game. I’ll have to admit, reading just hasn’t “clicked” for my youngest yet. With his developmental delays, and his challenges with processing information, etc., he is still struggling with reading. The Reading Game is proving to be a fun way for him to learn word recognition, though!...” Read the full review: Life at Rossmont » Blog Archive » TOS Review: The Reading Game

“There are many great things to be said about The Reading Game, one of which was stated during a field study in a learning environment, "I found the game to be a phenomenal tool for memory and reading. There is nothing I would change about the game." The Reading Game makes learning to read entertaining and exciting. What kid wouldn’t want to play games and read all at the same time? What fun! …”

Read the full review: Homeschool.com

"All the students love the concentration memory game piece and the stories about animals are age appropriate/engaging (even my third grader with learning disabilities loves it and doesn’t find it babyish)." Nicole Thoen
Instructional Intervention Coach
Hillsborough District
Portland, Orgeon

"The children found playing the memory game fun and they learned the words quickly. The books had a story the children enjoyed and I liked the content.   We had fun, and learned at the same time.  I recommend this book to any teacher that needs quick results." Julieta Peterson
De Colores Children's Center
Exeter, NH

“The Reading Game is a great product -  it is the foundation of reading, period!"Jennifer Skeels

Reading Intervention Specialist

La Mesa/Spring Valley School
District, CA

“My son has benefited tremendously from The Reading Game.  He loves playing the matching game and it is a great way to get him learning words.  My son was so proud the first time he read book # 1  - he couldn't wait to begin the next set of flash cards so he could read the second book.  I love that the books tell interesting stories.  Many of the beginner reading books he brings home from school are boring in comparison.  He has also learned more challenging words by doing the flash cards.  It is much better to see and learn the words on the flashcards first, rather than seeing them in a book and getting frustrated by not knowing them.  It’s been a fun way to learn.”
Larissa Kiers, Parent

"The Reading Game is a favorite activity with my kindergarten students...I'm amazed by how quickly they are retaining all these new sight words-and enjoying the process!"
Susan Drinker
Kindergarten Teacher
Main Street Elementary
Exeter, NH

“With class sizes going up and one on one teacher time going down, this program is a great tool!  Volunteers and/or older students in upper grades can quickly and easily be taught to work one on one with students learning to read.” Jennifer Skeels

Reading Intervention Specialist

La Mesa/Spring Valley School District, CA

If you have feedback on The Reading Game and would like to submit it for inclusion on the website, we would be delighted. Click here to e-mail us!  Or click Contact Us