My son has been working on sight words and word families so I decided to create some activities around his interests: Mario Brothers, Ninja Turtles, Lego, and Pokemon. I am providing free printable pages to create these games at the bottom of the post. I recommend laminating as much of these as you can in order to keep them durable for continued use. If you are unable to laminate them I would definitely recommend printing on cardstock. I hope your little one enjoys these as much as mine is. For us, there is no better way to learn than through play!


Mario Brothers File Folder Game:


You will need-
Free Printable (Link at end of post)
File Folder
Green Paper
Scissors
Glue
Velcro Dots (optional)
Laminator (optional)

I saw this adorable post on Pinterest for a Mario Word Pipes Game by Spinner's End Primary and it inspired me to create my own version (click the link to see their post). This is a simple one to put together and should only take a few minutes with materials you likely already have. Print the provided pages. Cut out the word family columns, letter tiles, and piranha plants. Cut three rectangles from your green paper just slightly larger than the word family columns to create the tubes. Glue the piranha plants to the tops of the folder leaving enough space in between each for the letter tiles to be placed to spell words. Glue the green rectangles below and the word family columns on top of those. You can add Velcro dots to the backs of the letter tiles and the spaces next to the tubes to make them more stable. Now your Super Mario lover can use their favorite characters to create and learn words! 

Ninja Turtles Word Family Pizza Game:

You will need-
Free Printable (Link at end of post)
Four Paper Plates
Scissors
Glue
Laminator (optional)

If you have a Ninja Turtle enthusiast (or perhaps you were a Ninja Turtle enthusiast, I know I was) then you know about their love of pizza! This one was a simple concept and will take only a few minutes to put together. Print the provided pages. Cut out the Ninja Turtles, glue one to each plate. and add a fun little word bubble for each turtle so they know which word family to match. Cut up the pizza slices and mix them up. Now your child can have fun creating the proper pizza for each turtle. What better way to learn your words than hanging out and making pizzas with your best dudes? Cowabunga!

Lego Word Family Match:

You will need-
Free Printable (Link at end of post)
Clothes Pins
Scissors
Glue
Laminator (optional)

I don't know about your children, but mine love to play with clothespins so I had to incorporate them into these games somewhere. This is another easy one to put together. *Print the provided pages (see note before printing). Cut out your minifigures from the selected pages (or search for your own to print based on your child's interest) and Lego word blocks. You will need 5 minifigures total. Glue the word blocks to your clothespins and the base of the word family block should be glued to each minifigure. Just clip the Lego words to the correct minifigure! 
*You will only need 5 minifigures total. I have provided more than 5 in the printable so make sure you only print page 1 of the Lego word blocks and then 5 of the minifigure pages of your choice.

Pokemon Word Family Catch:

You will need-
Free Printable (Link at end of post)
Small dowel rod or wooden skewer
String
Magnets
Paperclips
Scissors
Glue or Tape
Laminator (optional)

"Gotta catch em all!" My boys are obsessed with Pokemon. My 2 year old can barely pronounce his own name but he can say Pikachu and Pokemon clearly, thanks to his brothers! This game will take a little longer to put together, but it's worth it. Cut out the Pokeballs and Pokemon figures from the pages provided. Push a paperclip through the top of each Pokemon and attach a magnet piece to back of each Pokeball. Tie your string to the wodden dowel rod or skewer. Attach your Pokeball magnet to the other end of the string. I laminated mine so I just use tape and swap them out as he plays. Mix up the Pokemon and fish to catch the words that match your Pokeball word family. You could use one dowel for each Pokeball so you have one ready to go for each word family or for multiple kids to play together. 

Free Printables:

Mario Brothers File Folder Game
Ninja Turtles Word Family Pizza Game
Lego Word Family Match
Pokemon Word Family Catch

Please note: These are for personal use only. Please link back if you share. Thank you!