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What you need to know: Zingo is a popular bingo game by ThinkFun that comes in a variety of educational themes (telling time, counting, sight words, etc.). Zingo Word Builder focuses on helping children who are just beginning to read, create their own 3 letter words and familiarize with the spelling of common words in an exciting way. This is also a great way to build vocabulary.

This game includes 72 letter tiles, a sliding Zinger (below) which stores and dispenses letter tiles,

and 6 double-sided cards each with 6 words. The words on the cards all have missing letters. One side of the cards has only one letter missing while the other often has two missing for more advanced readers.

To Play: Take a card and choose a side depending on the reading level of the child with who you are playing, then take turns sliding the zinger to reveal 2 letters. See if you can use a letter that is dispensed to spell out a word on your card. The player who creates six words on their card first, wins!

Tip: You can use this game as a writing prompt by asking a child to build a sentence with each word they create in the game. Another option is to practice telling stories. See if a child can make up a story using all the words on their card for some silly fun.

You can learn more and purchase Zingo Word Builder here.