VCe (Silent E) Halloween Phonics Games: 3 Free Printables

Why We Love It

VCe words (AKA Magic E or Silent E) are words that follow a Vowel-Consonant E pattern. The letter E stays silent, but silent e has a very important job: to make the vowel before it represent its long vowel sound.

There are so many words in English that include the silent e syllable type, so being able to recognize and read VCe words becomes essential as kids get a bit older and encounter more complex text.

The National Center on Improving Literacy (2018) states that:

“After students have mastered blending words that follow CVC and CCVC spelling patterns, words with more advanced spelling patterns, such as vowel-consonant-silent e (e.g., “a_e,” “o_e”) …can be introduced. As more complex spelling patterns and words are learned, teach students to recognize the vowel pattern and corresponding sound in the word to assist with decoding the word.“

Games like this help kids recognize the VCe syllable type and apply this knowledge to decoding accuracy.

👉 Looking for more ways to practice? Get these FREE resources: Silent E Spinner, Word Mapping Worksheet, and Roll & Read Game AND read this informational post to learn all about the VCe Syllable type, too!

About The Games

You get three FREE Halloween-themed game boards. Each game provides a slightly different level of challenge, so choose the one that best fits your students’ needs.

• Game 1: VCe Words: Starts with the basics. Students practice reading familiar one-syllable, VCe words. These words include only 3 or 4 phonemes which are the most basic kind of VCe words, so a great starting point for practice.
• Game 2: VCe Words with Digraphs/Blends: Ready for a bit more of a challenge? Students read VCe words with blends and digraphs, giving them a bit more to think about and apply when reading.
• Game 3: Two Syllable VCe Words: For students who can read one-syllable VCe words without effort, it’s time for the next step! Kids will apply their Magic E knowledge as they work through syllable division and reading more complex words.

➡ Looking for More? Do you have students working on other phonics concepts? We have you covered! Buy the expanded version with 15 games for all phonics concepts, PLUS a fully editable game board so you can type and print using any words!

🎲 How to Play

Grab a dice, crayons or markers, game pieces (coins work great) and a partner!

One student rolls the die, moves their game piece, and reads the word aloud. Then, they color one section of the web that matches the word’s phonics pattern. Each student uses a different color.

1. Take Turns: Kids continue rolling, moving, reading words, and marking phonics patterns in the web. If all sections of the web that match that phonics pattern are already colored, the player can still read the word, but they do not color anything.
2. Land on a Picture? The player may move to any space of their choice and read that word.
3. Ending the Game: The game ends when every section of the web is colored. The player with the most colored sections in their color wins!

By the time the game is over, students will have read most of the words on the board out loud multiple times, and they’ve also followed along as they watched and heard their partner read words.

✅ Tips & Info

• Be sure to explicitly teach VCe patterns before using these games. Kids should be using them for practice – not in place of explicit instruction.
• Be sure to review the game instructions with kids before playing …maybe try one or two out together.
• Encourage students to use connected phonation when blending sounds for reading.
• Encourage kids to listen carefully to one another and check each other for accuracy when reading.
• The board game can be printed on standard 8.5×11 paper, but it can also be enlarged!
• We recommend laminating the board game using dry-erase sheets or placing it a in plastic sleeve for extended use.
• Extend beyond the game. Have kids organize words on the game board by sorting by patterns, using words in sentences, and rereading for fluency.

🎃 More Halloween Resources

You’re sure to love our extension collection of Halloween Resources. Check out some of our favorites below:

• Halloween Encoding (Roll & Write) Games
• Halloween Morphology Printables
• Halloween Phonics Web
• Halloween Phonics Bingo
• Halloween Phonics Roll & Read Games