Autumn Words | Reading, Spelling & Vocabulary Games for Early Readers

Make the transition from learning vocabulary to actually reading English with this hands-on autumn lesson designed for early readers and young ESL learners.

This 60-page resource is ideal for 1st and 2nd graders who already have some exposure to English and are beginning to recognise, read and spell simple words. Instead of practising autumn vocabulary only through pictures and repetition, students gradually connect the picture, spoken word, written word and individual letters.

The lesson focuses on useful autumn vocabulary including pumpkin, mushroom, corn, acorn, leaf, pie, apple, rake and hay. Students first become familiar with the vocabulary through picture and word cards, then progress to activities that require them to identify and read the words independently.

Reading is practised in different ways throughout the lesson. Children match written words to pictures, choose the correct written word from similar alternatives, play word-and-picture memory, read words during bingo and read simple sentences such as “The pumpkin is big,” “The acorn is small,” and “The horse eats hay.”

Spelling is also integrated into the activities rather than taught as an isolated worksheet task. Students build and spell autumn words with playdough, write vocabulary from pictures, collect individual letter cards to complete missing-letter words and even “rake” letter leaves before using them to form the target words.

One of the main activities is the Autumn Board Game, which combines reading, spelling and teamwork. Students work with incomplete words, collect the letters they need as they move around the board, read sentence cards and complete action cards. They can also save unwanted letters and trade them, adding a simple strategy element that keeps the spelling practice engaging.

The package includes: autumn picture and word cards, reading clip cards, playdough word mats, Read and Colour activity, Reading Bingo, word-picture Memory Game, Rake the Leaves spelling activity, writing worksheet, letter cards, reading sentence cards, action cards and a complete Autumn Board Game with all the materials needed to play.

The resource also includes a suggested lesson sequence, making it easy for teachers to see how the activities can progress from vocabulary introduction into increasingly independent reading and spelling practice.

Skills practised: autumn vocabulary • word recognition • picture-word association • early reading • simple sentence reading • spelling • letter recognition • missing letters • writing • listening • speaking • fine-motor skills.

Recommended for: 1st–2nd Grade • Early Readers • Young ESL/EFL Learners • Autumn/Fall Lessons • Early Literacy • Reading & Spelling Practice