Race to the Top

Race to the Top: Phonics & Fluency Game

If you’re looking for a low-prep activity that keeps students engaged while actually building reading skills, this is one you’ll come back to again and again.

Race to the Top is a simple, structured decoding game designed to give students repeated practice with words aligned to specific phonics skills. As students read and reread words, they begin to recognize patterns more quickly, which supports automaticity and overall fluency.

The format is easy to learn and easy to reuse—making it perfect for small groups, centers, or independent practice.

Students stay engaged, you stay focused on instruction, and the practice stays aligned to what matters most.

What’s Included:

This resource covers a wide range of phonics skills so you can easily match it to your instruction, including:

• CVC words

• CK endings

• FLOSS rule

• Digraphs

• Blends

• CVCe (silent e)

• Nasals

• R-controlled vowels

• Vowel teams

• Diphthongs

Why You’ll Love It:

• No prep, print-and-go format

• Consistent routine students can use independently

• Built-in repetition to support fluency

• Easy to differentiate for small groups

• Engaging without sacrificing instructional purpose

How It Works:

Students place a chip at the bottom of their column, roll a die, read the word, and move their chip up the board. They continue reading and moving as they go—the first to reach the top wins.

Simple, effective, and designed to give students the repeated practice they need to become more confident, fluent readers.