Make Summer Count with VOWEL POWA(R)™: A Family Game that Builds Readers & Memories!

As a homeschool parent, you already know that learning doesn’t stop when the school year ends. But summer brings a unique opportunity—freedom to relax, explore, and make memories. What if you could also sneak in meaningful literacy instruction, backed by the Science of Reading, all while laughing and playing with your kids?

This summer, you can. Whether your child is a reluctant reader or an eager storyteller, you can turn your table into a launchpad for creativity, connection, and critical thinking—with a game designed to do just that.

Why the Summer Slide Matters

Summer slide is real—especially in literacy. Kids can lose hard-earned reading gains in just a few weeks without regular practice. But "practice" doesn't have to mean worksheets and groans. Reading development can happen around the campfire, on a road trip, or at the dining room table—if you have the right tools.

The Ultimate Goal of Literacy

At its core, literacy is more than just reading words on a page. The ultimate goal is to raise students who can:

• Listen Actively
  

• Speak Clearly
  

• Read Fluently
  

• Write Thoughtfully
  

• Think Critically & Creatively 

We want children to express ideas, solve problems, and understand the world around them—whether through a book, a conversation, or a wild made-up tale that starts with a wizard in a hot air balloon. 

"Creativity is the key for any child with dyslexia, or for anyone for that matter. Then you can think outside of the box. Teach them anything is attainable. Let them run with what you see is whatever they need to run with."

-Orlando Bloom

A Game That Grows Readers (and Storytellers)

That’s where our family storytelling game comes in. It's designed with the Science of Reading in mind—building phonemic awareness, vocabulary, syntax, and verbal reasoning—while feeling like pure fun.

HERE'S HOW TO PLAY:

🎲 Play with Purpose 🎲

Start by thinking about how your cards could connect into one wild, fun, meaningful story. Each card adds to the plot: characters, setting, action, emotion—your kids are practicing story structure without even knowing it.

🏁 Race to the Finish 🏁

Move across the board. The first player to reach the finish line earns the honor of starting the story.

✍️ Join the Story ✍️

All other players get to draw one final card—so everyone has the same number to work with. This helps even the playing field and makes sure the story is rich and layered.

🔄 Build It Together 🔄

Take turns adding to the story using the words on your cards. Be spooky, be silly, be dramatic—just stay connected to the plot! This builds oral language, sequencing, listening, and verbal expression.

⭐ Tally Your Points ⭐

Once the story wraps, add up the card points. Even if you didn’t reach the finish line first, you might still win—it’s anyone’s game!

Why This Works

Reading nonsense words, manipulating syllables, building syntax, and using proper phrasing (prosody) are all foundational reading skills. This game integrates them naturally. Kids get to:

• Practice Decoding & Fluency
  

• Build Vocabulary and Syntax
  

• Use Verbal Expression to Connect & be Heard
  

• Think Creatively & Critically
  

• Feel Seen & Valued as Storytellers

"As a reading specialist, I've used the VOWEL POWA(R)™ series with students across diverse learning needs, & I'm incredibly impressed with the results. These games are more than just fun—they're a powerful tool for helping all readers master critical literacy skills."

-Maria H., M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D.

My Story: Why I Created This

Discovering that my son—and later my daughter—were dyslexic sent me down a path I never expected. I felt like I’d fallen into a world I didn’t understand. Over the past 20 years, I’ve come to deeply respect the intricacies of the dyslexic brain and what it takes to become a fluent reader.

Bright kids were struggling—not because they lacked intelligence—but because they weren’t being taught in the way they needed. That’s why I became a champion for structured literacy and the Science of Reading.

But I also believe in joy. I believe in shared laughter and connection. I believe that the best way to teach children to read is with people who can spot and solve challenges and create moments that matter.

This Summer, Make it Count

This game isn’t just about literacy—it’s about legacy. It’s about making memories and sparking creativity. It’s about helping kids feel seen, capable, and confident.

And who knows? Along the way, you might just discover a few future authors in your family.

Try it for FREE! Download a mini version of Vowel Powa(r) HERE!

Ready to Play Your Way into Literacy This Summer? Let's Build Readers—and Stories—Together. 

✍️Sample Story 1✍️

Subordinating Conjunctions:

While spending the day chilling at the lake, a person and their classmate decide to connect all their rafts into one giant float. As they relax in the sun, the classmate suddenly slips off and begins to drown. Immediately, everyone starts shouting, “Someone is drowning!” Since there are no lifeguards nearby, panic spreads—until the classmate grabs a swim noodle and takes a deep breath through it. Out of nowhere, a shimmering jade stone pops out. Because of the stone’s strange power, the entire lake transforms into a wild, bug-infested jungle.

Although the classmate is confused at first, he quickly shouts, “Frute! Frite! Frape!”—a mysterious phrase that means, “Where is my invisible bug spray chapstick?” When he finds it and puts it on, every single bug vanishes. Whereas he was just a student a moment ago, he now stands tall as King of the Jungle, with no bugs in sight and a noodle scepter in hand.

✍️Sample Story 2✍️

FANBOYS & Subordinating Conjunctions:

Enclosed in a Chinese temple, where incense burns all day and fills the air with the scent of your favorite food, rests a precious jade stone. But something has gone terribly wrong, for a cupcake has somehow become stuck beside the stone, and now everything smells bad instead of delicious. No one knows how it got there, nor do they know how to safely remove it.

While the temple guardians worry, far below the ocean’s surface lives a great dragon in Atlantis, an underwater temple surrounded by a magical, “dyslexic” moat made of shifting earth. Although the journey to the surface is long and full of challenges, the dragon rises from the depths, for he knows that only he can complete the mission. As he travels across land and sea, the winds howl and the earth trembles.

Since the cupcake blocks the jade stone’s energy, the balance of scent and harmony is broken. If the dragon fails, the temple may forever reek of spoiled frosting, but he refuses to give up. He pushes forward, until he reaches the temple gate.

Because of his courage and ancient knowledge, he gently removes the cupcake, and the moment he does, the air is filled once more with delicious aromas. The jade stone glows, so the temple can again shine with its magical, mouthwatering scent—whereas before it had smelled like something gone very, very wrong.

Thank you to our guest blogger, Sheridan Hotung, from Genesis Reading for sharing with us this week.

Sheridan is a Certified Academic Language Therapist in private practice. She specializes in teaching frustrated dyslexic & dysgraphic learners to become independent, grade-level readers and writers by igniting curiosity and the joy of learning with creative strategy games rooted in brain science. Sheridan's mission is to help as many parents, teachers & educators access the tools they need right now to get measurable results so their child becomes more independent and SOARS. 

🌟Turn your table into a launchpad for creativity, connection, critical thinking, & meaningful literacy instruction this summer! 🌟

🛍️🛒 SAVE 10% on VOWEL POWA(R)™ at the Homeschool Buyers Club🛍️🛒