No read, no goal.

Kids will do anything to score a goal. Even read.

Stick Tap Words™ is a hockey board game you print at home. It plays like real hockey: get in close, then shoot. Your kid reads a word out loud to skate in, and reads again to shoot. You're the Ref. About 12 minutes at the kitchen table, and no screen.

Ages 5–11About 12 minutesPrint at home
Join the free playtestTry a turn first
A Slap Shot Action Card
Tap the card to flip it
Next: Try a turn

Play a turn. You'll get it in a minute.

You're Home. Draw a card, read a word to skate in, then read one more to shoot. First to 3 goals wins.

Pick the deck where your reader gets about 4 out of 5 words right.

How a turn works (30 seconds)
1Draw a cardTake one from the Action Cards.
2Skate inRead a word right and your puck skates to your circle.
3ShootPlay a shot card and read one more word to score.
FaceoffEvery puck starts at the faceoff dot.
›
Step 1: skate inRead a word. No card needed.
›
Step 2: shootPlay a shot card and read a word. Goal! Then back to faceoff.

Missed a word? No problem. It goes on your Rebound tab for practice after the game, and the card you played goes on Used Cards. Missed a shot? Your chip stays in your circle, so you shoot again next turn. Breakaway shoots from anywhere, and keep an eye out for the gold card. When the Action Cards run out, most goals wins.

Watch one turn played for you, then take over.
The table
Your turn
Card played
Pick a card from your hand
The Ref holds up
Word card
Press Draw a card to start your turn.
The rink
Home 0
Turn 1 of 2
Visitor 0
Visitor's hand:
Visitor shoots Home shoots Faceoff 1 Skate in 2 Shoot GOAL!

Rebound tab: nothing yet

    Your hand Tap a card to see what it does.

    Next: Why it works

    Real hockey. Real board game. Reading is how you score.

    Kids already know how board games go: draw a card, play an Action Card, move your piece, pass the turn. Add the moves of real hockey, skate in and shoot, and it feels like a game, not homework. The catch? Every move starts with a word read out loud.

    26%

    of Ontario Grade 3 students aren’t meeting the provincial reading standard.

    EQAO, 2024–25
    40%

    of US Grade 4 students read below the basic level, the most since 2002.

    Nation’s Report Card, 2024
    1 hour

    more screen time a day before age 8 was linked to a 9–10% lower chance of top reading and math scores later.

    SickKids and EQAO, 2025

    It doesn’t have to be this way. With sound-it-out teaching and early help, only about 1 in 20 kids would fall behind, Ontario’s Right to Read inquiry found. CBC News, 2022

    The rule

    Every move is a word

    No read, no goal. Every skate and every shot starts with a word read out loud. It feels like a game because it is one.

    Your job

    You're the Ref, not the teacher

    No flashcards, no nagging. You hold up the word, check the back and call the goal. The Ref card helps keep games close, even between a big sibling and a little one.

    Misses

    A miss is a rebound

    A missed word isn't a failure. It goes on the Rebound tab, and you read those words together for two minutes after the game.

    The research behind it

    • Sounding out builds memory

      Each time a child sounds out a word, it gets easier to recognize the next time. Every move in this game is one more rep. Source

    • Skills in the right order

      Each deck starts with the simplest sound patterns and builds to harder ones, the order phonics research recommends. Source

    • Practice the misses, never guess

      Missed words get practiced right after the game by sounding them out, which is what Ontario's Right to Read report calls for. Source

    • Choices keep kids playing

      Kids pick which card to play, and real choices help keep them motivated. Every choice still needs a word read. Source

    • A grown-up beside them

      You check every answer and adjust the help to your child, using the Ref card. Source

    These studies didn't test Stick Tap Words itself. Family playtests are happening now.

    How the cards teach sounding out, not guessing
    No picture on the word side
    Kids see only the word, so they sound it out instead of guessing from a picture.
    The back is your coaching card
    The Ref check side shows the picture, the word in sound boxes, the new pattern in red and a plain hint at the bottom, like “ck says /k/”. You don’t need to be a teacher: the hint tells you what to say.
    On a miss: point, don’t tell
    Say “Look at the sounds,” tap under each box and read the hint out loud. Then let them blend it. Working it out is the practice.
    Rebound practice closes the loop
    Missed words go on the Rebound tab. After the game, you sound them out together for 2 minutes using the boxes on the back, then your kid reads each one again.
    More than one lesson per card
    Each card works on its main pattern and reviews earlier ones: blends, plural s, heart words, syllables and word endings. Sentence cards mix them, the way real books do.
    Sorts easily
    Each deck has its own stripe and shape, so cards sort easily, even printed in black and white.

    Reading the check side

    puck Each box is one sound, or letters you say together (like x, ck, nk). Red is the new pattern.
    skate A red curve joins a vowel to its silent e.
    the♥ A heart marks the part to learn by heart.
    um·brel·la Dots split syllables.
    paint+ed Plus joins word parts.
    Pond
    House League
    Rep
    Pro

    Tap a card to flip it to the Ref check side.

    How the decks line up with school, in Canada and the US

    Canada has no national curriculum; each province sets its own. We matched the decks to Ontario’s Language Foundations Continuum, Kindergarten to Grade 4 (2026), which goes with Ontario’s Language curriculum and Kindergarten Program. In the US, we used the Common Core reading standards for foundational skills: K, Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3. Some states use their own standards.

    We also checked every word against a published phonics teaching order, UFLI Foundations, so each sound is taught in an earlier deck before a later deck uses it. No word on the cards is spelled differently in Canada and the US.

    DeckWhat it teachesOntarioUS Common Core
    PondShort vowels, first heart words, short phrasesKindergartenKindergarten
    House Leaguesh ch th ck, ng nk, blends, plural s, first sentencesK to Grade 1Grade 1
    RepSilent e, vowel teams, ar or ir er ur, oi oy ou ow, kn wr mbGrade 1Grades 1 to 2
    ProCompound words, syllables, un- re-, -ed -ing -er -est -ly -ful -lessGrades 1 to 2Grades 1 to 3

    Pick the deck by how your child reads, not by grade. Stick Tap Words isn’t reviewed or endorsed by any ministry, school board or standards group.

    Next: The decks

    Four decks. Pick by reading, not by age.

    Start with the deck where your child gets most words right. You can switch anytime.

    Pond

    First words with one short vowel sound, plus a few heart words kids learn by sight.

    short ashort eshort ishort oshort uheart wordsphrases

    Sample words: cat, net, pig, fox, bug, the, my, hit the net

    Pond word card: hatPond Ref check side for hat, with sound boxes
    A gold Golden Puck card with a question mark

    One gold card hides in every deck

    It’s called the Golden Puck. What happens when your kid reads it? You’ll find out in the full game.

    Moving up a level and adding your own words

    Move up or down anytime. Lots of misses? Drop down a deck. Breezing through? Move up. Go by how your child reads, not by who wins.

    Use this week's words from school. Every deck comes with blank cards you can write on.

    Next: What you print

    Print tonight. Play after supper.

    It's all paper. No app, no tablet, no account. You'll need a printer, scissors, a die, and bingo chips or coins.

    1. The printed rink

      Print

      Regular letter paper, low ink: the rink, the benches, the Action Cards and the word decks.

    2. A Wrist Shot cardThe back of an Action Card

      Cut

      Nine cards to a page. Cut the bench sheet into a Home strip and a Visitor strip.

    3. The bench strips with goal tracks

      Play

      You're the Ref and hold the word cards. Bingo chips or coins are the pucks and goal markers.

    Everything in the kit

    The Action Cards

    Swipe to see the cards. Some stay locked until the full game.

    Bonus printables

    Extras included with the kit.

    Next: Join the playtest

    Bring the game home, free

    Stick Tap Words is a working prototype, and families are playing it now. I'm looking for more homes, and a few classrooms, to help shape it.

    • You get the print-at-home game, free.
    • I'd ask for your honest notes: what your kid loved and where they got stuck.
    • Teachers: send your class word list and I'll put your words on the cards.

    Why I made this

    I spent nearly 10 years in post-secondary education. Then I watched my own son struggle with the usual ways kids are taught to read. He loves sports and board games, so I put the two together.

    Sven, a dad and the founder of Home Team Smarts

    Questions? Email sticktap@hometeamsmarts.com

    Ready for more?Run It Home Words™, the baseball reading game

    Questions parents ask

    What does it cost?

    Nothing during the playtest. You print it at home on regular paper.

    What do I need?

    A printer, letter paper (cardstock makes sturdier cards), scissors, a die, and bingo chips or coins. No die? The kit includes one you can fold up.

    What age is it for?

    Kids 5 to 11. Pick the deck by how your child reads, not their age. The four levels go from first three-letter words to big words with prefixes.

    My kid struggles with reading. Will this frustrate them?

    It was made for kids like yours. Every miss is a rebound, not a fail: the word goes on the Rebound tab, and you practice it together for two minutes after the game. Start with an easier deck so the wins come early. And if your child is having a tough game, the Ref card shows you how to give an extra try without making a big deal of it.

    Can siblings at different levels play together?

    Yes, and it stays fair. Each child reads from their own deck, at their own level. The Ref card also has a simple help track: whoever lost last game gets a little extra help next game, so nobody gets blown out.

    Do I have to play too?

    You're the Ref. You hold up each word, check the answer on the back and keep score. Want to play instead? The Ref card shows how to play against your child and keep it close.

    Is there a screen or an app?

    No. It's a paper board game for the kitchen table. That's the point.

    How long does a game take?

    About 12 minutes. Short enough for a school night, and kids read on every single turn.

    Will it fit with what my child's school is doing?

    Yes. The decks follow a typical phonics order, from short vowel sounds to big words, and the blank cards let you add your class's words. The kit also includes a note you can send to your child's teacher.

    Join the free playtest