Lily Pond
Lily Pond
2-4 players • 15 min • 4 & up
Focus: Spelling
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Players take turns hopping their frog around the pond on the gameboard landing on or jumping through the lily pad letters needed for their word cards. The first player to complete all 3 of their cards and hop back to the center wins.
Skills: Foundational Reading Skills, Spelling
Game Includes
Game Includes
- 1 Gameboard
- 60 Cards
- 4 Frog Pawns
- 4 Letter Trackers
- 1 Die
- 1 Rules Booklet
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How to Play
Educational Standards
Core Standard*: Language
- Language
- Vocabulary Acquisition and Use Grade Level 1st
Skills
Explore
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to look around the board to find paths for moving their frog to desired letters.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
If you notice children have difficulty visually finding a path, encourage them to use their finger to touch lily pads on the game board as they count out the number on the dice. This can help them identify a path that gets them close or on to the letter they are looking for.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
Lily Pond is a good game for learning sequencing as children look for different paths to land on one or more letters they need.
If you notice children have difficulty visually finding a path, encourage them to use their finger to touch lily pads on the game board as they count out the number on the dice. This can help them identify a path that gets them close or on to the letter they are looking for.
Determine
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to determine which letters to seek, and a path that will allow them to successfully move their frog to the letters.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
If needed, remind children to look first prior to moving their frog. This will help with developing a plan for moving to the letters they need. Additionally, this can help children manage impulsivity which is an important life skill.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
While playing Lily Pond, children analyze and prioritize in order to decide the best path to move their frog.
If needed, remind children to look first prior to moving their frog. This will help with developing a plan for moving to the letters they need. Additionally, this can help children manage impulsivity which is an important life skill.
Compare
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to compare the letters on board with letters on their game cards. They also compare possible routes to get to desired letter(s) to determine which is best.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
If needed, remind children to look first prior to moving their frog. This will help with developing a plan for moving to the letters they need. Additionally, this can help children manage impulsivity which is an important life skill.
Because all players can score on every turn, you may need to remind all players to pay close attention to where other player's move their frog.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
While playing Lily Pond, children analyze and prioritize in order to decide the best path to move their frog.
If needed, remind children to look first prior to moving their frog. This will help with developing a plan for moving to the letters they need. Additionally, this can help children manage impulsivity which is an important life skill.
Plan
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to plan a route to collect or get near a letter they need. As they become more skilled, players will try to collect more than one letter on their turn.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
If needed, remind children to look first prior to moving their frog. This will help with developing a plan for moving to the letters they need. Additionally, this can help children manage impulsivity which is an important life skill.
Because all players can score on every turn, you may need to remind all players to pay close attention to where other player's move their frog.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
While playing Lily Pond, children analyze and prioritize in order to decide the best path to move their frog.
If children become very skilled at the game, they may also start to look at the cards of other players in order to avoid letters those players are looking for.
If needed, remind children to look first prior to moving their frog. This will help with developing a plan for moving to the letters they need. Additionally, this can help children manage impulsivity which is an important life skill.
Practice
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Lily Pond is a good game for practicing saying letters and words, as well as spelling and sounding out words.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
If needed, help children sound out the letters by making the sounds of the letters, or offering rhyming words.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
Lily Pond enables children to learn sound/letter associations and site words.
If needed, help children sound out the letters by making the sounds of the letters, offering rhyming words, or remind them of the phonics rule while giving examples like letter A makes the short /a/ like in hat and bat.
Solve
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to decide what to do if another player's frog is blocking letters they want.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
If children cannot land on the exact letter they want, ask them to think about where would be a good place to end their turn so they will more likely land on or move across a letter they need. For example, getting to the rock area in the middle of the gameboard provides for many options on the next turn.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
If children cannot land on the exact letter they want, ask them to think about where would be a good place to end their turn so they will more likely land on or move across a letter they need. For example, getting to the rock area in the middle of the gameboard provides for many options on the next turn.
Review
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players review their turn by saying the letters they passed over, and reciting words that they complete.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
While no special assistance may be needed, help children who are having difficulty sound out the letters by making the sounds of the letters, or offering rhyming words.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
While no special assistance may be needed, help children who are having difficulty sound out the letters by making the sounds of the letters, or offering rhyming words.
*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards
Special Needs
Cognitive
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Play in partners, taking turns to get the same word. This allows the adult to model and support the child on each letter.
Allow the child to count each space even if occupied, to encourage counting with one-to-one correspondence. Skipping a space may lead to confusion in counting.
Play the game as a whole team, using the cards with the same number of letters as the number of players in the game (e.g., three players use three-letter words). This is a cooperative approach with each player trying to reach the next letter. This allows the game to move quickly, and each player is modeling and talking about their plan.
Communication
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
If a child is nonverbal, don't require communication. Rather, use gestures to eliminate requirement to speak. Use finger spelling (sign language) for letters and spelling words. This is beneficial to the other players as well, as they learn the signs for letters.
Encourage kids who can write their letters to do so after they place their frog. Encourage them to make the sound of the letters as well.
If children are nonverbal, they still can play the game. Even if they cannot say the letters, they can demonstrate skills in matching letters.
Sensorimotor
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Frogs in the game are large, so they are easy to grasp.
Children with fine motor problems may have difficulty moving the frogs along the lines accurately. If this is the case, have them point to where their frog should go after the dice throw and let another player move the frog.
Social Emotional/Behavioral
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
As long as the child has basic letter recognition skills, this game should not be too challenging for children with low frustration tolerance.
If the child demonstrates impulsivity, they may not want to move through several turns to get to the next letter. Other players can use reinforcement and verbal encouragement to increase patience, like "You only need to throw a two to get to your next letter."
Vision
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Use a marker to color in the letters on the cards, if needed, to increase contrast.
Use a magnifying glass for children with low vision, if needed.
Hearing
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Use sign for letter and words, if needed.
*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards
Autism
Autism Strengths & Interests
Short Summary of Strengths & Interests
- Alphabet Knowledge
- Spelling
- Site Word Vocabulary
Is good at matching visual items
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Players match the letters on the word cards in front of them with the letters on the board. Children who like letters and counting will like Lily Pond.
Has a good memory for sensory details, including visual, touch, taste and smell
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Players need to remember the letters they need to find in sequence. They watch other players, as well, in order to identify the next letter they need in case another player lands on it.
Has a good memory for words, phrases and dialouge
Is This Game Appropriate? No
Description
The game only requires matching letters, but it will be helpful if children recognize or can read some words.
Has a good memory for pictures, numbers and patterns
Is This Game Appropriate? No
Description
Children need to analyze different paths and count which path is shorter or longer to reach their desired letters.
Likes to put things in order or a sequence
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
A key aspect of Lily Pond is finding letters in the correct sequence to form a desired word. Children who like order and rules, such as with reading, may like Lily Pond
Learns through visualizing or "replaying" actions in their mind
Is This Game Appropriate? No
Description
Lily Pond does not require visualizing or remembering, as players can match the letters on their cards to the letters on the board.
Likes activities with rules, such as math and phonics
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
This is an early reading game. Learning letters, sound-letter relationships, and how letters are combined to make words is the foundation of reading.
Is very concrete and literal
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Although reading is an abstract process, Lily Pond is very concrete. Children manipulate frogs to move to letters and slide a letter tracker along the letters on their cards.
Learns in small "chunks" (for example, phone numbers are 3 chunks of number xxx-xxx-xxxx that are combined together)
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Words are presented in 3, 4, and 5-letter sequences. With practice children will begin to recognize and remember these "chunks" of specific letters as representing actual words.
Is good at nonverbal reasoning and logic
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Players need to use nonverbal reasoning to determine the best path to take to land on one or more of the letters they need for their word cards. By analyzing various paths, players may find opportunities to land on more than one letter in the right sequence in just one turn.
Likes spatial problem solving
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Players use spatial problem solving to determine the shortest path to a letter. They also need to analyze various paths in order to find opportunities to land on more than one letter in the right sequence in just one turn.
Can read well with good vocabulary, though may not fully comprehend content
Is This Game Appropriate? No
Description
Reading is not necessary to play Lily Pond.
Likes to use and has good fine motor skill
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Fine motor skills are needed to manipulate the frogs around the board.
Likes established routines or set ways of doing things
Is This Game Appropriate? No
Description
Although the game has a set pattern of play, the paths chosen will vary with each different word card. Flexibility in play is needed.
Likes manipulating, constructing or building things
This game is not appropriate
Likes to use and has good musical abilities
This game is not appropriate
Likes to use and has good drawing skills
This game is not appropriate
Autism Special Considerations
Appears to ignore other's communication and/or has difficulty giving eye contact to a communication partner
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Lily Pond requires players to look at their cards, the die, and the board. They can play successfully without giving eye contact to other players.
Has difficulty understanding complex verbal directions
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Lily Pond has fairly simple directions. Players have a word to spell out and have to identify the letters on the board in sequence.
With prompting a player can be guided through the sequence of spinning, moving, then sliding the letter tracker along the letters in the word card after a letter is landed on. If needed, each step can be prompted.
Paying attention to the letters other players land on, in order to claim a letter for themselves, may be challenging for children with autism.
Uses vocabulary inaccurately or demonstrates echolalia (repeating another's speech)
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Players may be distracted by echolalia or confusing speech. If the child responds to redirection prompts, Lily Pond may be a successful game.
Gets stuck repeating a verbal topic or physical actions and/or has difficulty attending to others' actions or topic.
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Players need to attend to the moves of all of the players in order to see what letters they can claim as others move around the board. This aspect will be challenging for some children with autism.
Has difficulty producing speech/communication
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Nonverbal players may be able to play by following all the directions and omitting labeling the letters and spelling the words. Other players can assist with this aspect of the game.
Has difficulty sequencing multi-step actions and/or doing complex abstract tasks
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
If the child can recognize and match letters and follow step-by-step directions, they can be guided through the sequence in the game. Many children with autism are interested in letters and reading and may just need support to analyze their varying options. The child has to be able to analyze different paths and choose the shortest way that will lead to a needed letter. Other players can assist the child by prompting them to look and point out the different paths instead of just following the first one they see.
Demonstrates difficulty initiating and maintaining social interactions
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
As long as players can follow all of the plays during the game, social interaction or discussion is not needed. Social interaction, however, may help the child to analyze and pick the best paths.
Acts out or demonstrates avoidance behaviors when frustrated, overwhelmed, or needs more sensory input.
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Lily Pond may not be appropriate if the child has no interest in letters or reading. Avoidance behaviors are often seen when a task is to difficult or uninteresting.
Has short attention span for non-preferred activities
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Lily Pond may not be appropriate if the child has no interest in letters or reading. Emphasize finding the paths for the frogs and "slip in" the letters as part of the game.
Needs sameness or consistent routines and/or has difficulty with transitions from one activity to another
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Children who like frogs or letters can be enticed to the game by using the frog pawns or the letter cards to help the child transition. The game uses paths that lead to letters and the paths chosen will be different depending on the words in front of the child. This variability in play may be difficult for some children, but is a good way to increase their flexibility. Support the child by using your finger to track different options and then let the child choose the path they want (even if it is longer).
Has difficulty understanding others' feelings, intentions, and the reasons for others' actions.
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Players do not have to understand other people's feelings or intentions. However, observation of others player's moves is important for recognizing when another player lands on the letters you need so you can claim them.
*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards
Extended Play
Extra Ways to Play the Game
Make the game a little more difficult by having players sound out the letters and combine the sounds into the word.
Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.
Developmental Benefits
This modification encourages children to use phonemic skills that are essential for reading.
*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards
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How to Play Video & Transcript
You can play Lily Pond with 2-4 players, ages 4 and up!
Lily Pond is good for developing Foundational Reading Skills as players learn to recognize the alphabet while moving their pawns around the gameboard and finding the letters on their cards.
Lily Pond also helps with Spelling as players identify letters in the order they appear on their cards to spell a word.
• Place the gameboard in the center of the play area within reach of all players.
• Each player selects a frog and places it on the rocks in the center of the pond, then takes a letter tracker that matches the color of their frog.
• Separate the cards by color and shuffle each set separately. There are three decks: green with three-letter words, light blue with four-letter words and dark blue with five-letter words.
• Deal a card from each deck to each of the players for a total of three cards. Players choose what order they want to play the cards in and place them on the table for all to see. Then place the letter tracker on the first letter of the first card to show what letter they need to find. Place the remaining cards back in the box.
Players take turns hopping their frog around the pond on the gameboard so that they land on or jump through the lily pad letters they need for their words. The first player to hop on or through their letters in the correct order and then hop back to the center rocks wins the game.
Basic Movement
On your turn, roll the die and hop your frog that number of spaces toward the letter selected by your tracker.
You may move your frog to any lily pad connected by lines. Use every move in your roll. You cannot stop early.
After you’ve completed your move, review and say the letters you passed.
You are not allowed to land on or pass over the same lily pad letter more than once during your turn. If the same letter appears more than once on the same card (like in “APPLE”), you only get to record it once during a turn.
Jumping Over Frogs
If a lily pad is occupied by another frog, you cannot land there, but you can jump over it. When jumping over another frog, the occupied space is not counted as part of your roll, and the letter the other frog is sitting on cannot be collected.
The Center Rocks
When moving your frog, you may land on or move across the rocks space in the center of the gameboard. The rocks count as a single space and must be counted during your move.
Unlike lily pads, the rocks can be shared by other frogs.
Spelling Words
To spell your words, hop on or through the letter currently marked by your tracker. After you’ve reached that letter, move your tracker to the next letter in the word. If you can hop on more than one letter from your word (in the correct order), move the tracker forward for each letter.
Watch other players closely! When another player hops on the letter marked by your tracker, you can move your tracker forward to the next letter.
When you have completed a word card, even if you are not the active player, say the name of each letter in the order they appear on the card and then say the word that you just spelled. Now turn the card over and move your tracker to the first letter of your next card.
The first player to hop through all the letters on their word cards and move their frog back to the rocks in the center of the gameboard wins the game.
To simplify the game for beginners, you can play using only the three-letter words.
You can also scale up the difficulty as players learn, eventually using only the five-letter words.
Develop and expand foundational reading and spelling skills with Lily Pond! Hop to it!
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