Differentiated Learning Games

I often struggle trying to find educational games that Maddie and Angie can play together.  After all, Angie is reading at a second grade level and Maddie is just sounding out CVC words.  Angie is doing sums up to 18 and Maddie is identifying numerals and counting.  How can you incorporate two such different levels into one game?

Our first game was Math Race.  Each child stood at the designated starting line.  I stood at the finish line with two decks of flashcards in my hands -- one for Angie with sums and one for Maddie with numerals and objects to count.  I would call a child's name and show her the flashcard from her pile.  If she answered correctly, she advanced one step.  If not, she retreated one step.  In this way, each child was answering questions related to their own abilities, but each had a fighting chance to win!

We did the same thing with words on the stairs.  On a small whiteboard, I would write a word for Angie to read.  If she did it correctly, she moved up one step.  If not, she moved down one step.  For words that I deemed "tricky" or "advanced" a bonus step was awarded for correct answers and incorrect answers received no penalty.  Then I wrote a word for Maddie and did the same thing.  The one who reached the top first was the winner.  Again, each child was working on things specific to her skill set, but the chances of winning were equal.

This can be extended to any game that uses a deck of cards to control play.  If each child has a deck specific to his/her abilities and skills, then the children can play together when the normally wouldn't be able to!