The Fidget Game and the Reading Journey: Supporting Comprehension & Combating the Summer Slide

Brandi’s mission is rooted in her experience as a dedicated educator who has witnessed literacy struggles firsthand in classrooms worldwide. Motivated by this challenge, she developed The Fidget Game to make reading instruction research-based, multisensory, and most importantly, fun. Her goal? To rescue children from frustration and replace it with joyful, effective learning.

From Classroom Teacher to Innovator: Brandi taught Pre-K through Grade 6 in diverse settings, including classrooms across Canada and Thailand. It was in a Grade 3 class struggling with reading that she first recognized the urgent need for change.

Research-Driven Creation: She immersed herself in evidence-based literacy practices, crafting The Fidget Game to embed phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension into engaging gameplay.

Proof in Results: Within six months, 95% of players reached or exceeded grade-level reading—a testament to its impact.

Expanding Reach: What began as a personal solution has grown into a licensable curriculum, supported by a team of 100+ educators. Brandi is now launching ESL versions and adapting the program for global learners, including those with learning differences.

Her mission was simple yet powerful: make reading fun and accessible. Today, The Fidget Game is used in classrooms, therapy sessions, homeschool routines, and living rooms across Canada. What started as a solution for one child has become a trusted tool for educators and families everywhere. Brandi’s infectious passion and unwavering commitment have turned literacy from a chore into a celebration—one where every child can discover joy in reading. With a blend of research, play, and heart, The Fidget Game is doing more than teaching, it’s empowering.

What Is the Reading Journey?

The team behind The Fidget Game has mapped out the Science of Reading  journey in five key stages, helping parents understand where their child is—and how to support them. Here's the breakdown of skills your child will build through each set:

1. Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

Recognizing and manipulating sounds. Think rhymes, syllables, and first sounds—crucial for beginner readers.

2. Phonics

Learning the relationship between letters and sounds to decode words.

3. Fluency

Practising speed, accuracy, and expression while reading. Fluency builds confidence!

4. Vocabulary

Building word knowledge, language flexibility, and meaning-making.

5. Comprehension

Understanding stories, following ideas, predicting outcomes, and reflecting on what’s read.

The Fidget Game aligns each of its games to one of these stages, making it easy for parents to target exactly what their child needs, whether that’s decoding simple CVC words or boosting vocabulary for deeper story understanding. For parents worried about regression, these games offer more than just academic support, they help children feel successful and capable. Every time a child wins a round, spells a new word, or reads a sentence aloud, they’re building not just reading skills but confidence, resilience, and a love for learning.

And that’s the real win.

How The Fidget Game Makes Learning Fun

Each Fidget Game set uses hands-on fidget play, colourful visuals, and quick-paced repetition to build literacy skills in a sensory-friendly way. They’re perfect for:

• Early learners just starting to recognize sounds
  
• Children who need extra support at home
  
• Kids who thrive with movement, visuals, and non-traditional learning
  
• Parents looking for screen-free, travel-friendly learning tools
  

Most importantly, they’re designed to feel like a game—so your child won’t even realise they’re learning.

Pre Kindergarten Reading Journey

Kindergarten Reading Journey 

Grade One Reading Journey

Grade Two Reading Journey

Why Comprehension Matters

While decoding and fluency get a lot of attention, comprehension is where true reading happens. Understanding meaning, making connections, and engaging with ideas, these are skills that grow with conversation, vocabulary, and play.

Games that ask children to listen, match, build sentences, and explain help build comprehension naturally. The Fidget Game’s Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary sets are ideal tools to support this deeper level of reading development.

Ms. Brandi's Popplers

Say goodbye to the dreaded summer slide with an educational fidget toy that’s as fun as it is effective. Popplers The Fidget Game for Toddlers is a literacy-boosting, sensory-rich learning tool designed for children 18+ months.

Whether you’re at home, on the go, or setting up a literacy-rich learning corner, Popplers offers a developmentally appropriate way to practise early words, sound recognition, matching, and communication, all while popping, laughing, and learning.

With a cheerful food and farm animal theme, Popplers invites children to match sounds, name objects, and follow directions, all while engaging in fine motor play. It’s the perfect tool to encourage vocabulary growth, early listening skills, and attention span development in a playful way.

How Popplers Help Prevent the Summer Slide:

• Reinforces core literacy concepts like word recognition and verbal response

• Promotes daily practice in a screen-free, fidget-friendly format

• Encourages confident communication through repetition and fun

Expected Results in Just 30 Days:
- Improved Vocabulary and Verbal Communication
- Increased Focus and Longer Attention Span
- Enhanced Fine Motor and Coordination Skills
- Boosted Confidence and Early Independence

ABC Bingo!

Summer is a time for sunshine and play but it can also be a season of learning loss, especially in early literacy. That’s where ABC Bingo by The Fidget Game steps in a joyful, educational game that transforms traditional letter learning into a hands-on, giggle-filled adventure.

Designed for children ages 4 and up, ABC Bingo is more than just matching letters, it's a carefully crafted literacy tool that promotes phonemic awareness, letter-sound recognition, and early word-building through play. Rooted in early childhood development principles, this engaging game supports the development of crucial pre-reading skills in a way that feels like fun, not schoolwork.

With bright visuals, simple instructions, and multiple ways to play, ABC Bingo is ideal for classroom centres, summer camps, home learning, or even road trip fun. Whether played independently, in pairs, or with small groups, this game helps build confidence, focus, and a love of language, all while preventing the dreaded summer slide.

Play-Based Learning Benefits:

• Encourages phonics exploration through playful interaction

• Strengthens memory, attention span, and auditory processing

• Builds vocabulary and sound-symbol relationships

• Offers multiple entry points for different developmental levels

• Fosters social interaction and cooperative play

Ideal For:

• Kindergarten and pre-K learners

• Children working on early literacy milestones

• Summer learning programs or tutoring sessions

• Speech-language enrichment

• Family game nights with an educational twist

Why Educators and Parents Love ABC Bingo:
-No prep, no stress—just open the box and start playing
- Repetition builds retention without feeling repetitive
- Supports Canadian early learning frameworks
- Works for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners
- Reinforces classroom learning in a playful summer-friendly format

The Fidget Game: Sight Words

This game keeps kids playing to learn a key strategy for preventing learning loss. When children are engaged with their hands, eyes, and ears, retention soars. The repetition of sight word exposure through play builds fluency naturally, making The Fidget Game a perfect literacy tool for summer learning at home or in early years classrooms.

This innovative educational game combines the satisfying pop of a fidget toy with a carefully curated set of 220 Dolch sight words across five progressive levels. It’s perfect for learners aged 4 and up who are working on early reading fluency, word recognition, and language confidence.

By blending sensory play with targeted literacy instruction, The Fidget Game supports play-based learning rooted in early childhood development principles. Kids stay motivated through tactile feedback and visual cues while building foundational reading skills in a low-pressure, high-fun format.

Whether used at home, in summer camps, during tutoring sessions, or as part of a learning centre in the classroom, this game is a powerful ally in promoting language development, independent reading, and confidence. 

Learning Benefits After 30 Days:

• Improved sight word recognition and reading fluency

• Increased attention span and focus

• Enhanced fine motor coordination

• Boosted reading confidence and motivation

• Reinforced memory and visual-auditory processing

Play-Based Usage Ideas:

• Pop the word after reading it aloud—great for kinesthetic learners

• Race to pop a row after identifying all the words correctly

• Use as a warm-up before reading or spelling activities

• Pair with flashcards for a multi-sensory literacy station

• Play “I spy a word” for interactive word hunts

SquishyLand

Say goodbye to learning loss and hello to Squishyland, a dynamic, play-based literacy game that keeps kids engaged, learning, and giggling all summer long. Created by The Fidget Game team, Squishyland isn’t just a sensory toy, it’s a complete early literacy adventure that supports reading fluency, vocabulary, and attention span through irresistible squishy fun.

Perfect for summer learning at home, in tutoring sessions, or for classroom literacy centres, Squishyland helps bridge the summer gap in a way that feels like play, not homework. Children boost their decoding, comprehension, and matching skills as they squish, pop, and giggle their way through phonics-based challenges all while building confidence and independence.

Whether your little learner is just starting to explore sounds or needs extra support with early reading, this game meets them where they are through joyful, hands-on learning. Plus, it’s screen-free, teacher-created, and proven to help.

Key Benefits:

• Promotes early reading in a tactile, engaging way

• Helps prevent the summer slide in vocabulary and phonics

•  Encourages focus, hand-eye coordination, and language processing

• Created by a Canadian teacher and literacy advocate

• Supports solo or cooperative play

Specifications:

• Skills covered: Letter recognition, phonemic awareness, early decoding, sight word familiarity

• Game style: Tactile literacy game with pop-and-match play

• Designed to align with early literacy outcomes

Sneaky Elves

Looking for a fun, effective way to boost your child's literacy skills this summer? The Fidget Game: Sneaky Elves is a play-based learning game that blends the magic of early reading with sensory play—designed especially for preschoolers and early primary learners. As kids pop, play, and race to collect sight words, they’re building fluency, confidence, and phonics skills without even realizing they’re learning!

Ideal for children aged 3 to 7, Sneaky Elves is perfect for families seeking meaningful screen-free activities that strengthen literacy foundations. Each game session reinforces letter sound blending, CVC word mastery, and fluency-building skills in just 15 minutes of joyful play.

The elves may be sneaky, but the learning outcomes are anything but hidden.

Benefits of Sneaky Elves:

• Master 30 CVC sight words through play

• Builds phonemic awareness and decoding skills

• Supports summer learning routines and reading readiness

• Sensory fidget play keeps hands engaged while brains learn

• Encourages confidence, memory, and fast word recognition

• Easy setup makes it accessible for home, classroom, or travel

Tricky Trolls

Keep little learners engaged all summer long with The Fidget Game: Tricky Trolls a playful, multisensory reading game designed for children in Kindergarten to Grade 1. Blending hands-on fidget fun with curriculum-aligned phonics strategies, this game strengthens literacy through joyful, screen-free play.

With each pop and card flip, children practise letter sound blending, master CVCC and CCVC word patterns, and expand their early word recognition. As they chase down mischievous trolls in a race to complete words, kids build the foundations for fluent reading and have a blast doing it!

Whether you're a parent supporting summer learning at home or an educator planning literacy centres, Tricky Trolls makes phonics practice fun, active, and developmentally meaningful.

Benefits of Tricky Trolls:

•  Supports phonics and spelling through hands-on sensory play

•  Encourages fluency and decoding of more complex words

•  Reinforces curriculum-based learning during summer break

•  Keeps children engaged, focused, and confident in their reading journey