Spot My Mistake

Children often enjoy catching an adult making a mistake. This simple English game gives them permission to do exactly that.

In Spot My Mistake, you deliberately change a word while reading aloud. Your child follows the written sentence and stops you when something doesn’t match. It takes about five minutes, and you can play using the downloadable sentences or a familiar book.

How to play

Choose a sentence that your child can comfortably read. Let them see it while you read aloud.

For example, the page says:

The dog ran to the gate.

But you read:

The cat ran to the gate.

Your child’s job is to say “Stop!” and point to the word you changed. Ask them to read the sentence correctly before you move on.

Start with obvious changes, such as swapping dog for cat or red for blue. Once your child understands the game, try smaller details. Change three apples to two apples, for example, or after school to before school.

Read some sentences correctly, too. Your child needs to check what they hear against the page before deciding whether you made a mistake.

Give them time to check

If your child misses a change, read the sentence again more slowly. You can ask, “Did I say the word that’s on the page?”

Keep the mood light. There’s no need to race through the sentences or keep a score. The useful part is the checking and the conversation that follows.

When they catch you, be specific about what they noticed: “You heard me say ‘two’, but the sentence says ‘three’.”

What they practise

The game asks your child to follow the words on the page while listening to someone read. They practise noticing details and rereading to check their answer.

Explaining the mistake matters, too. Rather than simply shouting “Wrong!”, encourage them to tell you which word changed and what it should be.

Let your child take a turn

After a few sentences, swap roles. Your child reads aloud and deliberately changes one word while you follow the page.

They may enjoy choosing a change that they think will fool you. To do that, they have to look closely at the original sentence themselves.

You can also play a listening-only round with silly sentences. Say, “I put my shoes on my hands,” and ask your child to explain what sounds odd and suggest a sensible correction.

Download the game

The free Spot My Mistake parent’s guide includes instructions, 10 sentences for your child and a separate page showing you what to read aloud. Print it out and try a few sentences together.

For more help with your child’s English, visit Lia’s English Studio at www.liasenglishstudio.co.za.