One key predictor of future reading and writing outcomes is alphabet knowledge, according to the National Institute for Literacy. Learning games offer a motivating way for parents and other caregivers to teach or reinforce alphabet knowledge. While having fun, you are building skills that will serve children throughout their educational careers.
Flashlight Fun
Create large letters, one each on pieces of 8½" by 11" paper. Attach the letters to the ceiling in random order. Shine a flashlight on a letter and ask children to identify it. Repeat this with all of the letters one time. Review any difficult letters if necessary. Then you can begin calling out letters and giving each child a turn to point to a letter or two with the flashlight.
Connect the Dots
Make your own simple line drawing using a series of 26 dots. Label the dots from A to Z in the order that they need to be connected to reveal the picture. Give each child a copy of the uncompleted dot-to-dot picture. Ask them to connect the dots in alphabetical order to find out what the picture is. Encourage them to color the line drawing after they have connected the dots.
Go Fish
Reinforce initial sounds with a simple card game. Create a set of playing cards: make 26 cards for the 26 letters of the alphabet and 26 cards each with an animal or object that starts with a different letter. Card pairs, then, are made of a letter and the word beginning with that letter. For example the "Z" and a zebra picture would make a pair. Explain to children how pairs are formed, shuffle the cards and then pass out five cards, face down, to each child. Set the remaining cards in the center for the fishing pond. The first player begins by asking one player of his choice for a card needed to create a pair. He may ask a question like, "Do you have the letter C?" or "Do you have a picture that starts with the letter D?" If the player has the appropriate card, she has to give it up. If she does not, she says, "Go fish," and the one who asked will then draw a card from the fishing pond. Players continue taking turns asking questions, and drawing cards as needed, until all the pairs are complete. The player with the most pairs wins.
Scavenger Hunt
Play this game in the car, at home or in a classroom, either as a group or individually. The goal is to locate items that start with each letter of the alphabet in turn. For example, when driving past an apartment, you can get an "A," when passing a barn or billboard, a "B," a "C" for car, and so on. If children work individually, it can become a competition to see who gets through the alphabet first. If working together, it's more of a team building activity.
