10 Preschool Learning Games: Alphabet Fun!
Here are TEN fun preschool learning games for helping kids learn the alphabet! I have been working on these over the last few weeks, and I am finally ready to share them with you! I hope you and your children enjoy them and learn from them!
All of these preschool learning games, except those done with music, were created out of simple alphabet worksheets. The great thing about them, though, is that children do not even need to pick up a pencil to do most of them! With a little creativity, kids can practice preschool learning games in fun and active ways without ever needing to push a pencil across a paper. The alphabet worksheets that I used for this set of preschool learning games came from the HeidiSongs alphabet workbooks pictured above.
The Clothespins Alphabet Learning Game
For this game, all you need to do is print one of the worksheets like the one below onto colored card stock paper and get some clothespins. (The HeidiSongs Alphabet Workbook Vol. 2 has 26 worksheets like the one pictured below inside it; one for each letter.) You may wish to laminate the paper for durability, as well. Children are supposed to put a clothespin on each picture that starts with the same sound as the letter in the middle of the page. You can make this activity self-checking by putting a little sticker or drawing a star on the back of the paper wherever the clothespins would go. Then, when the child is finished, he or she only needs to turn the paper over to see if each of the clothespins is covering up the sticker or star. Fun!
The Sound Sort Alphabet Learning Game
The preparation for this game is almost as easy as the last game: just print out the page like the one pictured below onto colored card stock paper. (The HeidiSongs Alphabet Workbook Vol. 2 has 26 worksheets like the one pictured below inside it; one for each letter.) Then cut out the cards on the bottom part as shown. Again, you may wish to laminate the paper for durability. To play the game, all children need to do is to think about the beginning sound of each card and place it under the letter that goes with it. If you wish to make this center self-checking, then you can draw something or put some stickers on the backs of the cards so that they can match them up on the back, as shown. I added a little library pocket on the back to store the cards in, but there is no need to get that fancy unless you really want to! You could also just use a paper clip if you are working at home and not in a classroom where there are LOTS of little hands. :)
The Wikki Stix Alphabet Game
This game is a lot like the clothespin game above because it uses the same type of worksheets, but instead of using clothespins to mark the pictures, children use wax covered pieces of yarn to mark them. These little waxy pieces of yarn are often sold at Dollar Stores or educational supply stores, and usually go by the name Wikki Stix. Kids LOVE these sticky little threads, because they are fun to mold into shapes and stick to all kinds of surfaces. All that the children have to do is find the pictures that start with the same beginning sound as the letter in the middle of the page, and make a line with the Wikki Stix from the picture to the letter.
Hidden Letters or Words with Jewels
There's something really FUN for kids about finding things that are hidden, especially when they are "hidden" in plain sight! And kids seem to LOVE these little hidden letters and hidden sight words worksheets! This activity is good for children because it helps develop their visual discrimination, or the ability to see and tell the difference between one letter and another. But when children are very small, I prefer to use them with markers or jewels rather than have them try to color in the section that contains that word or letter. Just remember to watch out for small objects that children could choke on, if your children still put things that are not food in their mouths.
Please note that the hidden alphabet worksheets are in the workbooks above, but the Hidden Sight Word Worksheets are sold here.
Hole Punch Alphabet Sound and Letter Writing Game
Eventually, children will need to practice writing those letters. But sometimes writing the on a plain old worksheet just gets, well- old! So here's a way to dress it up a little bit and save some paper at the same time. Take one of those worksheets and copy it onto card stock paper, and then cut it into strips as shown. But be careful not to trim the paper too close to the bottom, or when you punch the hole it will cut right through to the bottom of the paper! Then get a nice, big hole punch. Mine is from Ek Tools and it is 1 inch in diameter. I got it with a coupon from Michael's craft store. Then just punch out the holes where the letters would be written! I do not recommend laminating this project, because you would have to punch the holes after lamination, and I nearly broke my hole punch tool doing this! To make this project self checking, simply flip the paper over and write the letters on the back over the top of the hole.
You will need to provide a strip of paper for children to put under the worksheet strip. Young children will probably need to use clothespins or some type of clip to hold the two pieces together, though! Then, they can just turn the paper over and place it on top of the worksheet strip. If their answers match the ones you wrote, they got it right!
Here is the link to the free sample downloads for the Alphabet Workbook Vol. 1.
Here is the link to the free sample downloads for the Alphabet Workbook Vol. 2.
Alphabet Learning Games with Music
Children usually LOVE to sing and dance to the music, and it makes it extra special when the adults in their life are willing to sing and dance along with them! I think that one thing that makes music such a rich experience is that it creates a bond among those who are listening and singing along. And when people are moving together in the same way as well, the experience is heightened! I often hear about people spending large sums of money to send their preschool aged children to group music lessons, and I think that it is great that they are committed to the importance of music. But I would bet that most children would rather have a 20 or 30 minutes of their own parents undivided attention, as they sing songs and play musical games with them. Here are a few examples of some families doing just that.
Aren't these just the sweetest little videos EVER????? Oh, they make my heart want to MELT each time I watch them!
Here is a clip from my DVD for helping children learn the alphabet, Letters and Sounds!
If you are working on letter recognition with the DVD at home,here are some preschool learning games that you could do with your children while watching:
- Find It: When each song is finished, pause the DVD and have your child find the alphabet flash card that goes with the song that is playing.
- Write It: When each song is finished, pause the DVD and have your child write the alphabet flash card that goes with the song that is playing.
- Jump On It: Write some letters with sidewalk chalk outside. When each song is finished, pause the DVD and have your child find run outside and jump on top of the letter that he just saw on the DVD. Have your child tell you the sound that the letter makes.
- Hunt For It: Hide some alphabet cards around the room. Choose one song to play at random from the DVD. Once it starts, have your child decide what letter the song is about, and then immediately try to run and find that letter card and bring it to you before the song is over! Ask your child to tell you the letter sound.
- Make It: Have your child sing and dance out the letter that he needs to learn and then make it with play dough or with Wikki Stix.
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