A for apple to Z for zebra. Get your preschool and kindergarten students ready to read with these fun letter activities! Set up your literacy centers to include cool picture cards, bingo markers, and lots of construction paper. These activities are sure to quickly become beloved classroom games that’ll get little ones excited about all the awesome letters of the alphabet. With a bit of review, your kids will be reading in no time!
1. Alphabet ID Mats
These printable letter mats are a great start to letter sounds and recognition. Say a letter sound and have kids place a counter on each circle that depicts that letter. Use their favorite candies for a tasty, post-lesson snack!
Learn More: Crystal McGinnis Kindergarten Creations
2. Beginning Sound Match Game
Grab your magnetic letters and get ready to match those sounds! For each picture, match the magnet of the initial letter sound. Try to match end letter sounds to talk about how some letters are silent in words.
Learn More: The Kindergarten Connection
3. Phonetic Slides & Ladders
Race through the alphabet to the finish line! To stay on their square, students have to say the correct initial sound of each item pictured. After they’ve said the sound, see if they can write the correct letter.
Learn More: The Measured Mom
4. Letter Sound Wheels
Work on beginning sounds with these adorable letter sound wheels. All you need are the templates and a few clothespins. Go around the wheel and have your learners slowly pronounce each item. Then, have your kids pin the pictures that start with the letter sound in the middle.
Learn More: Playdough to Plato
5. Ice Cream Letter Sounds
Stack your letter sound ice cream cones high! Go through all of the pictures for each letter before building. Be sure to emphasize the sound of each initial letter.
Learn More: Little Dots
6. Build a Flower
Decorate your classroom with colorful letter flowers! Design a flower center with the same letter that starts with each of your student’s names. They can then practice building flowers with matching initial letter sounds.
7. Memory Games
This printable game is a fun idea for busy bags or quiet play time! Flip the cards over until you find a matching picture and starting letter. Print two sets of cards to match letters with other letters.
Learn More: Frugal Fun 4 Boys
8. Letter Sound Kaboom Game
Raise the stakes of letter recognition with this fun game! Kids will pull a stick out of a cup, identify the letter by name, and then also tell you what sound it makes. Watch out for the Kabooms! If learners draw one, they must return all their sticks to the cup.
Learn More: The Brilliant Homeschool
9. Letter Sound Swat
Reach for those letters! Write letters on post-it notes and stick them all over a wall. Hand your kids a fly swatter and call out the letter sounds. They’ll jump up and down swatting letters all day long!
Learn More: Forward with Fun
10. Letter Sound Smash
This low-prep letter sound activity is for the littlest of learners. Kids will roll balls of playdough and place them under letters written on a sheet of paper. When you say the letter sound, they get to smash the playdough again and again!
Learn More: Engaging Littles
11. Alphabet Ice Pods
Sensory play is perfect for keeping kids active while learning. Freeze plastic letters in water. Use squirt bottles filled with warm water and salt to melt the ice. When a letter comes loose, the first child to say the letter sound gets a point!
Learn More: Days with Grey
12. Name Sticks
Start your letter activities with the most important word of all: your kid’s name! Paint their name on a paint stick and have them pin the letters in the correct order.
Learn More: Our Home Creations
13. Trace and Paste Letters
Get crafty with your letter sounds and develop fine motor skills at the same time! Trace an upper and lowercase letter onto a sheet of paper. Then, using your favorite crafting materials, have them carefully glue along the lines while pronouncing the letter.
Learn More: Kindergarten Connection
14. Sound Clip Cards
Learn the letter sounds of all the seasons! During your letter practice sessions, learners can pin a clothespin onto the correct initial letter sound for each picture. Once your kids find the correct letter, see if they can sound out the rest of the word.
Learn More: Natural Beach Living
15. Spin and Cover
Spin the spinner and find the letters! This super simple game is great for learning initial sounds. Give your students cute stickers to use or make it into a magnet board for re-useable fun all year long!
Learn More: Fun Learning for Kids
16. The Old Lady Swallowed a Sound
Add some giggles to your alphabet lessons with hands-on activities. Kids have to decide what foods to feed the old lady and correctly pronounce the initial letter sound before she gets to eat.
Learn More: ABC’s of Literacy
17. Songs & Chants
Music is a fantastic tool to help students learn and remember letter sounds. You can choose to create your own music or borrow your little ones’ favorite tune. Print out the song sheet to work on visual letter recognition at the same time!
Learn More: Whimsy Workshop Teaching
18. First Sound Bubbles
Coloring by letters is an awesome way to get some extra practice with letter sounds. By focusing on a few letters sounds at a time, kids can avoid getting overwhelmed on their journey to understanding letters and strengthen their literacy skills.
Learn More: Keeping My Kiddo Busy
19. I Spy Letter Sounds
Put those detective skills to work with this printable game! Learners will practice saying the letter sounds in the middle of the page. Then, they’ll search for items that start with that letter.
Learn More: Turner Tots
20. Sound Sorting Mats
Spend some extra time on difficult consonant sounds. These colorful cards are great for learning initial letter sounds. The simple, low-prep activity is ideal for busy kindergarten teachers looking to fill their alphabet centers with tons of fun games!
Learn More: The Measured Mom
21. Alphabet Sorting Game
Give those energetic preschoolers something hands-on to complete! Print and laminate letter and object flashcards. Mix them up and have your kids sort them into the correct bins. They must say the letter sounds before putting the card into the basket.
Learn More: Tot Schooling
22. Magnetic Sound Match
Magnetic letters are great for A-Z no prep activities! Place your magnets in a bag and give your kids a letter sheet or a dry-erase lapboard. Pull a letter out of the bag and have them say the sound before placing it over the correct square.
Learn More: The Kindergarten Connection
23. Beginning Sound Board Games
Race along the letter tiles to the finish line! Working in small teams, learners can roll the dice to see what letter sound to pronounce. Once your kids master the sounds, ask them for a word that starts with the letter.
Learn More: Playdough to Plato
24. Beginning Sound Mazes
See if your kids can find their way through this cool letter maze! It’s great for learning upper- and lowercase letters along with letter sounds. For the youngest of your bunch, provide a control chart with the images to follow for a little extra help.
Learn More: 1plus1plus1equals1
25. Alphabet Books
There’s a wide range of books to learn all about alphabet sounds and build literacy skills. Take time to sound out individual letters and slowly work up to having your kids read on their own.
Learn More: What Do We Do All Day
20 Incredibly Creative Egg Drop Activity Ideas