Games and Activities to Reinforce Learning Names of Letters and Sounds by Multiple Intelligences

LEARNING TO READ / PRE-READING. LEARNING THE LETTERS AND BEGINNING OF READING

Games and Activities to Reinforce Learning Names of Letters and Sounds by Multiple Intelligences

Musical:

While reading their ABC books, sing the phonics song, “A is for Apple (or whatever object is on the page) Ah-Ah-AAAAple, Ah Ah AAAAPPLE A apple.” Repeat this process for each letter and corresponding image in the book.
After finishing the book, go through it again, pointing to the letters while singing the ABC song “A,B,C,D…..Z now we know our ABC’s next time won’t you sing with me.” Alternatively, point to the letter and have the children state the name and sound.
Encourage children to sing the book while pointing to the letters. Take turns singing or sing together.
Find objects around the room that start with the letter on the page. 2. To enhance learning on-the-go, play alphabet songs like the ABC alphabet song and phonics songs or other songs related to letters while driving or during dance parties. Try to make the letters with your arms and legs. Each book I’ve designed features customized songs that correspond to individual letters, making learning fun and engaging.
To enhance learning on-the-go, play alphabet songs like the ABC alphabet song and phonics songs or other songs related to letters while driving or during dance parties. Try to make the letters with your arms and legs. Each book I’ve designed features customized songs that correspond to individual letters, making learning fun and engaging.

Linguistic:

Explore my Alphabet Books, where you can sing along while reading multiple words per page, with each word starting with the letter displayed. These books offer interactive learning experiences with activities tailored to reinforce letter recognition and understanding.
I have also developed various activities and books to support letter learning, catering to different preferences. Kids can enjoy reading books, engaging with worksheet formats, or playing games – all effective ways to practice reading and grasp concepts in diverse ways.
Match uppercase letters with lowercase letters.

Visual/Spatial:

Circle chart : I created these circle charts and anchor charts (essentially the same thing with prominent letters or in a circular format) to help children practice identifying initial sounds. The task involves filling in the missing first letter of a word, determining if it matches the sound of the letter displayed on the main page (either a large letter or a letter inside a circle), and then pasting it on the front of the page if it matches or on the back if it doesn’t. Additionally, this activity aids in developing their fine motor skills through cutting and gluing practice.
You have the option to design a custom circle chart by drawing a large circle with a smaller one in the center. Inside the smaller circle, jot down the uppercase and lowercase versions of the letter you are focusing on. Within the larger circle, illustrate and/or list items that begin with that specific letter.
Create an ABC Book – Encourage Kids to Get Creative: Let them create their own ABC book. Write each letter in both uppercase and lowercase. On each page, they can draw, take photos, or cut out pictures from magazines of items starting with that letter. Once the book is completed, read it together every night. Use the words they chose to associate with each letter to help them remember the sounds, like “M mmmonkey.”
Create a book where each letter is represented by a word that starts with the respective letter. For instance, transform the letter D into a word like “dinosaur” and write D = dinosaur.

Bodily/Kinesthetic:

Fashion Show: To add some flair and fun to a class activity, assign each student a different letter to incorporate into a creative project. Students can craft a vest out of butcher paper or a brown paper bag, decorate it with items starting with their assigned letter, and write the word under the picture. They can further enhance their outfits with matching hats featuring words beginning with the same letter. They could make an arts and craft and paint it, color it, print it out, cut things out of a magazine, etc. Also, write the word under the picture. For example, make a fashion show outfit of letter R or paper collage/book of things starting with R. So you would create at least 10 things to put on the front and back of items that start with R. You can create and paint a raccoon, use popsicle sticks to create a railroad, print off a picture of rain, create a race car out of construction paper, etc. Conclude the activity with a fashion show where students showcase their creations and walk to display all the words on their outfits.
Engage in a physical activity by writing with chalk or printing letters on the ground, calling out a letter, and having participants run to the corresponding letter.
Hide the letter somewhere. Have the child look for the letter and when they find it, say the sound and the name of the letter.
Prepare three bowls. Place an object under one bowl or three different objects under each. Mix up the bowls. Display a new letter on top of each bowl. Ask the child to name the letter/word correctly to reveal if they found the desired object under the bowl.
Engage in a game of Twister. Put randomized upper and lower case letters on all the colors. Call out a letter randomly and have them place their hand or foot on the corresponding letter.
Create a sensory bin filled with alphabet letters (chunky puzzle pieces) using materials like rice, beans, or sand. Encourage children to scoop or use their hands to retrieve letters, then identify the letter name and sound as they play.
Explore the sign language version of the alphabet song and learn the sign for each letter. Watch YouTube videos demonstrating the sign language alphabet while singing along.
Play a game of Old Maid using ABC letter cards or Bananagram tiles. Match the uppercase letters to their lowercase counterparts. Remember to vocalize the sound and name of the letter when requesting a card from your partner. When you place down a matching pair, be sure to articulate the sound.
Between Partner Race: Place a few sound cards or Bananagram tiles between two children (or you and the child). Proceed by the adult stating a sound, and the person who identifies it first wins. Alternatively, you can say a word, and the first person to identify the beginning sound of the word wins! For instance, if the word is “MAT” or the sound is “mmmmm,” they must quickly grab the letter M. Variation: You can add a twist by having them jump up, clap, then sit down before attempting to answer.
Have children trace the letters in the book with their fingers.

Engaging Writing Activities

Write letters on lined paper or trace them.

Use sticks in the dirt or sand to write the letters.

Shape letters with play-dough to form letters.

Construct letters with sticks or pretzel rods

Use chalk and write the letters on the ground outside

Utilize Khan Academy Kids on an iPad for interactive learning to trace with your finger the letter formation.

Practice spelling words and writing them down.

Associate words with toys in the room by spelling them out underneath with a whiteboard or paper. For example, if you have a dog figurine, write the word “dog” under it. Alternatively, write the beginning sound of the toy.

If writing is challenging, try using chunky puzzle pieces or Bananagram tiles (Scrabble type of game) for spelling practice.

Interpersonal:

SOUND GUESS!!! Use ABC cards or chunky puzzle letters or Bananagram tiles. One person selects a card/letter and places it on their head without looking at it. Their partner has to say the sound it makes. Then the person with the card on their head has to say the letter. They have to keep guessing the spelling until they are correct. Take turns back and forth with the card on the head. Variation: Have the letter on a headband on your head.
Design your custom board game using a whiteboard or by crafting your own letter or picture word cards. This game involves saying the sound and the name of the letter you land on or the beginning sound of the picture. The game should involve moving in a circular or spiral path like Candy Land (or just a big circle). Utilize dice or playing cards to determine the number of spaces to move your marker. Upon landing on a space, correctly read and pronounce the letter and its sound to remain in place. Otherwise, return to your previous position. (Variation: take away the past pictures/words/cards you’ve landed on to make the board smaller as you go.)
Create a Snakes & Ladders game featuring all the letters (or pictures and say the beginning sound of the word) and vocalize the sound or name of each letter as you play.
Matching Game: Match letters with corresponding pictures that begin with the same letter. You have the option to purchase the game ready-made or create your own version using chunky puzzle pieces matched with items or toys in the room. Arrange words to the first sound in the word.
Create a Bingo game board with pictures and match each picture to its corresponding letter. You can place the letters on top of the pictures or write them directly on the images. The winner is the first to get five in a row! Alternatively, try playing blackout and complete the entire board. This game can be played solo, with a partner, or against the whole class.
Hold up an object/toy/item and say if it starts with a letter or not. Ask what it starts with. Alternatively, select a random card or chunky puzzle piece from a container, state the sound and name, then locate an item in the room that starts with the same letter. You can also mention a word that starts with that letter. Either find toys or print out pictures and paste them around the room. Choose a letter (or select one at random) and identify toys in the house/class that correspond to that letter. (Alternatively, place letter puzzle pieces in a bowl and draw one out.) Hold up an object and ask if it begins with a particular letter (intentionally making mistakes at times) or ask what letter it starts with.
Clear the Board: Create a board or display letters. Present a picture. Remove the bean/bead/marker corresponding to the letter that matches the picture’s initial sound, or if employing Bananagrams or chunky puzzle pieces, eliminate it. The first to clear everything wins!

Nature:

Take a nature walk and spot items beginning with a specific letter. Alternatively, point to objects and inquire about the letter or sound they start with. Another fun idea is to play “I spy” where participants look for things starting with a particular letter. For instance, say, “I spy something that starts with the letter T,” and let them guess… “Tree.”

Intrapersonal:

Apps (Intrapersonal): Apps you do not have to pay for: Khan Academy Kids, Duck Duck Moose Reading, Duck Duck Moose Word Wagon, Duck Duck Moose Fish School, and Teach Your Monster to Read. Apps to pay for: Reading Eggs, OSMO Little Genius – ABC, and OSMO Words Classic (Junior) – ABC Tiles.

Logical/Mathematical:

First, Second, Third: Explain the sequence (order) for reading a word. Start with the initial letter being the first sound on the left side. Break it down into steps by following the order 1-2-3, illustrating the progression from left to right and identifying what comes first, second, and third. Begin by sounding out the first letter of the word, then move on to the second letter, followed by the final sound of the word, and finally, read the entire word aloud.
Puzzles: Engage in ABC puzzles and challenge yourself. Additionally, try disassembling the puzzles and arranging the letters in alphabetical order without the puzzle board.

Circle Map Book: