Is that a d or a b? To a four-year-old, a round part and a tall line can go either way. Big D, little d and the D at the start of “dog” are a lot to keep straight, and the Letter D Game turns all of it into a balloon-popping birthday party kids want to play again and again.
Meet Doodles and Dino the dinosaur! It’s Dino’s birthday, and shiny balloons float up into the sky, each one holding a letter or a picture. Pop the balloons with a D and they burst into confetti, the letter drops into the party row, and Dino dances at the end of every round.
Quick challenge before you scroll: draw a little d in the air. Start like a little c, then pull a tall line way up high and back down. Doodles says that is the trick that keeps d and b apart!
Watch Doodles play the Letter D Game
How to play
- Listen to Doodles. He tells you what to find, and the party sign at the top shows it too.
- Balloons float up high, in the middle and down low, each holding a letter or a picture. Tap the balloon with the right one to pop it.
- Round 1: pop the big D. Round 2: pop the little d (watch out for b and p!). Round 3: pop the pictures that start with D. Round 4 is a bonus round with everything mixed together.
- A right tap is a big confetti pop, and the letter drops into the party row in its balloon’s color. A wrong tap gets a kind hint from Doodles, like “Little d starts like a little c, then a tall line goes up high.”
- Keep going for 3, 5 and 10 in a Row, then High Score and Perfect Game, and collect up to 5 stars at the end.
What kids learn with the Letter D Game
The big idea is simple: big D and little d are the same letter, and words like dog, duck and drum all start with D. The game practices recognizing and naming upper- and lowercase letters (Common Core RF.K.1d) and hearing the first sound in a word.
- Big D: a straight line and one big bump. The tricky choices are letters kids really mix it up with.
- Little d: starts like a little c, then a tall line goes up high. Watch out for b and p, the classic look-alikes!
- D pictures: dog, duck, drum, donut and dolphin all start with the /d/ sound.
- The bonus round mixes everything together and brings back anything your child missed.
Try this at home or in class: write a little d together. Start with a little c, then pull a tall line up and back down. Then go on a D hunt around the room: a door, a desk, a doll. Say each word slowly and listen for the /d/ at the start.
More practice with letters and beginning sounds
- Letter D Song (Animated Music Video)
- Letter D Tracing Worksheet
- Letter D Handwriting Practice Worksheet
- Letter C Game
- Letter B Game
- Letter A Game
Every game, worksheet and activity in one membership
With a Have Fun Teaching membership you get every game, worksheet and activity on the site, including the Letter D Game. Teachers can assign games with a Classroom link, so students can play on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
