Big H and little h do not look much alike. Big H has two tall lines with a bridge across the middle, and little h has just one tall line and a little hump. Little h is also easy to mix up with little n. Then there is the /h/ sound at the start of “hat” and “house,” a soft puff of air that is easy to miss. That is a lot for a preschooler to sort out, and the Letter H Game turns all of it into a sunny helicopter rescue.
Meet Sunny, our helicopter pilot! Big H’s, little h’s and pictures are floating on swim rings in a bright blue lagoon, and they need a hero. Kids tap the right swim ring, Sunny flies the helicopter right over it, the rope drops down, and the answer gets pulled up and rescued. Every H they save rides along in the rescue row at the bottom of the screen.
Before you play, draw a big H in the air together: one tall line, another tall line, then a bridge across the middle. Now try a little h: one tall line, then a little hump. Ready to fly?
Watch Sunny play the Letter H Game
How to play
- Press Play. Sunny reads every direction out loud, so kids who can’t read yet can play on their own.
- Look at the beach sign. It always shows what to rescue in this round.
- Round 1: find the big H. Tap its swim ring, or drag the helicopter right over it. The rope drops down and pulls the right answer up.
- Round 2: find the little h, the one with a tall line and one little hump. Watch out for little n, which is short!
- Round 3: find the pictures that start with H, like hat, house, horse, hen, heart and hippo. Say each name out loud and listen for the /h/ sound.
- Picked the wrong one? It shakes “not me,” Sunny gives a quick hint, and that choice comes back later for another try.
- Keep going for 3 in a Row!, 5 in a Row! and even 10 in a Row!, then finish with stars, a High Score! or a Perfect Game!
What kids learn
The Letter H Game practices recognizing and naming the uppercase and lowercase letter H (CCSS RF.K.1d) and hearing the /h/ sound at the start of words (CCSS RF.K.2d). Kids work on:
- Telling big H apart from look-alikes like U, N, K, T and L
- Telling little h apart from n, m, r, l and k
- Matching the /h/ sound to pictures like hat, house, horse, hen, heart and hippo
- Listening to directions and following them on their own
Try this at home or in class: go on an H hunt! Look for things that start with the /h/ sound, like a hat, a hand or a hug. Hold a hand in front of your mouth and say “hat.” Can you feel the little puff of air? That is the /h/ sound.
More practice with letters and beginning sounds
- Letter H Song: sing and dance along with the letter H.
- Letter H Tracing Worksheet: trace big H and little h on paper.
- Letter G Game: crack open sparkly yarn gems with Roxy.
- Letter F Game: go fishing on the lake with Penny.
Teachers and members can assign the Letter H Game to the whole class with a Classroom link, so every student plays the full game on any device.
A Have Fun Teaching membership includes every game, worksheet and activity, and you can start with a free trial.
