Big M and little m look like cousins, but they are built in different ways. Big M has two tall lines with a V in the middle, and little m is a short line with two humps. Big M can look a lot like an N, a W or an H, and little m can look like an n, a u or an h. Then there is the /m/ sound at the start of “moon” and “mouse.” That is a lot for a preschooler to sort out, and the Letter M Game turns all of it into a happy jungle adventure.
Meet Abby in the jungle! Three friendly monkeys swing down on their vines, and each one hugs a round sign with a letter or a picture. Kids tap the monkey with the big M in the treetops, the little m by the waterfall, and pictures that start with M in the banana grove. Every right answer lands in a basket, so kids can see everything they found.
Before you play, draw a big M in the air together and say “two tall lines, with a V in the middle.” Then draw a little m and count its humps: one, two!
Watch Abby play the Letter M Game
How to play
- Press Play. Abby says hello and reads the directions out loud, so even non-readers can play on their own.
- Round 1, the treetops: three monkeys swing in. Tap the monkey holding the big M.
- Round 2, the waterfall: tap the monkey holding the little m. Look for the short line with two humps.
- Round 3, the banana grove: tap the monkey with a picture that starts with M, like moon, mouse, mitten or muffin.
- Each new set of monkeys comes with the direction again, and every right answer swings into a basket. Need help? Abby gives a friendly hint.
- Build streaks for 3, 5 and 10 in a Row!, beat your High Score!, go for a Perfect Game! and earn up to five stars at the end.
What kids learn
The Letter M Game builds letter recognition and beginning sound awareness, the same skills preschool and kindergarten classrooms practice for the Common Core foundational standards RF.K.1.d (recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters) and RF.K.3.a (know the most common sound for each consonant).
- Big M is two tall lines with a V in the middle.
- Little m is a short line with two humps.
- Moon, mouse, mitten and muffin all start with the letter M.
- Look-alikes like N, W, n and u are mixed in, so kids learn to spot the real M every time.
Try this at home or in class: press your lips together and hum “mmm” like something yummy. Then take turns naming M words like moon, mouse and muffin, and hum the “mmm” at the start of each one.
Members and teachers can assign the Letter M Game to students with a Classroom link, and every child’s score shows up for the teacher automatically.
