Big N and big M look a lot alike: both start with tall lines and slants, so preschoolers mix them up all the time. Little n is tricky too, because it looks like a little m with one hump missing, or a little h with a short stick. Then there is the /n/ sound, the soft hum at the start of “nest” and “nose.” The Letter N Game turns all of it into a cozy night of star catching.
Meet Penny on a starry night hill! Plump toy stars float down from the dark sky, and every star carries a letter or a picture. Kids catch the right star with Penny’s star net, watch it sit in the net for a moment, and then see it hop down to the bottom of the screen, where the caught stars build a big N and a little n, one line at a time.
Penny reads every direction out loud, so even children who can’t read yet can play on their own. Try saying it together before you start: “Big N is a tall line, a slant down, and a tall line up.” Then trace a little n in the air: a short line down, then up and over, like a hill.
Watch Penny play the Letter N Game
How to play the Letter N Game
- Press Play. Penny says hello and reads the directions out loud.
- Round 1, big N: stars float down from the night sky. Tap the star with the big N, or slide Penny’s star net under it. Look-alikes like M are mixed in, so look closely.
- Round 2, little n: catch the stars with a little n. Watch out for little m and little h!
- Round 3, N pictures: catch the pictures that start with N, like a nest, a nose and a nut. Penny names each picture after it’s caught.
- Every right catch rests in the net for a second, then hops down to the bottom of the screen and fills in the big N and little n in the order you write them. A wrong tap gets a kind hint, never a scolding.
- Build streaks for 3, 5 and 10 in a Row!, beat your High Score!, go for a Perfect Game!, and earn up to 5 stars at the end.
What kids learn
The Letter N 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 N has one slant between two tall lines. Big M has two slants that meet in the middle.
- Little n has one hump. Little m has two humps, and little h has a tall stick.
- Nest, nose, nut, noodles and net all start with the letter N.
- Pictures that start with other sounds are mixed in, so kids listen for the /n/ sound every time.
Try this at home or in class: trace a big N in the air together: down, slant down, and up! Then hum “nnnn” and take turns naming N words like nest, nap and noodles.
Members and teachers can assign the Letter N Game to students with a Classroom link, and every child’s score shows up for the teacher automatically.
