O looks simple, but young learners meet lots of round letters. Big O sits right next to big Q, C, D, G and U, and little o looks a lot like little c, a and e. Kids also need to connect the letter O to the words around them, like octopus, otter and owl. The Letter O Game turns all of that into a photo safari under the sea.
Meet Funzy at the coral reef! Sea friends like a turtle, a pufferfish, a crab and a dolphin swim by, each holding up a bubble with a letter or a picture inside. Kids tap the friend holding the O, the camera zooms in, and SNAP! The photo prints with a flash and lands in the photo album on the sand.
Before you play, draw a big circle in the air together, all the way around: that’s a big O. Then draw a small circle, all the way around: that’s a little o. Funzy uses those same words in the game, so your child hears them again every time they snap a photo.
Watch Funzy play the Letter O Game
How to play the Letter O Game
- Press Play. Funzy says hello and reads every direction out loud, so kids can play before they can read.
- Three sea friends swim in, each holding up a bubble. The sign at the top shows what to look for.
- Tap the friend holding the right bubble. The camera zooms in full screen, holds the shot for a moment, and snaps the photo with a loud click.
- Each photo prints into the photo album on the sand. Once a round, a photo comes out with a shiny gold frame!
- Play all three rounds: Round 1 is the big O, Round 2 is the little o, and Round 3 is pictures that start with O.
- If a friend isn’t holding the right answer, it shakes its head “not me” and swims away, and Funzy gives a friendly hint. There are no lives and no timer.
- Build a streak to hear 3 in a Row!, 5 in a Row! and 10 in a Row!, beat your High Score!, and go for a Perfect Game! with all the stars at the end.
What kids learn
The Letter O Game builds letter recognition and the link between letters and words, the same skills preschool and kindergarten classrooms practice for the Common Core foundational standard RF.K.1.d (recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet).
- Big O is a big circle, all the way around, with no tail. Big Q has a tail, and big C has an opening.
- Little o is a small circle, all the way around. Little c has an opening, and little a has a line on the side.
- Octopus, otter, owl, orange and ox all start with the letter O.
- Pictures like sun, cup, ball and hat start with other letters, so kids say each name out loud and think about the first letter.
Try this at home or in class: make a big O with both arms over your head, then a little o with your fingers! Go on a letter O hunt around the room, and snap a pretend photo with your hands every time you find an O.
Members and teachers can assign the Letter O Game to students with a Classroom link, and every child’s score shows up for the teacher automatically.
