Big P, big B and big D all start with a tall line and a bump, so they are easy to mix up. Little p is even trickier: turn it around and it looks like a b, a d or a q. Then there is the /p/ sound, the little pop of air at the start of “pig” and “pizza.” That is a lot for a preschooler to sort out, and the Letter P Game turns it into a cozy puzzle on a craft table.
Meet Doodles at the craft table! Bright wooden puzzle pieces sit on the table, each with a letter or a picture on it. Kids tap the piece with the big P, then the little p, then pictures that start with P, and every right piece pops into the wooden puzzle tray. By the end of each round, the tray is full of P’s.
Before you play, draw a big P in the air together and say “a tall line, with one bump at the top.” Then draw a little p and let it drop down low, below the line.
Watch Doodles play the Letter P Game
How to play the Letter P Game
- Press Play. Doodles says hello and reads the directions out loud, so even non-readers can play on their own.
- Round 1, big P: three puzzle pieces sit on the table. Tap the piece with the big P and it pops into the puzzle. Look-alikes like B, D and F are mixed in.
- Round 2, little p: tap the piece with the little p. Little p drops down low, with a bump at the top, so watch out for b and d.
- Round 3, P pictures: tap a picture that starts with P, like pig, pizza, pumpkin, penguin, pear or pencil.
- Every round has its own puzzle piece shape, and every right answer fills a spot in the tray. Need help? Doodles gives a friendly hint, like “Big P has a tall line and one bump at the top.”
- 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 P 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 P is a tall line with one bump at the top. Big B has two bumps.
- Little p drops down low, below the line. Little b and d reach up tall.
- Pig, pizza, pumpkin, penguin, pear and pencil all start with the letter P.
- Pictures like ball, sun and fish are mixed in, so kids listen for the /p/ sound every time.
Try this at home or in class: hold a hand in front of your mouth and say “p, p, p.” Can you feel the little puff of air? Then take turns naming P words like pig, popcorn and pumpkin, and feel the puff at the start of each one.
Members and teachers can assign the Letter P Game to students with a Classroom link, and every child’s score shows up for the teacher automatically.
