Big U and little u are easy to mix up with other letters. Little u looks like little n turned upside down, and big U looks a lot like V and O. The letter U also starts some fun words kids love, like umbrella, unicorn and ukulele. Spotting it fast takes practice, and practice goes better when it feels like play.
That is why we made the Letter U Game. Kids join Abby on a sunny beach boardwalk, where three scallop shells wait on the sand. Each shell shows a letter or a picture, and only one is the right U.
Tap the right shell and Abby dashes down the boardwalk to scoop it up. Every shell she finds goes into the shell row, and at the end of each round they fly onto a big sandcastle under the beach umbrella!
How to Play the Letter U Game
- Listen to Abby. She reads every direction out loud, so even pre-readers can play.
- Look at the three scallop shells on the beach. One shows the right answer.
- Tap the shell, or swipe Abby up or down to its lane and then to the right. Abby dashes over and scoops it up.
- Round 1 is the big U, Round 2 is the little u, and Round 3 is the pictures that start with the letter U.
- Keep going for 3, 5 and 10 in a Row, a High Score and a Perfect Game, and earn up to five stars at the end.
What Kids Learn
The Letter U Game practices letter recognition: knowing the big and little forms of the letter U and linking the letter to words that start with it (Common Core RF.K.1d: recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet).
- Big U is a big cup, round at the bottom and open at the top. It is not V (pointy at the bottom) or O (closed all the way around).
- Little u is a little cup with a straight line down on the right. Little n is the same shape upside down, like a bridge.
- Umbrella, unicorn, ukulele and unicycle all start with the letter U. Sun, ball and crab do not.
- Every answer is named out loud (“Umbrella starts with the letter U”), so kids hear the word and see the letter together.
Try this at home or in class: make a big U with your arms, like a cup ready to catch a ball. Then hunt for things around the room that start with the letter U, like an umbrella, a picture of a unicorn or the word “up” on a sign!
More Practice with the Letter U
- Letter U Song (animated music video)
- Letter U Tracing Worksheet
- Letter U Handwriting Practice Worksheet
- Letter T Game and Letter V Game
- Letter S Game
Teachers: members can assign the Letter U Game to a whole class with a Classroom link. Students play on any device, and you see who finished and how they did.
Ready to run the boardwalk? The Letter U Game plays on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
