The letter Y can be tricky for young kids. Big Y looks a lot like V, X and K, and little y is easy to mix up with v, g and j. On top of that, Y words like yo-yo, yak and yogurt are not as common as words for other letters, so children do not hear the letter Y at the start of words very often.
That is why we made the Letter Y Game. Kids join Roxy in a cozy kitten playroom full of yarn balls. They tap the yarn ball with the big Y so the kitten can play with it, help a gray kitten pounce on the little y, and find the pictures that start with Y to give a kitten an extra-special treat.
Every right answer feeds a kitten a yum-yum treat, and every child finishes with stars. It is letter practice that feels like playtime.
How to Play the Letter Y Game
- Listen to Roxy. She reads every direction out loud, so even pre-readers can play.
- Round 1: three yarn balls hang on strings above three orange kittens. Tap the yarn ball with the big Y, and the kitten jumps up and plays with it.
- Round 2: the yarn balls sit on the floor in front of gray kittens. Tap the little y, and the kitten pounces on the ball and spins it.
- Round 3: find the picture that starts with Y, like a yo-yo, a yak, yogurt or a yacht. A big special treat appears in the middle of the screen, then floats down to a kitten’s bowl.
- After every right answer, a yum-yum treat drops into a cat bowl at the bottom of the screen, and a kitten pops up to munch it. A wrong tap gets a kind hint, never a lost life.
- Go for 3 in a Row!, 5 in a Row! and 10 in a Row!, beat your High Score, and try for a Perfect Game. Every child finishes with stars.
What Kids Learn
The Letter Y Game helps kids recognize and name the uppercase Y and the lowercase y (Common Core RF.K.1d), tell them apart from the letters they look like, and hear the letter Y at the start of real words.
- Big Y: two arms up, and one line down, like a V on a stick.
- Little y: a little v with a long tail that goes down below the line.
- Look-alikes: V has no line down, X has crossing lines, and little g and j have tails but no little v on top.
- Y at the start: yo-yo, yak, yogurt and yacht all start with the letter Y.
- Teacher words: Roxy names every answer, like “Yo-yo! Yo-yo starts with the letter Y.”
Try this at home or in class: stretch both arms up high and stand tall to make a big Y with your body. Then go on a Y hunt around the room. Can you find a yo-yo, a cup of yogurt or something yellow?
More Practice with the Letter Y
- Letter Y Song (animated music video)
- Letter Y Tracing Worksheet
- Letter Y Handwriting Practice Worksheet
- Alphabet Stories Letter Y Reading Comprehension Worksheet
- Letter X Game and Letter Z Game
Teachers: members can assign the Letter Y 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 play with the kittens? The Letter Y Game plays on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
