Letter A Sound Game

Hearing the sounds in a word is one of the biggest steps toward reading, and the Letter A Sound Game turns that step into a trip to the carnival. Kindergartners listen for the short a sound at the beginning of words like apple, ant and ax, then the long a sound in acorn, ape and apron. Next they find the short a sound in the middle of cat, hat and map, and they finish with silent-e words like cake, gate and plane. Playing a letter A sound game again and again builds the phonemic awareness children need before they can sound out words on their own.

In this short a and long a sound game, rubber ducks bob along a carnival duck pond, each carrying a round bullseye target. Kids tap a target and a big water squirter swings around and blasts it with a splash. A correct hit spins the target and the duck dives under the water. Round one uses pictures that start with the short a sound. Round two switches to pictures that start with the long a sound, with short a pictures mixed in, so children really have to listen. Round three shows a word under each picture and asks kids to find the short a sound in the middle, and round four asks them to find long a words with a silent e, like cake and rake. Lexy says the sound out loud in every direction and after every correct answer, so children hear exactly what the letter A says. A wrong tap just gets a wobble, a funny honk and a gentle “try again.” Play it in your browser on a phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.

What’s Included

• Online game that plays in any browser on desktop, tablet and phone
• Included with every Have Fun Teaching membership
• 4 rounds: pictures that start with short a, pictures that start with long a, short a in the middle of a word, and long a words with a silent e
• Voice directions that model the /a/ sound, carnival sound effects and a star score at the end

Here are three reasons this letter A sound game helps kids learn. First, hearing each sound said clearly with every word gives children a model to copy, which is exactly how kindergarten teachers teach letter sounds. Second, putting short a and long a side by side shows kids that one vowel can make more than one sound, and the silent-e round gives them a friendly first look at CVCe words. Third, the splashy squirter, the golden duck surprise and the end-of-game stars keep young children motivated, so they happily play again and get even more practice.

Teachers and parents can stretch the learning beyond the screen. Say /a/ /a/ apple and A, A, acorn together, then ask your child to think of more words for each sound. Gather a few toys or pictures, like a cap, a bag, a cake and a plane, and sort them into a short a pile and a long a pile. Write cap, tap and man, then add an e to the end of each one to make cape, tape and mane, and read the new words together.

Related Resources

• Letter A Game
• Letter A Tracing Worksheet
• Letter A Song (Animated Music Video)

Watch the Letter A Sound Game

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