Letter L Game

Big L, little l and the L in lamp all come together in the Letter L Game, a flashlight hunt for preschool kids. All the lights are off in Alphy’s house, and everything is just dark shapes. Kids walk Alphy from room to room through the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the bedroom and the bathroom, and shine his flashlight wherever they point. When the light finds a little stack of letter cards on the couch, the bed or the bathtub, Alphy says, “You found some letters! Which one is the big L?” Every right answer turns that room’s lamp back on, so the house gets brighter and brighter. Playing the letter l game again and again helps little learners recognize the big L and the little l, tell L apart from look-alike letters like T, F and J, and hear that lamp, lemon, leaf and lion all start with L.

In this letter l phonics game, Alphy cheers kids on through three rounds. In round one they find the big L among letters like T, F, E and J, with the tip that big L has a tall line down and a short line across the bottom. In round two Doodles turns the lights off again, and kids find the little l, which is just one tall line, among i, t, j and f. In round three they shine the light on baskets around the house and find the pictures that start with L. Stuck? Doodles is hiding in a dark corner. Tap him and he whispers which room to search next. Kids can tap to walk or drag to steer, and the house is full of friends to tap, like a kitten, a puppy and a rubber duck that make their own sounds.

There are three reasons this letter l game helps kids learn. First, every choice sits next to letters and pictures that look or sound different in one clear way, like T beside L and i beside l, so kids learn to spot exactly what makes an L an L. Second, Alphy names the letter or the word after every right answer and uses the same words teachers use, like big L, little l and starts with the letter L, so the lesson sounds the same at home and at school. Third, the flashlight, the rooms lighting up, the rewards like bunny slippers and a super flashlight, the streak celebrations and the stars at the end keep kids smiling and asking to play again.

Teachers and parents can keep the L fun going after the game. Turn the lights down, grab a flashlight and go on an L hunt around the room. Look for a lamp, a lemon and a leaf at home and say lamp, L, lamp together. Make a big L with two pencils: a tall line down and a short line across the bottom.

Related Resources

• Letter L Song (Animated Music Video)
• Letter I Game
• Letter H Game
• Letter L Tracing Worksheet