Letter X Game

X marks the spot in the Letter X Game, a pirate treasure adventure for preschool kids. Doodles is on a sunny treasure island. First he digs for treasure at the X spots on Treasure Beach, then he unlocks the treasure chests on a friendly pirate ship, then he flies up Treasure Hill to get the treasure back from Bomzy. Children tap a stop, Doodles glides over, he says what to do, and a card asks them to find the letter X. Every right answer does the job: the shovel digs up a little treasure box full of gold coins, and the gold key pops open a locked treasure chest. Some stops also give a reward for the backpack, like a treasure map, captain’s boots or a spyglass, and island friends like a fox, an ox, a jack-in-the-box and a xylophone make their own sounds when kids tap them. Playing the letter x game again and again helps little learners recognize the big X and the little x, tell X apart from look-alike letters like K, Y and V, and know that fox, box and ox all end with the letter X.

In this letter x phonics game, Doodles cheers kids on through three parts of the island. On Treasure Beach they find the big X among letters like K, Y, V and Z, with the tip that big X is two lines that cross, like a criss-cross. On the Pirate Ship they find the little x among k, y and v, with the tip that little x is the same criss-cross, just smaller. Then Bomzy grabs the treasure chest, and on Treasure Hill kids find big X, little x and pictures with the letter X, like fox, box, ox and xylophone, while skipping the cat, the sun and the hat. X usually sits at the END of the words little kids know, so Doodles says it just that way: “Fox! Fox ends with the letter X.” The letters a child mixed up earlier come back for one more try. A wrong answer costs one of five hearts, never a reward, and Doodles gives a kind hint. He reads every direction out loud and names each answer. 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
• 3 rounds: Treasure Beach (big X), Pirate Ship (little x), then Treasure Hill with big X, little x and X pictures
• Voice directions, cheerful sound effects and a star score at the end

Here are three reasons this letter x game helps kids learn. First, “X marks the spot” turns the letter into a treasure-map symbol kids already love, so every dig spot is a reminder of what an X looks like. Second, every choice sits next to letters and pictures that look different in one clear way, like Y beside X and k beside x, and Doodles names the letter or the word after every right answer with the words teachers use, like big X, little x and ends with the letter X. Third, the rewards, the silly island friends, the silly Bomzy, streak celebrations and the stars at the end keep kids smiling and asking to play again.

Teachers and parents can keep the X fun going after the game. Make a big X with two crossed arms, then a little x with two crossed fingers. Hide a toy and draw a treasure map where X marks the spot. Go on an X hunt for a box, a fox book or a toy xylophone. Write a big X together: one slanted line, then another line that crosses it in the middle.

Related Resources

• Letter X Song (Animated Music Video)
• Letter Q Game
• Letter P Game
• Letter O Game