A toy-brick peek-a-boo game where preschool kids tap the moles holding a big B, a little b and pictures that start with B. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A starry dot-to-dot game where preschool kids tap the stars with a big C, a little c and pictures that start with C. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A balloon-popping party game where preschool kids pop a big D, a little d and pictures that start with D. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A gem-cracking game where preschool kids tap the gems with a big G, a little g and pictures that start with G. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A fishing game where preschool kids reel in a big F, a little f and pictures that start with F. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A retro 8-bit space jet game where preschool kids blast a big J, a little j and pictures that start with J, then beat Bomzy. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A helicopter rescue game where preschool kids tap a big H, a little h and pictures that start with H. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A flashlight hunt game where preschool kids find a big L, a little l and pictures that start with L. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A jungle monkey game where preschool kids tap the monkeys to find a big M, a little m and pictures that start with M. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
An outback adventure game where preschool kids find a big K, a little k and pictures that start with K. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A kawaii kitten game where preschool kids tap the yarn ball with the big Y so the kitten can play with it, help a kitten pounce on the little y, and find the pictures that start with Y. Every right answer feeds a kitten a yum-yum treat. Play online on…
A zipline zoo game where preschool kids catch a big Z, a little z and pictures that start with Z, then tuck the wound-up Bomzies in for a nap in a bonus round. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A castle fair archery game where preschool kids tap a target or pull back a bow to shoot a big Q, a little q and pictures that start with Q. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A star-catching game where preschool kids catch a big N, a little n and pictures that start with N. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A taco truck game where preschool kids find the shell with a big T, a little t and pictures that start with T. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
An ice cream shop adventure game where preschool kids find a big S, a little s and pictures that start with S. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A pirate treasure adventure game where preschool kids find a big X, a little x and pictures with the letter X. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A puzzle game where preschool kids fit pieces with a big P, a little p and pictures that start with P. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A felt-board farm game where preschool kids get water from the well with the big W, load wood into the wagon with the little w, and look out the farmhouse window for pictures that start with W. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A rainy-day toy-brick game where preschool kids make it rain on a big R so it grows, find a rabbit hiding behind the little r rock, and make the R animals do a robot dance. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
B, c, d... hear the sounds!
Kindergarteners learn the sound each consonant makes, so b says /b/ like ball and m says /m/ like moon. They listen for the first sound in a word (sun starts with /s/), then the last sound (cat ends with /t/). Once they know the sounds, they blend them with short vowels to read and write simple words. Later in the year many classes also meet sh, ch and th. The click moment comes when a child points to a sign and says "That starts with /p/, so it might say pizza!"
Consonant sounds are the building blocks of reading. These moves make them stick.
Play a letter song and act out its sound, like popping a balloon for D. Kids remember the motion and the sound together. Revisit the songs for any sound that's still wobbly.
Why it works: words set to a repeating melody are easier to recall than the same words spoken (Wallace, 1994).
Try it withLetter D Song - Pop the Balloon with the Letter DSongsOpen it →Show pictures and have kids sort them by beginning sound. Start with two very different sounds, like b and m, then add more. Saying each picture name aloud is the key.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withBeginning Sounds B C D Pictures WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Once kids hear first sounds, move to last sounds. Stretch a word like "dog" and have kids touch their toes on the final sound. Ending sounds are harder, so practice them often.
Why it works: the National Reading Panel found that systematic, explicit phonics teaching clearly improves how children learn to read.
Try it withEnding Sounds WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Sound games kindergarteners can't get enough of.
ActivitiesKids match pictures to their beginning and ending sounds in a hands-on activity.
Open Beginning and Ending Sounds Activity →
ActivitiesBuild simple words with letter cards and read them to a friend.
Open Word Work Activity →
WorksheetsFind the pictures that start with the trickiest letters of the alphabet. Yo-yo, zebra, x-ray!
Open Beginning Sounds X Y Z Pictures Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Letter B Game, Letter C Game and Letter D Game.
Consonants are all the letters that aren't vowels (a, e, i, o, u). Kindergarteners learn the main sound each consonant makes, like /b/ for b and /s/ for s.
Say a word slowly and emphasize the first sound, like "mmmoon." Ask your child what sound they hear first. Play "I spy something that starts with /b/" around the house.
Sounds that look or sound similar, like b and d, or m and n, can be tricky. Letters with more than one sound, like c and g, also take extra practice.
The first sound is easier to hear because it comes first. Kids need practice holding the whole word in their head to hear the last sound. Stretching words slowly helps.
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