Skills: RFK1d (recognize and name letters)
RFK3a (phonics – beginning sounds)
LK5a (sort objects into categories)
Materials: 2 sheets of poster board of different colors, marker
Directions: Cut the poster board into 4” squares. You will need 23 squares of each color. On one color print alphabet letters. (Print “u & v” on the same card and “x, y, z” on another card.) On the other color print one of the categories below:
something in the yard an animal
fruit or vegetable movie star
something in the kitchen body part
river, lake, or ocean town or city
country or state a machine
type of transportation a food
something you wear an action
something in the zoo a plant
a toy a book
a song a noun
a famous person a verb
something in the school a game
a TV show a feeling
a color an occupation
restaurant or store something that flies
Shuffle up each set of cards. Draw a card from the “letter pile” and a card from the “category pile.” Encourage the children to make the sound of the letter. Can they think of a word in the category that begins with that sound?
*When introducing this game, simply play it as a shared group activity and do not keep score. As children become more proficient, divide the class into teams and give points to the first team to come up with a word that fits the category. Children may also enjoy playing this game in small groups.
*Adapt the categories to the age and ability of your students. For example, you could use adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs, prepositions, mammals, etc. for older students.