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. This would work online or in person.
*For older students divide the class into teams and give points to the first team to come up with a word that fits that category.
shapes things that fly
cars TV show
animals toys
books famous person
plants occupation
game verb
songs body part
fruit or vegetable sports team
color store
candy zoo animal
something you wear
type of transportation
something in the school
something in the kitchen
river, lake, or ocean
city or town
Hint! Adapt the categories to the specific age, skills, and interests of your students.
Winners and Losers
Sometimes children get a little over zealous if you are playing team games where you keep points. Here’s a tip to eliminate some of that competitiveness. Take a deli lid and trace around it twice on paper and cut out. Write “high” on one circle and “low” on the other circle and tape to opposite sides of the lid. (I had to trim the circles a little to get them to fit on the lid.) After playing the game, toss the lid. If it lands on “high” the team with the highest score wins. If it lands on “low” the team with the lowest score wins.