One of the most important literacy skills our students need to master is letter recognition. This is the skill upon which all other literacy skills build from. Students can’t learn to read and write without knowing the letters, their names, and the letter sounds.
Of course, as with any skill, making it fun wins out over rote memorization every time!
Read my other blog post for more ideas.
Ideas to practice letter recognition
- Guess The Letter. This is a guessing game that helps students learn the different attributes of letters. Simply describe the letter and then see if students can guess it. For example, you could say that “This letter is a consonant, has 2 curves and a straight line in uppercase, and one curve and a straight line in lowercase.” They should guess that it’s the letter B or b.
- Read Alphabet Books. Alphabet books are a fun way to practice letter recognition. You can have students say the letter as you turn the page. Then let them name the pictures in the book that start with that letter.
- Letter Scavenger Hunt. This game will get students up and moving around the classroom. Say a letter or write it on your whiteboard. Then students hunt around the room until they find that letter. It can be anywhere in the room! Once they find the letter, they stand beside it until each student has found it.
- Write It, Wipe It. Give each student a whiteboard and marker. Say a letter and whether you want uppercase or lowercase. Students write the letter on their boards and then hold them up for you to check. Wipe off the boards and then say another letter.
- Shaving Cream Letters. This activity is fun and has the added bonus of getting your desks clean! Spray a small amount of shaving cream on each student’s desk area. Then have them trace different letters in it.
- Letter Sorting. There are lots of different ways you can have students sort out letters. You can use blocks, letter tiles, magnetic letters, or just have students write them. Ideas for sorting could be: straight lines, curved lines, both types of lines, vowels, consonants, letters in their name, or letters in the day of the week.
PowerPoint games!
Online games can add a whole new level to practicing letter recognition. They can be used in centers, as a whole class activity, or as an intervention and assessment.
This PowerPoint letter recognition game should not only be fun for the student but provide repeated practice in recognizing the letters of the alphabet. Students are rewarded with a spinning star and a smile when they identify the correct letters. To avoid students being moved on to the next slide automatically when clicking on a wrong answer, I have had to include sad faces. All clicks are accompanied by some fun audio!
This resource includes 3 files: uppercase only, lowercase only, and mixed. Plus each file is available as a printable! Students can cover the correct letters with a counter or highlight them.
Do you have any other ideas to add to this list?
