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    • fluency
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    • word building
    • word consciousness
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    • creative writing
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    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
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    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
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    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
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      • teacher appreciation
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alphabingo: playing with lowercase letters

home / early literacy / alphabet / alphabingo: playing with lowercase letters
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alphabingo cover

An oldie but goodie, we brought out Alphabingo before rest time on Monday, before I was hit hard with what seems like the flu and before our lives got really nutty.

I wanted something easy because I wasn’t feeling too hot, and I wanted something that would work for both Owen and Cora–something that would challenge them without making either of them too frustrated. Letter games are always a good bet, and bingo in any form is usually a hit with the O-Man.

So we played with lowercase letters, and paired with everyone’s recent fave, bottle caps, this time around, Alphabingo really rocked.

  • Alphabingo: Alphabingo is just alphabet bingo with lowercase letters.ย  That’s it.ย  That simple.

But there are great little pictures around each letter that begin with that letter: r/ rooster; z/ zebra; b/ bear, u/umbrella, etc.ย  I am a huge fan of setting kids up for success, so I like that there’s a back-up right there if kids need extra support.

I found Alphabingo almost two years ago (wow!)ย  I’m not even sure how, and it looks like it’s still available to download.ย  You’ll need Alphabingo Alphabet Letters, and Alphabingo Cards 1, Cards 2, and Cards 3. Each card has two boards on it.ย  Printed on cardstock, this game is pretty sturdy.

Owen was in charge of flipping cards, . . .

. . . and I had to remind him to give Cora some time before he gave her a hand.

Owen and Cora actually asked me to play a game or two before they had their rest time (perhaps they’re ready to return to preschool?), so it wasn’t difficult to get them interested when I told them I found an old favorite.ย  And when I mentioned that it was bingo, and that our markers would be bottle caps, these two zoomed to the living room to play.

I told them we were going to play Alphabingo and that this game was bingo with lowercase letters and that they’d love, love, love it. Owen requested to be the card-flipper, Cora hoarded all of the half-decorated, bottle cap ornament rejects (because they were still pretty and sparkly, even if they didn’t make the orni cut), and we were ready to go.

Owen would flip a card, say the letter, and we’d repeat it and say the picture that went along with it: Okay! This one’s an ‘a’, ‘a’ for ah, ah,ย  ‘apple’. Combining a picture of the letter, with the sound it makes, and a word that begins with that sound is a solid way ofย  reinforcing letter-sound connections and practicing early phonological awareeness.

We played a few times–full board, of course–and then they insisted (begged, pleaded, cried even) to play ABC Letter Hunt which we did in a new and improved way, which I’ll share later in the week.

Next time, I’m going to print out two copies of the Alphabingo Letter Card so we can play Alphafriends Memory! Woo-hoo! The possibilities are endless. . . .

Games like this are easy–they’re fun–and they’re so important for building a solid literacy foundationย  in our kiddos. It might not seem like a big deal, but the help we, as parents, give our kids with simple things like learning their alphabet or numbers does make a difference.ย  A really big difference.

According to Where We Stand: On Learning to Read and Write, a joint position statement by the NAEYC and IRA, research has shown six important facts, three of which I found particularly helpful for parents of young children:

  • Children take their first critical steps toward learning to read and write very early in life. . . (and parents need to be there to help them!)
  • Children do not become literate automatically; careful planning and instruction are essential. . . (parents can do what they can at home–songs, puzzles, books, games–it all helps!)
  • As children move from preschool into kindergarten and the primary grades, instruction focused on phonemic awareness, letter recognition, segmenting words into sounds, and decoding printed text will support later reading competence. . . (yes, and it’s starting earlier!)

Alphabet recognition is one of the major early literacy skills that are predictive of childrenโ€™s later reading development (IRA/NAEYC, 1998; National Center for Family Literacy, 2007), so why not do what we can, when we are able, to help our little ones get off to the right start?

Especially if we can add evenย  a teeny bit of learning before lunch or naptime or whenever, it’s worth it for so many reasons!

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:just 1 book: author guest post–carol liu (and giveaway!)
Next Post:target’s read with me (with iPad and children’s books giveaway!)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brandy

    January 5, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Stacy

    January 6, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    So cute! Thanks for all of the great ideas. My son saw me printing these out and he said, “Why are you printing out this baby game, I know my letters”, then he picked up one of the pages and exclaimed “but, oh it’s so cute, can I play?” ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  3. Jenni

    January 7, 2011 at 5:51 am

    Love this (and I know my girls will too)! Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • amy

      January 7, 2011 at 7:00 am

      thanks so much, Jenni!! Hope it works out for your girls!

      Reply
  4. selena@howaboutcookie

    March 3, 2011 at 11:38 pm

    Hi there, I stumbled upon you blog from Leapfrog’s FB page. I love every single one of your ideas! Thanks so much for all the great resources. I’m printing these cards, along with the ABC cards, first thing tomorrow.

    Reply
    • amy

      March 4, 2011 at 7:20 am

      thanks so much, Selena!! You are too kind to write, and I look forward to being in touch!

      Reply

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Have you heard of The National Civics Bee? #ad 

The National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. 

Organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the competition in your community will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. 

Learn how to bring The National Civics Bee to YOUR community now: https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

Iโ€™m thrilled to have partnered with @mom_select and @civicsbuzz for this exciting campaign! โ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’™

#CivicsBuzz #middleschoolers #teachersofIG #communitypartners
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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
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How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia

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