• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

alphabingo: playing with lowercase letters

home / early literacy / alphabet / alphabingo: playing with lowercase letters
2.6K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

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.  That’s it.  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.  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!)  I’m not even sure how, and it looks like it’s still available to download.  You’ll need Alphabingo Alphabet Letters, and Alphabingo Cards 1, Cards 2, and Cards 3. Each card has two boards on it.  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.  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,  ‘apple’. Combining a picture of the letter, with the sound it makes, and a word that begins with that sound is a solid way of  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 foundation  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.  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 children’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 even  a teeny bit of learning before lunch or naptime or whenever, it’s worth it for so many reasons!

You May Also Like...

  • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
  • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
  • the polar express night: a holiday family tradition
    the polar express night: a holiday family tradition

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 · 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?” 😉

    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. [email protected]

    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

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

amy mascott profile blog

join the coolest club around:

  • About
  • Contact
  • disclaimer
  • terms of use
  • privacy policy
  • Site-Map

Instagram


our books

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
@rescueorg —> International Rescue Committee IRC

@ifrc —> The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network.

@doctorswithoutborders —> Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

@unicefusa —> The United Nations’ children agency

@together.rising —> 
Together Rising transforms collective heartbreak into effective action.

#dosomething #bethechange #everylittlebithelps #webelongtoeachother
View
Open
SPOILER ALERT: Valentine care packages for college kids ❤️💜💙

Sneaky moms gathered tonight over wine and snacks —each bringing a bunch of fun and Valentinesy things. Our creative and crafty hostess had picked up flat rate mailing boxes, tissue paper, stickers, gave us instructions, and let us gooooo! 

How cute are these!?! Thanking God for my village tonight. Sure couldn’t go this college road alone!

#valentinesday #collegecarepackage #sneakymom #spoileralert #momsnightout
View
Open
LET’s GOOOOOO Maryland! ❤️💛🖤

What a GAME, @terpswbb !!
@marylandcheer @marylandterrapins @testudo_umd @mightysoundofmd 🐢

#universityofmaryland #terpswbb #UMDcheer #umfpepband
View
Open
UPDATED for #SuperBowl2023 — for fans of the #footballgame and fans of the #superbowlcommercials !

Find the Super Bowl Party Pack in the shop: https://shop.teachmama.com/
View
Open
I’m hooked. 

Do you have a little hobby that’s keeping you sane right now? 

What is it? 

#crochetlove #amigurumi #cantstopme #newhobbywhodis
View
Open
Even if you have younger kids, take them to your local high school sporting events! 

There are so many reasons to take them, and it is bound to be a really fun night (or afternoon!). 

My three reasons are here —> 
https://teachmama.com/high-school-basketball-games-families-should-go/

#familyfun #makememories #featuredreel #familytime
View
Open
The ULTIMATE Valentine’s Day Class Party Plan shop.teachmama.com
View
Open
This makes me SO SAD, @washingtonpost !! 

We can’t dedicate ONE PAGE to our younger readers? 

My children and students LOVED the KidsPost. Thousands and thousands of folks in the DC Area and around the world loved it. Loved it. 

I do not understand this move. AT ALL. 

#washingtonpost #kidspost #teachersofIG #raiseareader #authenticreadingexperiences #nonfictionreads #getkidstoread
View
Open
Valentine crafts that are quick and GLUE-FREE are the big win for Valentine’s Day Class parties, right? Right! 

Tap the screen to let me know if these Origami Heart Necklaces would be a hit for your crew!

#Valentinesday #kidcrafts #classpartyideas #easyvalentinesdaycrafts

Copyright © 2023 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 11
2.6K shares