parfaite maman imparfaite blog  Marja Monette Milette | La parfaite maman imparfaite

I’ve always found that it’s easier to learn while having fun. When I was in primary school, it was so much easier to memorize vocabulary through songs, and multiplication tables through games. This made “the task” a lot more enjoyable, with homework and lessons being much less of a chore.

In this post, I wanted to talk about a handful of letter games that makes memorizing the alphabet fun. Many of these ABC games can be adapted to your child’s level (e.g. word labels).

Alphabet soup

There’s no better way to learn the alphabet than by making a good soup! Start by filling a large bowl with water, and add a set of foam letters (these will float to the top). Write down the 26 letters of the alphabet on a card. That’s all! You’re now ready to play!

Children must use a spoon to scoop up the letter that matches the one on the card— an activity that demands good observation and fine motor skills. The same game can also be played with words. But, make sure you have duplicate letters in the bowl.

alphabet soup

Endless words

Place the 26 letters of the alphabet into a small pouch or container. The aim of the game is simple. One player picks out a letter. The other players take turns to name a word beginning with that letter. The player who can’t think of a word is left with the letter. The one with the fewest letters is the winner.

Memory game

Here’s a really simple and fun way to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters. Write down each letter in uppercase and lowercase on small cards (52 in total). Divide them into two or three piles to make the activity even easier.

Just make sure you keep some letter pairs together. Randomly place the cards face-down on the table. Each player takes it in turns to turn over two cards. If the two letters are the same (uppercase and lowercase), the player gets to keep them both and repeat the process. The one with the most pairs is the winner.

Odd one out

Place three different objects on the table, with two of them starting with the same letter. The child must choose the odd one out (the object that starts with a different letter from the other two).

 ABC games