Find Your Partner
This activity helps children recognize both upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet and match them together. Your child can also become familiar with the sounds each letter makes.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
- set of uppercase alphabet cards (either purchased or made from index cards)
- set of lowercase alphabet cards
LET'S PLAY
Make two sets of cards using index cards or cardstock–one with the uppercase alphabet and one with the lowercase alphabet. Write one letter of the alphabet on each card.
Lay the uppercase set of cards out in alphabetical order. Hand the child a letter from the lowercase set, and have him match the letter to its uppercase counterpart. You can say something like: “Here is the lowercase letter c. He lost his partner, the uppercase C. Can you help him find his partner? What sound does a C make?”
Incorporating pretend play makes this activity more fun and engaging. You can demonstrate how to use a bigger, deeper voice to represent an uppercase letter and a quieter, higher voice to represent a lowercase letter. For example, “Hi, I’m lowercase c!” (using high voice) and “Hi, I’m uppercase C!” (using low voice), as if the letters are introducing themselves to each other when you find a match. Or you can pretend to speak as the lowercase letter, for example, “I’m little lowercase c and I can’t find my big brother, uppercase C! Uppercase C… where are you? There you are, I found you!”
When your child matches upper- and lowercase letters, provide encouragement to your child by saying “You found it!”
TIPS
- In the beginning, it’s helpful to start with letters that have easily recognizable partners, such as C/c, K/k, T/t, O/o, S/s. Gradually add in more difficult letters with less recognizable partners (B/b, R/r, D/d, etc.).
- If child is able to match the uppercase and lowercase letters and provide the correct sound, you can make this activity more challenging by asking your child to name a word that begins with the letter.
- You may want to start with a smaller set of letter pairs if your child is overwhelmed by looking at all the letters at once.
- Some children may find it helpful to have an alphabet poster or print-out for reference.
- To make this activity more challenging, the letters can be placed in a random, non-alphabetical order.
