A Letter "Puzzle" Game for New Kindergartners

There are simple things that parents can do to easily prepare their child for kindergarten success. Summer is a wonderful time to help young children get ready for September, by doing a fun academic activity each week.

In the next few weeks I’ll share with you kindergarten Language Arts or math activities that align with Common Core State Standards.

A reading/foundational skill for kindergarten is to recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Here is a simple activity to help your child learn this skill.

You will need:

• 26 index cards
• A black or brown crayon (I use a crayon, rather than a marker, so the ink does not bleed through the other side)
• A pair of scissors

Directions:

• On the left side of the card print one capital letter. On the right side of the card print the same letter in lowecase, leaving a 1- to 2-inch open space in the middle.
• When the printing is complete, you will need the scissors. Working with one card at a time, make a different and distinctive zigzagged, curved, or shaped cut in the middle of each card, between the uppercase and lowercase letters. You are essentially creating an individual puzzle piece for each partner letter.

To play the game:

• Help your child match the upper and lowercase letter puzzle pieces together. When together, line them up from A-a to Z-z and practice saying the letters. To increase the difficulty, randomly pick letter pairs out of sequence to identify. Let him play often until he can easily match and recognize both upper and lowercase letters.

These cards can be stored in a ziplock bag to be used again and again. They can also be taken to the beach, park, or pool for a quiet activity after swimming or playing.

> Get Ready for Kindergarten

> Kindergarten Academics: What To Expect