10 Super Fun Alphabet Games For Kids
The best way that kids learn is through play and by having fun. This is especially true when learning the alphabet. Learning the alphabet through play and by playing fun alphabet games is a great way to help kids remember the names, shapes, and sounds of the alphabet.
On this page, we have put together a list of our top 10 fun alphabet games for kids. These alphabet games are great for teaching kids about the names of the letters, letter recognition, and the phonics sounds of the alphabet make.
Best Alphabet Games For Kids
1. Alphabet Order Game
Top of our list of fun alphabet games for kids is the alphabet order game. One of the first things that kids learn about the alphabet is the names of the letters and the order of the letters. A great way to teach this is with the alphabet order game.
To play, first prepare some alphabet flashcards. If you don’t have any alphabet flashcards, you can download these alphabet flashcards for free.
Next, mix up the flashcards and give one to each student. Depending on the size of your class, you may need to give some students more than one flashcard. Once each student has an alphabet flashcard, the game can begin.
The idea of this alphabet game is simple. Play the alphabet song, and when the students hear their letter, they must stand up, show their flashcard, and shout the letter name out loud.
It may take the students some practice, but once they can follow along with the song, they will find this activity really fun. To make it even more fun, once students have mastered this activity at normal speed, you can speed up the song and see if they can keep up.
2. Alphabet Line Bingo
This next fun alphabet game can be used to practice the names of the letters or the alphabet sounds. To play, you’ll need some small alphabet flashcards. These small alphabet flashcards are perfect for this game.
This game is best played with 6 to 8 letters at a time. For example, you may wish to first play with letters A to H. Give each student, or pair of students, a set of small alphabet flashcards and ask them to arrange them in a horizontal line in any order they wish.
Once students have made a line with their cards, the game can begin. First, call out a letter of the alphabet, or a sound if you are teaching the letter sounds. Then, the students should look at their cards and find where that letter is.
If the letter is on the left or right end of the line of cards, then the student can turn that letter over. If the letter is in the middle of the line of cards, then they cannot turn it over.
Next, call out another letter and students should again see if that letter is at either end of their line of cards. The first student to turn over all their alphabet cards is the winner. Then, to play again, ask students to mix up their cards and make a new line.
This alphabet game for kids is a lot of fun and can be played with all letters of the alphabet over a few lessons as you teach 6 – 8 letters at a time. To download more alphabet and phonics flashcards for this game, including some CVC flashcards, visit our alphabet flashcards page.
3. Alphabet Sound Game
This next game is a fun alphabet game for kids which can be used to teach the alphabet sounds, the letter names, and the alphabet order.
To play this game, simply show the above video in class. In this game, the alphabet train will go by and show 5 letters of the alphabet. As the train goes by, ask students to call out the names of the letters. Or, if you are teaching the alphabet sounds, ask students to call out the phonics word on the card.
Next, the train will go by again, but this time there will be a letter missing. The students must then tell the teach which letter / alphabet sound is missing.
This alphabet game is a lot of fun and kids really love it. Especially when they get the answer right. The above game is for teaching the alphabet letters A to Z. If you would like to play this game for CVC words, check out our phonics train game page.
4. Alphabet Whisper Game
This alphabet game requires little to no preparation and is a super fun way to practice the alphabet letter names.
To play, first write the letters of the alphabet that you are teaching on the board. Then divide the class into two teams and have them line up in front of the board. Give the student at the front of each line a board eraser and then stand at the end of the line furthest away from the board.
To begin, whisper or show a letter of the alphabet to one student from each team. Then, when the teacher says ‘Go!’ the students should whisper the letter of the alphabet to the student next in line on their team. And then that student should whisper to the next student. And so on down the line.
Once the student at the front of the line hears the letter of the alphabet, they should race to board to erase that letter before the other team does. The first team to erase the letter gets a point for their team. Next, the student at the front of the line should go to the back of the line, and then the game can start again.
5. Alphabet Sound Guessing Game
This next game is a fun activity to review the sounds of the letters of the alphabet. In this game, students will see a letter of the alphabet and then will see a drawing of an object that starts with that letter.
Students must try to guess what it is before the time runs out.
The above video is just one example of this alphabet game. This game is available for free for all letters, A to Z, on our Phonics Alphabet Games page.
These games are best played once students already have some knowledge of the alphabet and the sounds of the letters. A great way to use these activities is to play one game at the start of each lesson to review the phonics sounds they have learned previously.
6. Alphabet Memory Game
This next alphabet game idea is great for teaching the alphabet sounds and names of the letters. For this game, all you need is some alphabet flashcards.
To play this game, first show one of the alphabet flashcards to the students and drill the name and sound of that letter. Next, find something in the classroom which starts with that letter and place the card next to it. For example, with the letter b you might want to place it next to a book or a bag in the classroom.
Once you have placed approximately 6 to 8 cards around the classroom, the game can begin. Say one of the letters of the alphabet and ask students to try to remember where the card is. As they try to remember they will be recalling the name of the letter and the sound of the letter.
Once students have found all the letters, play the game again with the next 6 to 8 cards.
7. Alphabet Relay Race Game
An fun alphabet game you can play to teach the order of the alphabet is the alphabet relay race game. For this game, all you need is some alphabet flashcards, or even better, some magnetic letters of the alphabet.
To play, first prepare 2 sets of alphabet cards/magnets and place them in two piles in front of the board. Then, divide the class into 2 teams. The aim of the game is to place the alphabet in the correct order on the board as fast as possible.
To begin, line the students up in two teams at the end of the classroom furthest from the board. You may need to clear the desks, bags, etc, for safety. Next, place the letter A on the board for both teams and ask them what the next letter of the alphabet is (b).
Then, say ‘Go!’ and one student from each team should run to their pile of letters and find the letter b and place it on the board. After placing it on the board, the student should run back to their team and tag in the next student. That student should run and try to find the letter c.
The first team to place all the letters of the alphabet on the board in the correct order is the winner.
8. Alphabet Hidden Picture Game
This next alphabet game for kids is a fun alphabet PowerPoint Game. In this game, there are pictures of objects beginning with each letter of the alphabet hidden behind some colored shapes.
Click on the colored shapes to make them disappear. As they disappear, the kids should try to guess what it is and what letter of the alphabet it represents.
This game is a great way to review the alphabet initial sounds and the names of the letters of the alphabet. Download this alphabet PowerPoint game for free. For more hidden picture PowerPoint games on other English topics, check out our Hidden Picture PowerPoint Game page.
9. Alphabet Writing Practice
Once students have learned the names and sounds of the alphabet, they need to learn how to write the alphabet.
A fun way to do this is to use this alphabet practice video. This alphabet practice video shows students how to write the alphabet in both uppercase letters and lowercase letters.
To make this more fun, ask students to stand up out of their seats and to use their finger to draw the letters in the air. As they do, ask students to call out the number of strokes (1, 2, 3) as they write the letters. Once students can do it well, speed up the video in YouTube (click on the gear icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video) and see if students can keep up.
When students are ready, you can use these alphabet tracing worksheets to practice writing the letters of the alphabet.
10. Find The Alphabet Shape Game
This last alphabet game idea for kids is a fantastic way to boost your students’ alphabet letter recognition skills.
To play, take students outside/around the school and ask students to try to find things in the playground/school which have a similar shape to letters of the alphabet. For example, students might see a clock on the wall and recognize that the clock has a similar shape to the letter O.
If possible, the best way to do this activity is to have students take pictures with a camera of all the letter shapes they find. Then after the activity they can share with the class.
How Many Letters Are In The Alphabet?
Before you teach these alphabet games, your students will likely want to know how many letters there are in the alphabet. In the modern English alphabet, there are 26 letters. These consist of 21 consonants and 5 vowels. The 26 letters of the alphabet are a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, and z.
More Alphabet Resources
Thanks for reading. I hope you found some fun alphabet game ideas for your next class. Before you go, check out our other free resources for teaching the alphabet and phonics:
