- word/color cards (three sets, each card has a color word and corresponding color dot)
- color
- match
MA Standards:
Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.3: Demonstrate beginning understanding of phonics and word analysis skills.
Head Start Outcomes:
Literacy Knowledge/Print Concepts and Conventions: Recognizes the association between spoken or signed and written words.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 7: Develop familiarity with the forms of alphabet letters, awareness of print, and letter forms.
Learn About Letters Together: Match Game
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Matching and Sorting, Speaking and Listening, Vocabulary
Educator Prep: Prepare color word cards (3 sets.) Use index cards to write the word and a corresponding color dot under the color word.
Spread the word cards in front of you so you can see the color word and dot. Tell children you are going to use the cards to play a color matching game with them.
- Pick up a card and read the card aloud. Ask a volunteer to find another card with the same color/word on it. Say, The two colors/words are the same, that’s a match! Continue with other cards.
Now tell children they are going to play the match game again, only this time you are going to turn the cards face down.
- Demonstrate how to play. Turn over one card and then turn over another one to see if it matches. Say, Is it a match? Explain that if it is a match, the child who turned over the cards gets to keep the cards until the end of the game. If it doesn’t match he or she has to turn the cards back over again.
- Have children take turns turning over the cards. Ask, Did you make a match? After everyone has had a chance to play, have children name all the color matches they turned over.
Adaptation: For younger children, you may wish to just have them match when cards are face up.