Mixing some season fun into learning the alphabet is a great way to make learning meaningful to wee ones.  This Christmas alphabet game is super simple – and could easily be changed to fit any theme, season, or learning activity!

To prepare this Christmas alphabet game I cut some Christmas trees out of green construction paper.  I chose some alphabet letters Sammy finds a bit tricky to recognize and wrote each letter on 2 Christmas trees.  When teaching Sammy his alphabet I started with letters that were meaningful to him – his name.  From there, we progressed into other family members names and sight words he wanted to learn.  Now we are left with about 6 or 7 letters that he still has trouble with.

We then glued a different button to the back of each tree.  I like making each card look slightly different when playing memory games with kids.  Remembering things using only visual-spatial skills (like typical memory games) is super tricky for preschoolers.  By adding in a visual reminder (“The letter J has a yellow button”) it helps them make that memory connection a bit easier.

Sammy actually played this matching game all on his self many times before we played together.  Truthfully, he preferred playing it solo.

To play this Christmas alphabet game he would flip over one card to reveal the letter.  Then he would flip over another card to see if it matched.  If not, he would turn them both over and start again.  It was cute to see him follow his own rule and make sure both cards were turned down before choosing his next card.  And the excitement!  My goodness, when a match was found it was quite the celebration!

We played with just capital alphabet letters.  But matching uppercase and lowercase letters would be another great activity for wee ones.  You could also match sight words, or numbers.  Addition and subtraction could be done by matching cards with the math problem on one and the answer on the other.

Adding in some Christmas fun is a great way to practice the alphabet.  This Christmas alphabet game is a great way to practice letters and a great way to teach some simple game skills.  Wee ones can practice on their own (teaching independent play) or with a friend or adult, working on turn taking and even strategy!

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