Play an ABC Memory Game

What to Do:

1. Start by making the game cards. Cut the index cards in thirds width-wise to make 54 smaller cards.
2. Write the lower case letters of the alphabet on 26 of your cards and write the capital letters of the alphabet on another 26. Discard the two leftover cards.
3. Now play the game. Begin by deciding how many of the cards to use. If your child is still struggling to learn her letters, start with the ones she's best at recognizing. If she's confident with almost all of the letters, use them all at once. In either case, be sure to include both the lower and upper case versions of each letter you choose.
4. Shuffle the cards and have your child help you arrange them face down in rows.
5. If this is her first time playing memory, explain that the object of the game is to collect as many matching pairs of cards as possible. Encourage her to pay close attention to every letter she sees so that she'll remember its location if she sees its partner later.
6. Invite her to flip over any two cards. If they match (e.g. M and m), she keeps the pair and takes another turn. If they don't match (e.g. B and z), she must flip them back over and her turn ends.
7. Now it's your turn. Flip over any two cards. If you draw a matching pair, keep it and play again. If not, your turn is over.
8. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all of the letters are matched up. Every time she gets a pair, encourage her to say the sound of the letter out loud. Do the same when you get a pair. At the end of the game, the player with the most pairs wins.

Make the cards more fun and fancy by adding a little color. Have your child draw pictures that start with each letter on their corresponding cards and color them in.