Letter A Games for Kids

Tiny Steps With Letter A Games

What’s the first thing you teach your kids in the English alphabet? The letter ‘A,’ of course. 

And that’s not because it’s the first letter, but because learning the letter ‘A’ and its various sounds is the first step to putting together simple and complex words. 

Help your kid take their first steps in the English alphabet with SplashLearn’s letter recognition and reading games!
 

Alphabet Learning Starts With The Letter A!

You don’t need us to tell you how vital a role ‘A’ plays in reading, writing, and spelling. Isn't that already quite evident? But just to shake things up, let’s look at why ‘A’ is important:

• The sound: ‘A’ has several possible sounds, and each has an accompanying rule. At this stage, encourage your child to appreciate and practice the short vowel sound ‘ah.’
• Most words in the English language have an ‘a’ in them. What would we ever do without it?

While learning the letter ‘A,’ focus on which stages your child can manage best – recognition, verbalizing or calling out the letter, or free recall. It will help you gauge your child’s comfort with the letter and sound.

Fun Ways to Learn the Letter A

The best learning occurs when children enjoy it. Here are some fun letter A games that can build some great skills:

• Word jumble: Use cut-outs of apples and write the letters of the alphabet randomly. Place them in a basket and ask your child to pick out the ‘A’ apples. This is a great way to practice letter recognition and also go over the sounds once. (The letter ‘A’ is for ‘apple.’)

Note: Avoid jumbling upper and lower-case letters, or your child may feel confused.

• Trace me out: This is a simple yet fun exercise for your child to practice writing the letter. Take a plastic sheet and draw an apple, avocado, or alligator. Any picture that starts with the letter ‘A’ will work well. Draw the outline of a capital or small ‘A’ on this sheet. Ask your child to go over the letter using his finger, a brush, or even some clay. This will help the image stick in your child’s memory.
• Letter hunt: Take your child to the supermarket and stroll down the aisle. Read all the packages on the way and ask your child to point out all the ‘A’s they can see – big and small. You can ask them to keep count and let you know the final tally at the end of the shopping trip.
• The ‘ah’ Clap: This game is a high-energy exercise that helps build the sound of the letter A. Do note that the short ‘A’ sound ‘ah’ is also present in the clap. Help your child recognize this too. Read out a series of words. The moment your child hears an ‘ah’ sound (e.g., apple, ant), they need to clap. Once your child gets the hang of this, you can read the words out faster. Make this one step more challenging by expecting a response even when the sound is in the middle of the world (hang, clap, sat).
• Online Letter games: Find a diverse range of online games and activities at Splash Learn that can help you find the letter A that’s hiding, identify words with the letter A, or pick words with the sound.

Best Time to Teach the Letter A

Each child has a different learning pace, and sooner or later, your child, too, will tell you when they are ready to learn their letters and sounds. 

Kindergarten is the perfect grade to introduce letters to your child. It may take a considerable amount of time for your child to get familiar with letter recognition before you can move on to sounds. ‘A’ being the first of the taught letters may be easier for your child to master.

When teaching the letter ‘A,’ remember to take it slow. All children pick up and learn things using different cues. Use sounds, sights, and movements to create a holistic learning plan.

Most importantly, remember to stay on the topic for a few days and don’t rush the process. Children need extensive practice before they can get comfortable with things.

Make SplashLearn Your Alphabet Buddy

Splashlearn’s educational resources can make for a very dynamic learning experience for concepts like the English alphabet. 

With our letter A games, you can help your child explore the wonderful world of the alphabet and get started with the letter ‘A’!