Alphabet and letter recognition games make teaching easier and learning fun. This simple alphabet leprechaun game will have your little lad and lasses skipping to their literacy centers this St. Patrick’s Day.
The best part? It has FIVE different types of literacy games to work on a variety of literacy skills! I love that you get so many learning opportunities embedded into one adorable game!
FREE Printable Alphabet Game for St. Patrick’s Day
Top o’ the mornin’ to ya! It’s time to pull out the four-leaf clovers, lucky charms, gold coins and mischievous little leprechauns. St. Patrick’s Day activities in the classroom are so much fun for little learners. And, for the grown-ups teaching them, too!
It’s time to add some Irish flare to all of your centers and learning activities! Your kiddos might even find the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
As I turn my classroom green and gold, I love to offer LOTS of engaging early literacy learning activities at my centers. It is an ongoing mission in preschool for kids to grow in their literacy skills. Of course, they are at a variety of levels of understanding. Because of this, it is important that we offer different types of literacy activities for kids.
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Preschoolers need lots of practice to really learn the alphabet, differentiate between uppercase and lowercase letters, learn letter sounds, and to start to apply these skills to print and the world around them.
Alphabet games are one of the fun ways to teach the alphabet to your little leprechauns.
I don’t know about you, but I can never have enough printable alphabet games for my preschoolers.
Here I am, scrolling through Pinterest saving every last alphabet activity I can find. Because, it seems, due to my years of teaching, I seem to have become a hoarder. Of printables, that is. (My kitchen counter tops still remain empty except for a wooden cutting board and a square fruit bowl that fits perfectly in the corner).
Good thing printables don’t take up a lot of physical space! Ha, ha!
But in all seriousness, I do have a growing library of printable alphabet games because you never know when one game is going to help that one preschooler make that “light bulb” connection. I like to search for new ideas but I love making them even more!
So, for St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve added another alphabet printable to my digital files. And let me tell you, my preschool boys are adoring it.
But the best thing of all is that this one printable has so many alphabet games you can play with it! So, you’re sure to find an alphabet game or activity that will help that one preschooler in just the right way.
FAQ’s on How to Teach the Alphabet to Preschoolers
Preschoolers need a lot of exposure to the alphabet. They need explicit instruction as well as plenty of indirect alphabet instruction.
That’s where letter knowledge builds through playful and natural activities in day to day life. To start teaching your preschooler the alphabet, try these things:
~ Read lots and lots of picture books!
~ Point out print around you.
~ Teach your child the letters of his name.
~ Teach each letter explicitly.
~ Do lots of whole alphabet activities, too.
~ Do hands-on alphabet activities.
~ Sing letter songs.
The alphabet should not be taught in alphabetical order. Teaching the alphabet in order puts a big focus on those beginning letters. Those are probably going to be the ones that your child sees and remembers most, since that Alphabet Song is so catchy!
Instead, teach the letters in order of how frequently they appear easily decodable words. Letters like s, t, r, m, n, a, o, and p should be taught first. These are “high-frequency” letters and emphasis on these letters first will allow children to quickly start reading simple words.
Many preschool alphabet activities that are done in the classroom can also be done at home. Beginning sound activities like these Beginning Sound Picture Seek Mats are a good option, as well as these Beginning Sound Fill-in Cards and these Year Long Alphabet Find and Circle Worksheets.
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Leprechaun Hat Alphabet Game for Preschoolers
You know I love a printable that can be used in multiple ways. This one is no different. With just one printable (thanks for saving trees and ink), you can play five different alphabet games. From basic letter matching to letter recognition and identification and even to beginning sounds work, let me show you all the activities!
Materials
The Set-Up
Print the leprechaun game on heavy cardstock.
Directions to make the leprechaun hat are in the printable. It’ll take just a minute. Cut out the alphabet cards.
Leprechaun Hat Alphabet Game – Letter Call
Set out the alphabet cards in order. Call out a letter and invite your preschooler to place the leprechaun hat on top of the letter. If your preschooler is overwhelmed by having all 26 letters out at once, then select a handful to focus on at once.
After a letter has been called out and identified, it can be removed and set aside. Then replace that letter in the set with another.
Leprechaun Hat Alphabet Game – Matching Letters
This game will require two copies of the printable. Set out a few letters for your preschooler to identify. Then, place the leprechaun hat on one of those letters and invite your preschooler to find the matching letter from the second set.
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Leprechaun Hat Alphabet Game – Name Spelling
Play the letter call game above but use only the letters in your preschooler’s name. First, offer the letters all mixed up, but call them out in order and have your preschooler place them in the correct order as she adds the hat to each letter.
Leprechaun Hat Alphabet Game – Hide and Guess
Set out a few letters in alphabetical order. Invite your preschooler to identify each one. Then, have your preschooler close his eyes as you cover one of the letters. Then, have him open his eyes and identify the hidden letter.
Leprechaun Hat Alphabet Game – Beginning Sounds
Play the letter call game but instead of saying letter names use letter sounds. Or, even take it one step further and call out a word and have your preschooler place the hat on the leprechaun with the corresponding letter sound.
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Get Your FREE Leprechaun Hat Alphabet Game
This is a simple and fun alphabet printable for preschoolers. With the five ideas above, it is an easy way to differentiate your instruction to meet the needs of each and every child. You will get tons of use out of this since it offers the five game options all in one place!
Add this to your St. Patrick’s Day lesson plans and watch your little leprechauns grow in their alphabet and literacy skills. All while having a wee lot o’ FUN!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and your preschoolers! Wishing you a pot o’ gold and all the joy your heart can hold!
Now, grab your free printable by clicking the image below.
Then keep reading for more free printables and alphabet activities for preschoolers.
Looking for More Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers?
Want More Letter Identification Activities?
I’ve got a ton of ideas for you. Just click the images to read the corresponding post!
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
