Educational Focus
Children practice matching pictures and letters.
Skills: Identify letters, enhance visual and concentration skills.
Level 1: Match picture to picture.
Level 2: Match pictures to the first letter of the matching word.
Level 3: Match letter to letter.

Together Time Tips
Learning the ABCs can be both challenging and a lot of fun. Here are a few “together time” ideas for you and your child. Enjoy!

MY LETTER COLLAGE
Here’s what you will need:

• A newspaper or magazine 
• Magic marker or highlighter   
• Scissors   
• A piece of paper   
• Glue

Have your child select a favourite letter for a collage. Look through old newspapers or magazines for pictures that begin with that letter. For example, if your child selects the letter “D” look for pictures of a dog, doll, duck, etc. Cut the pictures out and have your child paste them on a blank piece of paper to make a ‘letter collage’.

SOUND GRAB BAG
Here’s what you will need: 

• A set of cards with all the letters written on them 
• Small bag   
• Timer or watch with a second hand

Put the letters into a bag. Tell your child that you want to see how many sounds he/she can identify in one minute. Set the timer and have your child reach into the bag and pull out one card and say the sound. Continue for one minute. Count the sounds your child correctly identified. Play again and again. As your child's skill improves, ask them to name words that start with the letter grabbed from the bag. Happy Grabbing!

LETTER SWAP
Here’s what you will need:

• Construction paper
• Magic markers and crayons
• Scissors

Cut out at least 10 squares from construction paper and write a different letter on each square. Put 5 squares in front of your child and 5 in front of you. Pick a letter from your pile. Have your child identify the letter. If your youngster has given the correct answer, give him/her the square. Take turns. Request a letter from your child’s pile. Continue letter swapping. Try playing this game with words. Have fun!

Rewards
Your child deserves a reward for his/her efforts. Each time your child completes 3 screens a reward awaits – a star. As your child progresses and completes more screens, the number of stars grows and grows. Your child can accumulate up to 12 stars. A screen is considered “completed” after your child matches all the objects in the screen. Please note: The stars will continue to accumulate even if you decide to change the difficulty level for your child.

Help
In level 1, help your child match pictures. In level 2, match each picture card to a card with the first letter of the matching word. In level 3, match letters. Remind your child to concentrate on where each card is so that they can match the cards as easily and quickly as possible.