Save half-gallon milk cartons to create this game. Once you have collected 26, cut the tops off to create square cardboard boxes with an open top. Cover each box with contact or construction paper. Label each box with a different letter. Next, locate pictures of farmyard animals and equipment. Using the computer or a photo copier, size each picture to roughly 4 by 5 inches. If your students can identify what letter an object starts with simply by looking at the object, you do not need to add anything to the picture. If your students are just developing language skills, you may want to spell out the name of the object to assist them in completing the activity. Once you have labeled your pictures appropriately, laminate them.
Allow a student or small group of students to complete the match up. Lay the cartons out in a row and give the stack of laminated pictures to the participants. Instruct students to sort the pictures, putting each picture in the corresponding jug. Reward student effort with a piece of candy or a plastic farm animal figurine. Add a competitive edge by allowing teams to take turns attempting the challenge and time their efforts.
Students use their tactile identification skills to sort letters in this easy-to-create game. All you need to complete the game is a bandanna (or other swatch of fabric which you can use as a blindfold) and cardboard letters. Create your letters with old computer paper boxes by tracing block letters onto the cardboard. Letters of roughly a foot tall usually work best for this activity.
One at a time, invite your students to be blindfolded and put to the test. Blindfold the student volunteer and then hand him the letters one at a time. Allow him to feel the letter and guess which letter it is aloud. Have the class respond with a "yes" or a "no," or ask them to use the "higher/lower" technique and tell him if he needs to go up or down in the alphabet.
Turn it into a race by allowing each student an allotted amount of time to identify as many letters as he can. Students will rush in an attempt to identify as many of the 26 letters as possible.