With a tape of the song "Who Let the Dogs Out?" playing in the background, provide a child with a pointer and a poster with all of the letters listed in alphabetical order. Sing "Who let the (insert letter name) out?" and have the child point out the letter on the poster board. For help with the song, watch the video "Who Let the Alphabet Out."
Use chalk to write the letters of the alphabet on the sidewalk. Call out a letter and let students race to be the first one to throw their beanbag on the identified letter, then ask the class to repeat the name of the letter. A variation of this game requires a child to throw a beanbag on any letter. As the beanbag lands, the child or his partner calls out the name of the letter.
Play matching games that involve upper-case and lower-case magnetic letters and a small metal board. One variation requires the students to match the upper and lower cases to one another. In another variation, someone names a letter and the child finds the letter and places it on the metal board. A different matching game requires 20 index cards. Ten of the cards have a capital letter written on them. The lower-case equivalent of each capital is written on the remaining 10 cards, one letter per card. Shuffle the cards and place them upside down on the table. Each child takes a turn flipping two cards, trying to find matching upper- and lower-case letters. When a match is made, the child identifies the letter and keeps the cards. If no match is made, the two letters are turned upside down again. The child with the most matches wins the game.
Use technology to help children learn to recognize letter sounds. Clifford Interactive Storybook and Reader Rabbit are two examples of many games that use interactive learning to teach and reinforce the letter shapes and sounds. Video games are available online and on CDs.
Bingo is often used to teach concepts, including letter recognition. Use 8 1/2-by-10-inch tag board to make a bingo card. Draw a 5-by-5 grid on the card with a marker. Cover the grid with clear contact paper. Write one letter of the alphabet in each square on the grid. You can mark the center square with the word "Free" or write another letter of the alphabet in it. Write one letter of the alphabet on 26 index cards. Shuffle the cards and call out the letters. Students cover any letters they have with a bean or a square of paper. The game is won by getting five in a row. If more than one child plays, scramble the order of the letters on each card.