Alphabet Sound Bingo is a fun game for the entire class. Played much like the traditional version, this game reinforces pupils' knowledge of letters and sounds. Many educator supply stores have this type of game in stock, but teachers can make their own version using card stock. Free cards are also available for download at the website Bingo Card Creator. Each child gets a card and some bingo chips. The teacher says a sound, like "m-m-m-m." Pupils place a chip on the letter "M" if it appears on their card. This helps kindergartners learn letter/sound association. As a challenging variation, teachers can show a picture of an object like a cat, and pupils have to identify the beginning sound as a "C" on their card.
This listening game focuses on sound recognition. The teacher calls out two words. If both words begin with the same sound, pupils hold up their thumbs to indicate "yes." If the words do not begin with the same sound, pupils signal "no" with their thumbs down.
Musical Sounds is a fun variation of Musical Chairs. Ten pupils play at a time. The teacher places 10 chairs at the front of the room. She places a piece of construction paper with a letter of the alphabet written on it in each chair. The children march around the chairs while the music plays. When the music stops, every child sits in a chair. The teacher calls out a sound; students check the letter in their chair and stand up if they have the letter that matches the sound. The pupil with the correct letter goes to his seat, and another classmate comes up to take his place, giving everybody a turn.
The Web has many alphabet sound games that are easy for kindergarten students to navigate. Starfall, ABCya and Learning Planet are among the education websites with interactive activities that help pupils practice letter/sound correspondence. Children match letters to objects that begin with the targeted sound or click on letters to hear sounds.