Write each letter of the alphabet on one side of an index card. Shuffle them and ask kindergartners to lay them on the table in order. A more advanced version of this game is to make a deck of cards that have a picture on one side (pictures can be hand-drawn or glued magazine clippings) representing each letter of the alphabet. Images should be as everyday and recognizable as possible. Ask students to place the cards in order according to the first letter of each picture name. For example, a card with a picture of an apple would precede a card with a picture of a ball.
Give kindergarten students a piece of paper with sentences that have a word missing. Students fill in the blank with a word of their choice and share them out loud in small groups. Sample sentences include: "Sal has a big _____ in his bag." "My dog put the _______ on the rug." Make rhyming phrases like this and assemble phrases into poems. For a more advanced version of this game, ask students to finish a phrase. One student starts a phrase, the next student adds one word, and each successive student adds another word. Phrases can be silly, and the challenge can be modified to correspond with a theme, a holiday or statements about a specific topic.
Draw a letter-of-the-week on a large piece of paper or poster board and ask children to bring in as many different pictures as they can that begin with that letter. Children also may bring in small objects, as long as the objects can be glued to the poster. The children also can make letter-of-the-week mobiles.
Put students in pairs and give each student a deck of alphabet cards -- one with pictures of animals and the other with letters. One student holds up a picture of an animal and the other student has to hold up the card depicting the first letter of the animal. This game is done silently--students use body language and non-verbal communication to provide feedback for each other.
Put students in pairs or small groups. One player says two words. If the words rhyme, the other players snap their fingers. If they do not rhyme, the players tap their heads. Players also can respond to words that have either the same or different beginning sounds, middle sounds or begin with the same letter.