Give each child a pile of tokens and a board with 25 cells arranged in five columns and five rows. In one version, boards contain one letter in each cell, in a random order. As the teacher reads each letter in the alphabet, the child places tokens on the cells containing the specified letters. In another version, the teacher reads short words, emphasizing the initial letters; each child places tokens on cells containing the initial letters in the specified words. The first child to fill up a row or column with tokens wins.
In another version, the board is again 5 by 5, but the child is given a pile of tiles rather than tokens. The tiles and the cells on the board might contain individual letters, or they might contain words. The child matches each tile to a cell on the board. The first child to fill up a row or column with tiles wins.
Give each child a pile of tiles containing individual letters, and a board with a crossword puzzle on it. Each word on the board is missing only one letter; and there is a picture near each word depicting the meaning of the word. The child needs to complete the words on the board using the tiles given to him. The first child to complete his board wins.
The board contains red, blue, yellow, and green squares. The child rolls a die to determine how many squares to move. When a child lands on a square, he picks up a card in a matching color. Red cards contain a picture and a word missing the initial or final letter; the child identifies the missing letter. Blue cards contain a picture and a complete word; the child finds a word that rhymes with the word on the card. Yellow cards contain a picture and 3 short disparate words; the child selects the word corresponding to the picture. Green cards contain a single letter; the child thinks of a word beginning with that letter. If the child does not answer correctly, he has to start over. The first person to travel around the board wins.
The board contains a string of squares, with each square containing a letter. The child throws a die to determine how many squares to move. When a child lands on a square, he points to or gets an object in the room beginning with the letter on the square. For example, if the square contained a "b," the child might get a book. Children who do not answer correctly have to start over. The first person to travel around the board wins.