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Letter Matching Game

Run the Letter Matching Game Fullscreen

About This MicroSim

This interactive game helps kindergarten students learn to recognize and match uppercase letters with their lowercase partners. Students click on an uppercase letter card, then click on its matching lowercase letter to form a pair.

How to Play

  1. Click on any letter card to select it (it will turn gold)
  2. Click on the matching letter in the other row (uppercase to lowercase or vice versa)
  3. Matched pairs turn green and show a connecting line
  4. Complete all matches to see the celebration!

Controls

  • New Game Button: Start a fresh game with shuffled letters
  • Pairs Slider: Adjust difficulty by changing the number of letter pairs (4-8)

Embedding This MicroSim

You can include this MicroSim on your website using the following iframe:

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/reading-for-kindergarten/sims/letter-matching-game/main.html" height="502px" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Learning Objectives

This MicroSim supports the following learning objectives from the course:

Remember (Knowledge)

  • Recognize all 26 letters of the alphabet (uppercase and lowercase)

Understand (Comprehension)

  • Demonstrate understanding that uppercase and lowercase letters represent the same sound

Apply (Application)

  • Associate uppercase letters with their lowercase counterparts

Lesson Plan

Introduction (2 minutes)

  • Explain that letters come in two forms: "big letters" (uppercase) and "small letters" (lowercase)
  • Show examples of a few letter pairs (A/a, B/b, C/c)

Guided Practice (5 minutes)

  • Demonstrate how to play the game with students watching
  • Click an uppercase letter and ask students which lowercase letter matches
  • Complete 2-3 matches together

Independent Practice (10 minutes)

  • Let students play individually or in pairs
  • Start with 4 pairs for beginners, increase to 6-8 as skills improve
  • Encourage students to say the letter name when they click it

Assessment

  • Observe which letters students match quickly vs. struggle with
  • Note accuracy (score vs. attempts ratio)
  • Identify specific letter pairs that need more practice

Extensions

  • Challenge: Complete the game with the fewest attempts
  • Verbal Practice: Say the letter name and sound when matching
  • Writing Connection: After matching, practice writing the letter pair

Educational Notes

This game reinforces letter recognition through:

  • Visual Discrimination: Students must distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letter forms
  • Color Coding: Uppercase letters appear in blue, lowercase in coral, helping students categorize
  • Immediate Feedback: Green highlighting confirms correct matches
  • Progressive Difficulty: The slider allows scaffolding from 4 to 8 pairs
  • Celebration: Positive reinforcement when all matches are complete

Tips for Teachers

  1. Start Simple: Begin with 4 pairs until students understand the game
  2. Focus on Tricky Letters: Some pairs are harder (b/d, p/q, g/q) - use the game to identify which need extra practice
  3. Pair Work: Have students work in pairs, taking turns choosing letters
  4. Verbalization: Encourage saying letter names aloud to reinforce audio-visual connection