Valentine’s Day Beginning Sound Find and Cover Letter Mats
Grab these cute free Valentine’s Day Beginning Sound Find and Cover Letter Mats to engage your students in identifying beginning sounds & letters.
Valentine’s Day Beginning Sound Find and Cover Letter Mats
Grab this free printable for a fun valentine’s activity. Your students will love identifying the picture and the beginning sound, then finding the matching letter in the candy jar! This alphabet activity would be great for a small group or a whole class practice resource.
Practice letter recognition with this candy-themed learning activity! Your kindergarten students will get the opportunity to practice uppercase and lowercase letter identification on these fun Valentine mats!
The free printable has 2 candy jars covered with letters and 2 sets of picture cards. The students will draw a picture card and identify the picture. Then, they will sound out the word and isolate the beginning sound and place a manipulative on the letter matching that sound.
This alphabet game is a fun way for students to isolate and identify the beginning sounds in words and match the sounds to the letters. It is hands-on and will keep your students engaged. You will want to write this one in your lesson plans!
Quick Prep Letter Activity
This candy heart letter activity is super easy to prep and get ready for your students to use. All you need to do is print them and slide them into a write-and-wipe pocket or laminate them for durability. They could easily be printed in black and white if you need to save ink!
With prep this simple, you’ll be saving time and making the most of your planning period. Plus, you can pull these out at any time of the year, especially during the busy winter months.
Add this phonics activity to your literacy centers, small groups, or even have students play in partners or independently. The possibilities are endless! As your students complete this letter identification activity, they’ll practice saying words, identifying the beginning sound, and matching the picture to the correct letter on the game mat, covering it with their game piece.
Setting Up the Valentine’s Day Beginning Sound Find and Cover Letter Mats
Supplies Needed:
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- Valentine’s Match and Cover Letter Mats with Picture Cards (button to get the printable is at the bottom of this post)
- Small manipulatives like mini erasers or candy hearts
- Write and wipe pockets (optional)
- Binder ring for picture cards (optional)
Instructions:
- Print the mats and picture cards.
- Slide the mats into write and wipe pockets OR laminate them.
- Cut the picture cards and store in a baggie or place them on a binder ring
- Gather manipulatives, such as buttons, mini erasers, etc.
- Store the entire activity in a colorful tray or large zipper baggie.
Playing the Valentine Candy Letter Match
The directions are straightforward, and your students will be able to play independently in no time. Students begin by flipping over a picture card from the pile. Then, they will look at the picture and determine the beginning sound of the word shown on the picture card.
Next, they will find the corresponding letter of the alphabet in the candy jar and cover it with their manipulative. Play continues until all of the spaces on the mat are covered.
Differentiating the Letter Sounds Game
This find and cover activity is easy to differentiate to meet the needs of your students as well. If you have students who need more practice with letter identification, you can use letter magnets, letter beads, or another alphabet manipulative. Using these to cover the letters gives them extra exposure to what the letter looks like and what sound it makes.
You can also place the letter magnets or letter manipulatives in a pile or a container and have students draw one, find the corresponding letter on the web, and then cover it with a button or game piece. This eliminates the use of the picture cards, making it a bit easier as they focus only on the letter.
You can also differentiate by giving students the lowercase or uppercase mat, depending on what they need the most practice with. These Valentine’s day alphabet mats are so versatile for your classroom!
Another great way to differentiate would be to have the students use play dough to make little candies to cover the letters. This gives them a fine motor and sensory option to help strengthen their fine motor muscles!
I can’t wait for your students to try this Valentine’s day themed match and cover activity! I think there will be a lot of fun learning happening in your classroom this winter as they master their beginning sounds skills!
Click the button below to grab your free copy of the Valentine’s Day Beginning Sound Find and Cover Letter Activity.
Here are some more fun Valentine’s Day activities for kids!
Editable Valentine’s Day Word Work Board Game
Editable Valentine’s Day Board Game
Editable Valentine’s Day Write the Room
Valentine’s Day Beginning Sounds Write the Room
Valentine’s Day Count the Room
Valentine’s Day Pattern Block Mats
Editable Valentine’s Day Secret Code Word Cards
Heart Roll, Cover, and Write Mats