Overview: The following alphabet fishing game is a fun way for children to practice identifying and matching the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Fifty-two letter cards are provided in this set. Two extra cards are provided that do not have any letters printed on them. These two cards can be glued and laminated together to create a coin. To decide who goes first between two players, students can call "fish" or "worm" while tossing the coin. A card with the game title and directions for play as well as possible modifications are included.

Recommended Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, First

Objective(s): Students will be able to...

  1. Match upper- and lowercase letters.

Materials:

Alphabet Fishing Game Cards

Directions for Alphabet Fishing Game:

  • Using a color printer, print alphabet fishing cards on heavy paper.
  • Cut out and laminate cards. *If using last two blank cards, glue them together before laminating to create game "coin".
  • Attach a small paperclip to each letter card.
  • Water to place the fish and worms into can be made by cutting a blue plastic (disposable) table cloth to look like a small pond.

Make Fishing Rods:

Using a dowel rod or a stick from outside, tie a piece of fishing line or yarn to one end of the rod. Tie and/or hot glue the other end of the fishing line to a small magnet.

Play Alphabet Fishing Game:

  • Begin game with all cards facing up (pictures showing) in the “water”.
  • Using a fishing rod, player 1 picks up a fish card.
  • Player reads the letter on the card.
  • Player then tries to locate the matching letter on one of the worm cards.
  • Player reads the letter on the worm card.
  • If player finds a match, s/he gets to keep both cards. If player does not find a match, both cards are put back into the “water”.
  • Process is repeated with Player 2, Player 3, etc. and then back to player 1.
  • Once all cards have been captured, the player with the most matches wins.

Possible Modifications/Accommodations:

  • Provide matches for only half of the alphabet.
  • Play with cards facing down (images not showing) to add a memory component.
  • Play with just one set of cards (all fish or all worms) and fish for their alphabetical order.
  • Make vowels bonus cards that award a player an extra turn.
  • For each match, have players name a word that begins or ends with that letter.

Common Core Alignment:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.D Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.