Alphabet Hide and Seek: School

Recommended Grade Level:

Preschool kindergarten

Type of Resource: PDF

Number of Pages: 28

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Coordinating Resources:

School Alphabet Hide and Seek

26 uppercase letter cards on schools in color and black and white
26 lowercase letter cards on schools in color and black and white
8 school buses hiding cards in color and black and white
4 recording sheets (2 uppercase and 2 lowercase) to cross off guessed letters and write correct guesses
Instruction pages

Kids name a letter each time they guess where the school buses are hiding, so every turn is a chance to practice letter recognition.

Required Materials:

Paper, printer and ink
Pocket chart (or a table)
Laminator
Paper cutter or scissors
Pencils for the recording sheets

Standards for Letter Recognition

This school alphabet game supports early literacy standards connected to naming uppercase and lowercase letters, writing letters and taking turns in a group.

Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.D: Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Kids name a letter with every guess.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A: Print many upper- and lowercase letters. Kids write their correct guesses on the recording sheet.

Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and TEKS for English Language Arts and Reading

PK4.III.C.1: Child recognizes and names at least 20 letters. Kids name each letter before they check behind the card.
TEKS ELA K.2(D)(v): Demonstrate print awareness by identifying all uppercase and lowercase letters. Kids play with uppercase cards, lowercase cards or both.
TEKS ELA K.1(D): Work collaboratively with others by following agreed-upon rules for discussion, including taking turns. Kids take turns guessing and checking.

Virginia English Standards of Learning

K.FFR.3.A: Identify capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Kids name the letter on each card they pick.
K.FFW.1.B: Print capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Kids write the letters they found on the recording sheet.
K.C.1.A.i: Listen actively and follow agreed-upon rules for participating in discussions. Kids listen to each guess and wait for their turn.

School Alphabet Hide and Seek is a pocket chart guessing game that gives preschool and kindergarten kids hands-on practice naming uppercase and lowercase letters as they search for the hiding school buses.

The letters sit on schools and the school buses are hiding. Kids name a letter to see if a bus is parked behind that school.

Place the letter cards in a pocket chart and secretly tuck the school buses behind a few of the schools. Kids take turns naming a letter, like “Is it behind the B?”, then lift the card to check.

Use the uppercase cards, the lowercase cards or a mix. Start with a few letters kids already know and add more as they grow. The recording sheets let kids cross off each letter that has been guessed and write the letters where they found a hiding card.

How to Play School Alphabet Hide and Seek

Place the letter cards you want to practice in a pocket chart. If you don’t have one, lay them face up on a table.
While the children close their eyes, hide the school buses behind some of the cards.
Kids take turns naming a letter and checking behind it until all the school buses are found. Then hide them again and play another round!

Circle Time: The whole group takes turns guessing. Count how many guesses it takes to find all the school buses.

Literacy Center: Partners take turns hiding and guessing and record their guesses on the recording sheet.

Easy Ways to Differentiate This Alphabet Hide and Seek Game

Every group has a mix of letter knowledge, attention and turn-taking skills. These simple changes keep the game familiar while meeting each child where they are.

For Children Who Need More Support:

Start with 3 to 5 letters kids already know.
Name each letter together before you hide the cards.
Hide only one card at a time.
Accept pointing as an answer and say the letter together.

For On-Level Practice:

Use a full row or the whole alphabet.
Have kids ask in a full sentence, like “Is it behind the M?”
Cross off each guess on the recording sheet.
Switch between uppercase and lowercase cards.

For an Extra Challenge:

Mix uppercase and lowercase cards in the same chart.
Have kids say the letter sound along with the letter name.
Name a word that starts with the letter before checking.
Write each correct guess on the recording sheet.

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support:

Use the same small set of letters across several sessions.
Accept pointing, gestures, AAC or any communication method the child already uses.
Model the question “Is it behind the ___?” and give plenty of wait time.
Let kids pull the cards out of the pocket chart for added fine motor practice.
Play cooperatively when the goal is letter names, not winning.