Hot Chocolate Beginning Sound Match

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I feel like I say this every year, but how is it winter already? One of the skills we practice constantly, no matter the season, is letter and beginning sound identification. Today I’m sharing a fun beginning sound activity with a sweet winter theme: Hot Chocolate Beginning Sound Match. It is a great seasonal addition to morning tubs, literacy centers, or for small group instruction.

*Pair this with our January Kindergarten Printables Bundle!

Hot Chocolate Beginning Sound Match

This adorable beginning sound match activity can be used in many different ways. It is easy-prep and your students will have tons of winter fun matching the marshmallows with the correct cup of hot chocolate!

How To Play

Preparation for this activity is so quick and easy! All you need to do is print and cut both the hot chocolate cards (uppercase and lowercase letters) and marshmallow cards (beginning sound pictures). You can find the downloads below. I recommend laminating the cards for durability and reuse!

The object of this activity is to be able to match each hot chocolate letter card to a marshmallow picture card.

Students will choose a letter card and identify the sound that letter makes. Then they’ll look for the picture that makes that same sound at the beginning of the word.

When they find a match, they lay those two cards together.

Additional Ideas for Beginning Sound Practice

There are various ways you can choose to use these beginning sound cards! Here are a few ideas to help you and your students get plenty of use out of this free activity:

• Play Memory
• Speed Match (students see how fast they can match up each pair)
• Put the matches in ABC order
• Lay each match out and go through naming the letters and/or saying the sounds aloud
• Teacher says a letter/sound; students use a pointer to tap the corresponding cards

Tips for Supporting Students

• For students who need support with letter/sound identification, provide them with an alphabet chart that has pictures. Guide them through using the alphabet chart to find a letter or figure out its sound.

• For students who have difficulty isolating beginning sounds, this may be an activity to include in your small group instruction so that you can provide proper instruction and guidance on identifying beginning sounds. To support these students, say the picture word for them, enunciating the beginning sound to help them figure out what they’re listening for. I always have them repeat the word themselves too, so that they can hear themselves saying that sound.

• Additionally, when I’m working on any kind of letter activity with students who are still learning to master them, I like to choose a group of letters to work with, rather than the entire alphabet. Make sure that most of the letters you choose are those that students know. This will help them feel successful. Of course, if you’re using this during small group instruction, you will also want to include a few letters that students have not yet mastered, to help move them toward making that progress.

Grab Your Free Copy

I hope that you and your students enjoy these fun, beginning sound match cards! To get your copy of this activity click the large, yellow download button at the end of the post!

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Stephanie

Stephanie is a Kindergarten teacher who believes that learning should be fun, positive, and student-led. She strives to create a healthy work-life balance with lots of coffee, yoga, and family time. Stephanie shares ideas on how to maximize teacher organization and student independence on her blog, Teaching Little Leaders, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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