Go on an alphabet search and play I-Spy. Here is a free naming letters activity for kindergarten that encourages students to find and name letters in the alphabet.
Playing I spy is fun and can be adapted for the classroom. This printable activity has students use a magnifying glass to look for miniscule letters on a colorful background.
When the find the letters, they say the letter name aloud and record their find!
My students would play this during a guided reading group session, usually while I was doing some one-on-one assessments.
How to play
Here’s how to play “I Spy” jungle letters.
Students lay the jungle background on the table or on the ground and go over it with a magnifying glass.
They use the magnifying glass to spy letters of the alphabet that are hidden in a really small font.
When they find a letter, they say the name aloud and mark it on their recording sheet.
If the don’t know the name of the letter they found, they can find the match on the recording sheet then sing the ABC song to determine the name and then say it out loud.
Students repeat this until they have found all ten of the hidden letters.
You can ask the student to read their list (to you or a friend) and they earn a checkmark at the bottom if they can name all of the letters. This is great documentation to send home.
How to make it
Here’s how you can make this activity to use in your classroom.
First, download this free jungle I spy mat and recording sheet. [terms of use][downloading help]
Then, print the mat and laminate it or slip it into a page protector sleeve.
Then print the recording sheet (of your choice) on the back of scrap paper or any paper you want and cut them apart.
Put the mat and recording sheets with a magnifying glass so it’s ready to use.
This activity stores really well in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. I’ve added a label for you to organize it.
Let’s wrap it up
There you have it – a fun adapted I spy activity for the classroom.
I hope this printable activity with a magnifying glass engages and encourages your students to find and name the letters in the alphabet.
If you love I spy activities, I have more versions available and they include sight words and CVC words too. They are included in my small group materials themes.
You may also like this Free Letter Name Game for Kindergarten: Treasure Quest.
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