These candy cane letters can add a fun Christmas twist to alphabet games. Sometimes a different look can make a familiar activity new again. Use these letters as letter recognition practice candy cane game. Or play matching games with the letters.
You can play a number of letter recognition games with this printable set of candy cane letters.
Candy House Letter Matching Game
This matching game can be played by one or more children at the same time. For this game, you will need a workspace in addition to the candy cane letters.
Creating the Work Space
Cut a house shape of cardboard or poster board. Use construction paper to create windows, a door, and any other details. Cut circles of construction paper and print letters on the circles, on letter per circle. Use the circles to “decorate” your candy house. Place the letters in alphabetical order for an easier game or mix the letter order for more challenge. (Use tape or glue to attach the circles. Or, to make the game changeable, use Velcro dots.)
Playing the Letter Matching Game
Invite a child to select a candy cane and say the letter name. Then, the child can find the same letter on the house and place the candy cane on the matching circle or beside it. Continue until your children match the letter on each of the candy canes to the letter on each of the colored circles.
Find the Letter
Hide all or some of the candy cane alphabet letters around the room. You can decide if you want a small section of candy cane to peek out of its hiding spot. Invite your children to search the room to find each of the letters. For an extra challenge, tell children they need to find the letters in alphabetical order.
Check out this research-based, playful learning unit in our curriculum shop!
The Ultimate Pre-K Christmas Activities Bundle
19 of our most popular Christmas theme resources, including math, literacy, and dramatic play! Make learning fun with this hands-on bundle!
Line Up the Letters
Invite children to place the the letters in alphabetical order on the floor or a very long table. They can name the letters as they lay them in place.
Find the Missing Letter
Create a line of several alphabet candy canes in alphabetical order. Remove a few of the letters and mix them in a bowl or on a tray. Invite your children put the missing letters into their spots in the alphabet line.
Spell Words
For older children, print simple words (3-4 letters) or children’s names on paper. Invite children to find the appropriate letters and lay them under the word in order. Say each letter in the name or word. (Note: If you are using children’s names, you may need to make multiples of some letters so you will have what you need to spell names.)
Your children can have holiday-themed literacy fun with these letters! What other games could you create with these letters? Let us know in the comments.
BIO: Deirdre is the author of JDaniel4’s Mom where she shares other learning activities, printables, crafts, and food creations. She loves growing and learning beside her son. You can find her on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
More Christmas Ideas
Christmas Tree Sensory Bin Printable– Sensory bins are great ways to engage preschoolers in exploring and to build conceptual knowledge. This Christmas sensory bin builds pre-literacy skills. Children can find and match alphabet letters. They build visual discrimination skills, identifying the differences among letters. And they have so much fun digging in the bin to find the letters.
Five Senses Activities for Christmas – The five senses are key tools for preschoolers to explore and understand the world around them. When teachers can engage one or more of the senses, the learning experience becomes more concrete and more memorable. Here are over 20 activity ideas that will engage the senses as you invite preschoolers to learn more about Christmas.
Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make- Salt dough ornaments are a classic Christmas craft, but they’re also tons of fun for kids and super easy to make. The best part? You probably already have the ingredients you need sitting in your pantry at home!
Printable Gingerbread House Recipe
You can get access to the free printable gingerbread house sequence cards below. Simply fill out the form and the printable will be emailed to you.
