Matching and Posting Letters Game

 

This is a super simple game you can make up yourself using items you must likely already have that your children will LOVE!

 

Children love role playing and posting things and this game combines the two with a whole bunch of learning opportunities your child won't even notice because they are having too much FUN!

 

SUITABLE AGES

2-6 years 

YOU WILL NEED

• some envelopes
• some coloured card
• some images you have two of. I simply printing some off from the computer but you could use stickers or images from magazines. I specifically choose images or words that had our target sounds. For more advanced matching you could try mother and baby animals or similar items that are not identical like two boats, two cars, two buses etc.
• Glue and Scissors
• Laminator *optional but will make your game more durable

 

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE OUTCOMES

 

• Use pictures that will allow your child to practice target sounds.
• Introduce new vocabulary
• Joint Attention
• Concentration
• Turn taking
• Power Words: Same, In, Push, I did it

Other Learning

• Identifying same and different and being able to picture match.
• Role play writing, mark making for a purpose.
• Introduction to the postal service.
• Fine motor skills and using two hands together to complete a task.



HOW TO MAKE

1. To make this game cut out all your images.
2. Glue one of each pair onto an envelope where the stamp would go and the other onto a piece of card for the letter. Do this for all your images. I made six letters and envelopes for matching.
3. I then added text to the letters and envelopes by adding addressing and letter introduction.
4. Laminating the letters serves two purposes, a) it makes them more durable and easier to insert into the envelopes and b) means we can write on them with non permanent markers adding extra element to the game if you so wish.
5. Create a box for posting. We just used an old shoe box which my children have posted red. We use this box a lot for posting each other special messages and drawings. It's our family post box but it worked perfectly for this game.

 

HOW TO PLAY

I am going to let the pictures do the talking here.

 

This is a one on one game I created with a set focus however you could play with two children taking turns. I set out all the letters and presented Hman with one envelope at a time and asked him to "find the same". 

 

 

He selected the matching letter and we'd put the letter next to the envelope to see if it was a match, 'the same'.

 

 

Hman can't yet say 'same' but he can sign it!!

He can also sign different and enjoyed this aspect of the game.

 

 

Once he had established that he had found a matching letter for the envelope he slid the letter inside the envelope. This is quite a tricky task and perfect for practicing using those two hands together.

 

If you were wanting too you could get your child to write or draw on the letter before 'posting' it.

 Then to finish off the most exciting bit. The bit they all look forward to!! They can post the letter.

 

After doing this for all six letters, Hman had well and truly satisfied my expectations on his concentration and he was done. He did come back later in the day however, and open up the post box and pull all the letters out.

 

 

To Extend on This

 

If your child still was eager to participate or even at a later time you could then deliver the letters to soft toys that match the pictures. I know Hman would enjoy doing this and on another day I will do this with him.

 

Picture Books on Posting Letters

 

Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type

 

The Jolly Postman

 

Dear Fairy Godmother

 

Dear Mother Goose

Other links you may also like

Sticker Matching

 

Wishing you all the power of communication

 

Enjoy

 

Katey

 

If you enjoyed this post please feel free to leave a comment and share with those you know will love it too!

 

 

 

 

 

Mum!

Mum ~ a little word with a big meaning

 

 

 

Wednesday the 27th of August was the day I heard that little word full of meaning come from the little boy of mine ~Mum~ and it made me weep.

He was 32months

 

In the past there have been times when a sound like Mum has come from my precious boy but those times were always an accidental production of sound, a sound that just came out.

 

On this day he clearly looked at me and wanting my attention said MUM, with absolute purpose. I was completely shocked and did ask him to repeat watching his jaw and lips to be sure he was actually in control of the sounds he was producing, He was!

 

You see my little man, Hman, has Childhood Apraxia of Speech and although he knows exactly what he wishes to say the message from his brain to the speech mechanisms don't work. Every word is a struggle... actually forget every word, every sound!

Read more about Apraxia here

 

To say MUM you need to have good control of your jaw and to move it up then down then up. You need to be able to put your lips together. To do this you need to be able to hold your tongue inside your mouth. You need to use your voice box. Most of us would never even think to consider these things, I know I never did before learning about Hman's diagnoses. Jump to now and watching jaw control and lip position has become habit and my husband and I are often found mouthing words so we can get a good feel of what it takes to execute it to see if it would be a good word for Hman to practice to add to his target words. His focus sounds at the moment are the bilabial sounds, being 'b' and 'p'.

 

I just have to say that MUM happened to be Miss M's (4) first word too!!

She was calling for me all over the place from as early as 8-9months Mum Mum Mum Mum till I was quite sure I'd go crazy if she kept it up. There was never any doubt over her speech development, which is why Hman's lack of speech was so confusing to me. I remember celebrating her first word by smothering her in kisses and gloating cause I had won that prized position being her first word. It felt good, as it does when your child learns any new skill. But I have to say on Wednesday the 27th of August 2014 upon hearing that sweet voice utter that little word with such purpose... my heart swelled. It swelled full of pride for my champion little man. Then it grew some more with awe at his incredibly fierce determination to communicate. It grew with hope, hope that he will overcome this hurdle and finally love, so much love till it felt like my heart might just burst into a zillion tiny pieces. But it didn't burst and break, like it has so many times before for my precious boy, this time it stayed whole. It was the hope that kept it intact.

 Full of the love and pride and awe at the awesomeness!

 

Do you want to hear it?

I'm so proud that I just have to share. This video was taken the following day and I am pleased to report a full week later and he is still using 'Mum' when he wants me instead of grunting and pulling on me!

 

 

Isn't that just the best?!