Lotto is one of the best games to play with a pre-schooler. It encourages attention, teaches turn-taking and improves visual discrimination. It’s also a great way to reinforce learning, as new knowledge is more easily memorised during play. Letter sounds, colours, objects, words, numbers and more all come into a game of lotto.
To play Alphabet Lotto:
1. Draw your boards and pictures. Cards can be an exact match of the images on the board or they can be related, for example the letter ‘a’ on the board and a picture of an apple on the card, or a ‘5’ on the board and five stars on the card. An exact match is easier and more appropriate for younger players.
2. Print out the pictures – they don’t have to be photo quality. You’ll need two copies of each board: one as the game board and another to cut up and make the cards (for a four-player game this means four sets of two, with each set containing different pictures.) Laminate the pieces or cover them in clear plastic for greater durability.
3. Give it a go and try a few variations, too. Once you see how versatile lotto can be you’ll keep finding new ways to play it!
