FM.J.117 MATCHES ALPHABET LOTTO, CHOICE OF 6

While the ability to see the difference between letter shapes is necessary for reading, this is not really a reading skill. It is really an advanced form of picture matching, and your child should master FM.I.106 (matches picture cards, choice of 9) before working with alphabet lottos. Here, the pictures are not only quite similar, but they have no meaning for the child. The child cannot think ‘Ah yes, that’s a hat. I’ll look for another hat’. He must rely on the visual stimuli of shape and line alone to make the match.

While this is not in itself reading, it does help to prepare the child to read. It teaches the child to see similarities and differences between letters, and it helps him to learn that letters have names. If your child can do this exercise, it is highly probable that he will be able to learn to read.

Because the squiggles on the paper have no meaning for your child, he may tire of it if you work on it intensively for long periods of time. While you are teaching this skill, continue to use picture lottos as well – especially the more challenging ones which require him to look hard.

How to Assess

Materials: Home-made lotto board with 6 large (about 2 cm), distinct lower case alphabet letters, for example m, s, a, t, p and k. 6 matching cards.

Method: Place the lotto board on the table. Hold up the first card, and say ‘Put . . . on . . .’.Repeat for all letters. You may remove each card after your child has matched it.

Score plus if your child matches all 6 alphabet letters correctly.

How to Teach

Teach as for FM.I.106 (matches picture cards, choice of 9). If your child has difficulty recognising the similarities, help him to trace over the letter shapes with his finger. If progress is not made after 3 teaching sessions, return to FM.I.106 using lottos with highly stylised or abstract pictures, patterns or geometric shapes which provide a little more contrast than the alphabet letters.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

You can cut letters from magazines or newspapers for matching activities – perhaps using paste to group them together. An alphabet picture book in which each letter is printed more than once can be used for pointing out similarities. Helping your child to trace letters with his fingers, even where no matching is involved, may increase his awareness of fine differences in shape.

Remembering and Extending

If your child can draw a controlled line between 2 points, he may enjoy matching letters on a worksheet. Draw some letters down one side of a page (try 3, to start with) and draw the same letters down the other side in a different order. Your child can then draw lines between the letters that are the same.