August 25, 2020 by Ashley Reid Homeschooling 0 comments

Top 10 Best Spanish Alphabet Games to Play with Your Preschool Child

A is for apple, and B is for ball.

This is one of the first lessons that preschoolers receive from their parents. Mastering the alphabet is important for starting school, and it’s an added plus to learn the alphabet in Spanish.

Teaching your kids Spanish at a young age is a great idea because they are so willing and adept at absorbing language. However, if you’re not a native Spanish speaker it can be difficult to know where to start.

The following Spanish alphabet games are a sure-fire way to get your child interested in the Spanish letters and talking in their second language.

How to Get Started

Before you start with these fun Spanish alphabet games, make sure you are familiar with all the letters and have plenty of Spanish word examples. As you play the games, use the chart below to ensure you are pronouncing the letters correctly and providing enough real-life applications.

If you are just starting to teach your preschooler the Spanish letters, go slowly with one or two letters at a time, making sure they understand the pronunciation and corresponding words. If your child already knows some letters, feel free to look up more examples of words that start with each letter.

Letter + Pronunciation	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3
A (ah)	Araña – spider	Avión – plane	Abeja – bee
B (bay)	Bicicleta – bicycle	Ballena – whale	Barco – boat
C (say)	Casa – house	Conejo – rabbit	Caballo – horse
D (day)	Delfín – Dolphin	Diente – tooth	Dedo – finger
E (ay)	Elefante – elephant	Estrella – star	Espejo – mirror
F (ehf-ay)	Fresa – strawberry	Fuego – fire	Flor – flower
G (hay)	Gato – cat	Gusano – worm	Galleta – cookie
H (ah-chay)	Huevo – egg	Hielo – ice	Hacha – axe
I (ee)	Imán – magnet	Isla – island	Iglesia – church
J (ho-tah)	Juguete – toy	Jugo – juice	Jirafa – giraffe
K (kah)	Kilo – kilogram	Kiwi – Kiwi	Koala – koala
L (ehl-lay)	León – lion	Lápiz – pencil	Libro – book
M (ehm-ay)	Mono – monkey	Madre – mother	Mano – hand
N (ehn-ay)	Niño/a – boy/girl	Naranja – orange	Nube – cloud
Ñ (ehn-yay)	Ñu – wildebeest	Ñame – yam	Ñandú – rhea (large bird)
O (oh)	Oso – bear	Ojo – eye	Ocho – eight
P (pay)	Perro – dog	Pato – duck	Pez – fish
Q (koo)	Queso – cheese	Quiero – I want	Quince – fifteen
R (air-ray)	Rana – frog	Río – river	Rey / Reina – king, queen
S (ehs-ay)	Sol – sun	Sandia – watermelon	Serpiente – snake
T (tay)	Tortuga – turtle	Tigre – tiger	Tren – train
U (oo)	Uña – fingernail	Uva – grape	Unicornio – unicorn
V (oo-bay)	Vaca – cow	Ventana – window	Volcán – volcano
W (doh-blay oo)	Wafle – waffle	Wi-fi – wi-fi
X (ay-kees)	Xilófono – xylophone	Xerografía – photocopy
Y (jay)	Yo – I	Yema – egg yolk	Yeso – chalk
Z (say-tah)	Zorro – fox	Zapato – shoe	Zanahoria – carrot

Not all the letters have three words each because some of the letters are not native to the Spanish language. For example, W and K are not commonly used in Spanish. Likewise, not many words start with X. It is a common letter in Spanish, but it is usually preceded by an E when used at the beginning of a word.

Best Spanish Alphabet Games

Now that you have plenty of Spanish letter examples, you are ready to start planning some exciting Spanish alphabet games with your little learner!

1. Memory

One of my favorite teaching games for preschoolers is memory. It is easy to learn, simple to prepare, and a great way to practice vocabulary.

There are a couple of different ways to prepare the memory cards to practice the alphabet, depending on your child’s language learning level and what you want to focus on.

Print out two copies of the alphabet and cut them into cards. Have your child match only the letter (uppercase, lowercase, or both) and say the Spanish pronunciation.
Print one copy of the alphabet and one copy of an object that starts with that letter. For example, a match would be A and abeja.
A similar option would be to have them match a picture of the object and the corresponding Spanish word.
Have them match objects that start with the same letter. For example, they would match abeja and araña and then say A.

You can make these cards yourself by doing a quick image search for the objects, printing them out, and cutting them into cards. To make sure they last for many uses, print them on cardstock or paste the cards onto construction paper. Also, if you laminate the cards, you can take them anywhere and use them for a long time with multiple children.

2. Hopscotch

If you have an active child, alphabet hopscotch is the way to go! Get out some chalk and draw hopscotch boxes on the driveway or sidewalk. Instead of numbers, though, write the letters of the Spanish alphabet. Have your child jump to each letter in the correct order, pronouncing each one as they jump on it. For a more advanced level, have them pronounce the letter and say Spanish words that start with that letter.

For a twist on this Spanish alphabet game, turn hopscotch into an obstacle course. Write the letters spread apart and put things they need to jump or climb over to get to the letters. Keep the fun going by timing them and encouraging them to beat their record.

3. Scavenger Hunt

Another fantastic Spanish alphabet game to get your kid’s energy out is a scavenger hunt. You can either use printouts like for the memory game or alphabet blocks if you already have them at home. Hide the letters (or images of objects that start with the letter) around the yard or house.

Give your little learner a list of the letters and images they need to find and have them match what they find to the what’s on the list. If you are using paper cutouts, you can have them paste them on the paper next to the letter or name. Every time they find a letter or object, have them say it out loud.

4. Board Game

This next Spanish alphabet game is great for the classroom, multiple children, or even a rainy day activity. You can download an alphabet board game template or make your own. If you are feeling crafty, make a pathway in the shape of a caterpillar. Separate the animal into squares or circles, and write a letter in each one, preferably not in alphabetical order. Add in a few “go back 3 spaces” or “skip a turn” blocks for some more excitement.

Have each person take a turn and roll the dice. When they land on a letter, have them pronounce the letter in Spanish and give one (or more!) example of a word that starts with that letter.

5. Bingo

B-I-N-G-O! Can you spell it in Spanish? This is a perfect Spanish alphabet game, and as an added plus it’s adaptable to however many kids or students you have. You can print out some Bingo letter cards or make your own with your kid. Call out the letters in Spanish, and make sure they are understanding and marking the correct spaces. Once they have Bingo, have them read the letters back to you in Spanish.

To take it up a notch, put pictures of the objects related to the letters on the Bingo boards (or have your child draw them in). As you call out the letters, have them find the image related to that Spanish letter.

6. Relay

Get up and move with an engaging game of relay. To play this game, set up two buckets, one on each end of the yard or the living room. Fill one bucket with any letter blocks or wood letters. Call out letters in Spanish – or the corresponding vocabulary word – and have your child search for that letter, run across the lawn, and put it in the bucket.

If you have multiple children or students, this game will be even more exciting. Another option is to time them or have them recite the letter pronunciation and vocabulary words before they can run back to the first bucket.

7. Listening Game

Oral comprehension is key to building fluency in Spanish. This game is perfect for children who aren’t quite ready to pronounce Spanish vocabulary or who have some speech difficulty in their first language. You can still work on their comprehension until they are ready for spoken Spanish.

Take out those memory cards (see how useful they can be?) or make some letter sticks by writing one letter on each popsicle stick. Call out a letter or Spanish word and have the students lift up the card or stick with the corresponding letter. If your child hasn’t learned all 27 letters yet, start with just 5 or 10. The game still works!

Another great way to check oral comprehension is to listen to a native Spanish speaker say the alphabet. You can add some extra support to your at-home Spanish alphabet games with a 25-minute online session with excellent Spanish teachers at the Homeschool Spanish Academy. They know how to engage your preschooler and teach them Spanish at the same time. Take a free trial class and see how well it works for yourself!

8. Find the Letter

Once you have introduced a letter, check to see how familiar your student is with the letter with this fun Spanish alphabet game. You can use a pre-made worksheet, but most are designed for the English language. However, you can easily make one yourself by drawing several circles on a page and filling them in at random. Make sure to write the letter they should look for at the top with one of the corresponding vocabulary words. Additionally, ensure that the given letter appears at least five times on the page. You can include upper and lowercase letters, or only one, depending on what you have taught your child.

Another way to play “Find the Letter” is to give them examples of Spanish writing and ask them to circle or color every instance the specific letter is used. You can write these excerps yourself, use Spanish language books, or use basic Spanish paragraphs made for young learners. Remember to have them pronounce the letter as much as possible as they look for it.

9. Alphabet Bugs

This Spanish alphabet game is a bit different than the others. Write or print out the letters on small pieces of paper and tape them all over your body. Ask your student to help you get all the “bugs” off of you. However, before they can take the letters off you, they need to say the letter name and an object that starts with that letter.

This game can also be used as a fun way to introduce the letters. As they go to take off each “bug,” tell them the letter name and one object. If you use this as an introduction, make sure to use fewer letters and put each letter on you multiple times so each letter truly sticks in their mind.

10. Pictionary

Our last Spanish alphabet game is a classic: Pictionary. If your child is a budding artist, this will be the perfect game to review the Spanish letters. You can play this a couple of different ways, depending on how many kids you have.

If it’s just you and your child, tell them a letter and give them 30 to 60 seconds to draw an object that starts with that letter in Spanish.
Take turns choosing a letter from a bowl. Don’t show it to the other person, and instead draw an object that starts with that letter. If the other person can guess what you drew in Spanish, you win a point!
If you have multiple students, separate them into groups. Rotate who draws a picture, and give each group a different letter. Then, they draw something that starts with that letter. Whoever can guess their team’s picture correctly in Spanish wins a point.

¡Juguemos!

Your little learner will be saying their letters in no time with these fun Spanish alphabet games. ¡Ya vamos a jugar!

If you have any suggestions for more games, comment below! We would love to hear about your experience teaching your preschooler the Spanish alphabet.

Want more free Spanish lessons for kids? Check out these posts!

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Ashley Reid

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

I have a B.A. in Linguistics and a passion for Spanish. I've lived in Latin America for almost a decade. I'm a freelance writer and ESL teacher, as well as a loving mom and wife. In my free time, I dabble in art and music.