Prep: 15 Minutes / Activity Time: 3 Minutes

You can expose your child to the names of animals as well as the awareness of beginning sounds in words with this alliteration activity. When you play this game, your child will hear you describe animals using silly alliterative phrases (words that start with the same beginning sound). At this age, it’s all about exposure to sounds, not mastery. Keep it light, fun and entertaining.

  • pictures of animals, such as: cat, fish, bird, dog, mouse, pig, duck, horse, goat, bear, fox, caterpillar
  • index cards
  • glue
  • scissors

Step 1: Find magazine pictures of animals and glue them onto index cards.

Step 2: Show your child one or two picture cards at a time. Ask your child to find an animal that you describe using a silly alliterative phrase. Touch the picture as you encourage your child to repeat the name of the animal. For example, as you point to the fox, you might say:

Find the picture of the fox, the "fast, friendly fox." Hooray, you found it! Say it with me, fox.

Step 3: Add a sound effect or motion that corresponds with the animal. For example:

A fox runs really fast! Show me how you run fast like a fox. Awesome! Let’s try another one.

Here are some suggestions for other animals.

  • Find the picture of the fish, the "fickle, ferocious fish." Yes, that’s the fish, you found it! Say it with me, fish. Look, I can swim like a fish. Let me see you swim like a fish!
  • Find the picture of the pig, the "pink, playful pig." There’s the pig! A pig says, “Oink, oink.” Can you say, “Oink, oink”?
  • Find the bird, the "big, brave bird." You found it! Can you fly like a bird?
  • Find the caterpillar, the "crawly caterpillar." There’s the caterpillar. Can you say, caterpillar? Caterpillars crawl on the ground. Crawl like a caterpillar!
  • Find the cat, the "crazy, clumsy cat." What sound does the cat say? Say “meow.”
  • Where is the dog, the "delightful, dashing dog?" Dogs like to eat bones. Here is a bone! Show me how you would eat the bone.
  • Where is the mouse, the "magnificent mouse"? “Squeak, squeak”, says the mouse. Can you squeak like a mouse?

Step 4: Continue with additional picture cards as long as your toddler remains interested.