About the Game

My First Alphabet Game by DK Games features full color photographs of animals and objects on 4 sturdy game boards. The game cards have lively colored pictures of letters that resemble the classic letter refrigerator magnets. Included in the game box is a set of simple, easy to understand directions on how to play and a helpful note to parents. My First Alphabet Game is recommended for preschoolers age 3-5 years.

How to Play

My First Alphabet Game is intended for 1-4 players, the players choose the game board that they would like to use and get ready to begin play. Each game board has nine different pictures illustrated on each one. Each illustration begins with a different letter of the alphabet. All thirty-six game pieces are to be placed face down on the table. Players will take turns choosing a game piece and then matching the correct letter from the game piece to a picture located on the game board. There will be times when the game piece does not match any of the pictures on the gameboard, which makes it fun to try and remember where certain game pieces are located to ensure more matches. The first player to completely cover his/her game board wins.

From The Reviewer

My First Alphabet Game by DK Games is a wonderful way to encourage the learning of alphabet sounds and letter recognition for preschoolers. The game is exciting enough to keep the players attention and challenging enough for preschoolers that they won't easily get bored. Younger preschoolers may have to play the game several times to feel confident about their knowledge of the letters and particularly the sounds of the letters. Trying to derive the letter from only the sound and the picture may be a little intimadating to younger preschoolers. Encouragement and help from parents or teachers will be particularly necessary in this situation. One aspect of the My First Alphabet Game is the matching element which provides a lot of fun for all players young and old. Trying to remember where a certain game piece is located to help a player finish his/her game card makes the game an exciting memory game also.

The combination of the colorful game board and pieces, the different playing elements of the game, and the easy-to-follow directions, made My First Alphabet Game a hit with my preschooler. The fact that it teaches letter recognition and sounds in a fun way makes it a hit with me!

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Helpful Tips for Parents

• Modify rules when needed for younger children. The goal is engagement and positive experience, not correct rule-following. Rules are the container, not the point.

• Game time is a powerful family connection opportunity. 20 minutes of a board game or outdoor game delivers more relational warmth than 20 minutes of parallel screen time.

• Classic games (Duck Duck Goose, Red Light Green Light, Hide and Seek) have lasted because they're developmentally well-matched — they work across ages, require minimal equipment, and never get old.

• Games of chance (dice games, spin-the-wheel) are excellent for preschoolers because the outcome is random — no one is consistently better than anyone else, making losing easier to accept.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I teach a preschooler the rules of a new game?

Show rather than tell: play the game with the new player doing each step guided by you, rather than explaining the rules in advance. "Your turn — you roll the die and move your piece that many spaces" is better than a rules explanation. Play a few "practice rounds" where there are no consequences for mistakes. Preschoolers learn games far faster through doing than through listening to explanations, which typically lose them after the second rule.

Should games always have a winner and a loser?

No — cooperative games where all players work together against a common challenge (the game itself) are equally valid and more developmentally appropriate for young preschoolers. Research suggests that cooperative games produce greater increases in prosocial behavior than competitive ones in preschool-age children. Many classic games can be made cooperative by changing the victory condition: instead of who finishes first, see if the whole group can finish within a time limit. Both structures have value; neither should dominate.

Related reading: See also our classic games guide and our pretend play guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🏆 Sportsmanship — Experiencing winning and losing in a supportive environment — and practicing how to handle both graciously — builds the emotional resilience and social grace that competitive situations throughout life require.
• 🌍 Cultural Literacy — Traditional games and games from different cultures connect children to the broader human community — building the cultural awareness and global perspective that increasingly diverse classrooms require.
• 🔄 Turn-Taking & Patience — Games with clear turn-taking rules give children repeated practice waiting — one of the most challenging but important impulse-control skills preschoolers are developing — in a low-stakes, engaging context.
• 🧠 Strategic Thinking — Games that reward thinking ahead — considering options and choosing the best move — develop the planning and decision-making skills that are part of executive function and transfer directly to academic problem solving.

DK Games has a wonderful "My First" games and books series available to assist preschoolers with kindergarten preparedness. One such game is the My First Alphabet Game.