ABC Tic Tac Toe

Preschoolers love to play games with adults.  Tic Tac Toe has been around for a long time and it is a great game to play during times when your preschooler needs to calm down a bit or sit quietly while waiting for the next activity to begin. This variation on the typical Tic Tac Toe game will help preschoolers learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet and practice wonderful pre-writing skills that are essential for success in school later on.

What You Need

Paper
Pens
An ABC Chart or ABC stamps

What To Do

Draw a Tic Tac Toe board just as you would when playing the game with the normal rules. Have the preschoolers choose two different letters of the alphabet. Each player is assigned one of the letters. It is best to begin by using a letter in the name of each preschooler. Preschoolers are best at recognizing letters in their own name and they will be better able to write letters that they are more familiar with.

Play the game as you would normally, but instead of using X’s and O’s use the letters that the preschoolers have chosen. Explain that the first person to get three of their letters in a row wins. This game may be best played between a preschooler and an adult. Preschoolers can become easily frustrated if they loose every game. Parents or preschool teachers can monitor frustration levels and facilitate a winning game for the preschooler before they become upset.

Preschoolers that are not able to write letters on their own can use alphabet stamps to stamp each letter into the square that they choose.