← Ages 3 to 7

Letter Hop

Lay letter or number cards on the floor in a winding path. Hear a sound, hop to its card, then say a word that starts with it.

Phonics
Letters
Numbers
Adding
Hopping

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

Hopping in progress

Call out

Letter sounds Letter names Numbers Sums

Which letters

All 26 Starter: s a t p i n m d

Letters on the cards

Lowercase a b c Capitals A B C

Numbers

0 to 10 0 to 20

Sums

Answers up to 5 Answers up to 10

Hoppers

All together Take turns

Calls in a game

5 10 15

Options Read the calls aloud For hoppers who can’t read yet. Every call is spoken, and you can hear it again. Listening challenge Hide the card on screen until after the hop, so they find it by listening. Big kids Sounds A boing for every hop and a cheer at the end.

You’ll need

A clear floor with room to hop
Tape, if your floor is smooth, so the cards don’t slide

Letter Hop

Grown-ups

Make your own cards

Write each one big on its own sheet of paper, with a thick pen.
Draw a short line underneath, so everyone knows which way is up. That stops b and d, or 6 and 9, getting mixed up.
Lay them on the floor in a winding path, about one hop apart. Mix up the order!

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

How to play

Print the cards, or write your own. Lay them on the floor in a winding path, about one hop apart.
Everyone stands at the start. The call is read aloud, like “Hop to the sound at the start of bus!”
Hop, hop, hop to the right card! Then tap We hopped there.
Say a word that starts with that sound. Stuck? Tap Show some words.
Numbers and sums work the same way: hop to the number, or to the answer.

Saying the sounds

Keep sounds short: “buh”, not “buh-uh”. Some sounds can stretch: “mmm”, “sss”, “fff”.
Vowels use their short sound: a as in apple, e as in egg, i as in igloo, o as in octopus, u as in umbrella.
x is special: it says “ks” at the end of words like fox and box.

Safe hopping

Paper slides on smooth floors. Tape the cards down, or play on a rug or carpet.
Bare feet or grippy socks, and room to land. Little ones can step or jump with two feet instead.
Keep the path away from stairs, corners and the edges of tables.

For mixed ages

An older child makes a great caller: hold the phone, show the call and say the sound.
Big kids adds harder calls, like the sound at the end of a word, spelling c-a-t by hopping, or one more than 7.
Take turns calls each hopper by name, so everyone gets a go.

Keys on a computer

Enter or Space presses the main button on each screen.
R says it again, S picks a different call, W shows some words, C counts with you, and K shows the cards.