Alphabet Kaboom! (a simply brilliant preschool game)

This “Kaboom!” preschool alphabet game is so simple, costs almost nothing to make, and it can be adapted to learn practically anything. 

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Summer is winding down, and while my kids (4 & 2) are too young to be heading back to school full time, we are gearing up for mommy school. We got super lazy over the summer and our school routine got a little lost in the midst of all the morning walks to the park, afternoon trips to splash pads, and play dates with friends. I’m okay with that because I think play is an important form of learning for little ones, but I’m looking forward to getting things running a little more predictably again.

I really like predictable.

As I was reorganizing my preschool stuff last week, I found one of my favorite preschool alphabet games that somehow got buried in a drawer for a few months. I pulled it out to play with Little Man, and he quickly exclaimed, “Mom, I LOVE this game!”

The game is called KABOOM! It’s so simple, costs almost nothing to make, and it can be adapted to learn practically ANYTHING.

(Update: Since our original alphabet version of Kaboom, we’ve also used it to learn sight words and math skills. Years later, it’s still a hit every time I pull it out!)

Little Man loves it, and we have played it over and over again. That’s a winner of an activity to me. So I’m sharing it with you today, so you can win mom-of-the-year too! (Or something like that…)

Preschool Alphabet Game: Kaboom!

Materials Needed:

• popsicle sticks/craft sticks (they’re easy to find on Amazon or at the dollar store)
• fine point permanent marker
• container to hold the popsicle sticks (small bucket, cup, empty Parmesan cheese bottle, etc.)

Set Up:

1. Write each of the 26 letters of the alphabet on a different popsicle stick.
2. Write the word “Kaboom!” on 6 additional popsicle sticks.
3. Put all the popsicle sticks in a container, with the letters pointing down into the bucket so you can’t see them.

How to Play:

1. Players take turns picking a popsicle stick out of the bucket and reading the letter on it. (Sometimes we’ll also add in the challenge of saying the sound the letter makes or a word that starts with the letter.)
2. Each player collects as many popsicle sticks as possible before drawing a “Kaboom!” stick.
3. If a player draws a “Kaboom!” stick, he or she returns all his/her sticks to the bucket.
4. The winner is the player with the most sticks when time runs out (you can set a timer for as long or short as you want).

Variations:

The possibilities are endless with this game. We have only used it for practicing the alphabet, but as Little Man gets older I’m excited to try other variations:

• sight words
• rhyming words (what rhymes with…?)
• syllables (how many syllables are in…?)
• basic math facts
• telling time
• adding money

Are you ready to Kaboom!?

Want more fun ways to teach kids the alphabet? Try these…

• Free printable alphabet flashcards (upper and lowercase)
• 23 unconventional (and fun!) ways to learn with alphabet flashcards
• Pirate treasure hunt alphabet learning game
• 12 awesome alphabet books to start the school year right