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Visual DiscriminationGamesLevel 1 · Pre-readerEnglish

Matching Letters

R89R119

Matching Letters is a playful, research-informed visual discrimination game designed to strengthen essential pre-reading and language skills through the matching illustrations of letters. Using a domino-style matching format, learners visually scan, compare, and match identical letters, training the brain to notice small yet important visual details. Visual discrimination is a critical pre-reading skill for reading accuracy, attention to detail, and visual processing. It supports accurate visual recognition, reduces common reading errors (such as b/d or p/q confusion), and improves visual memory.

Ideal for young learners, struggling readers, children with learning and developmental delays, and ESL learners building English vocabulary, this low-prep resource transforms foundational skill-building into joyful, confidence-boosting play.

Designed by Remedial Specialist Annemarie Roux and aligned with the Science of Reading, this resource gives every learner the tools to become a confident, capable reader.

What's inside

  • 40 printable letter matching/domino-style cards.
  • Clear, child-friendly letter illustrations.
  • Teacher instructions and usage ideas.
  • Print-and-play digital PDF (instant download).

How to play

1Print and cut out the letter cards.
2Shuffle the cards and distribute them equally among the players.
3Place the first card (indicated with "Start Here" and an arrow) on a flat surface in the middle of the group.
4The player who has the matching card calls it out by saying: “I have the letter that looks like this” ... and then uses a finger to write the letter in the air. Remember, the student is still in the pre-alphabetic phase and does not yet need to know the letter names or say the sounds correctly! Then, it is placed next to its correct match.
5The player who has the next matching card calls out the letter in the same way and also places it in its correct position.
6Continue in this way until all cards have been matched on the table.
7The first player to place all their cards on the table is the winner.
8💡 Encourage learners to write each letter correctly in the air while describing it
this supports visual memory of the shape of the letter.
9💡 This game can also be played independently by a single learner.

Key benefits

  • Develops visual discrimination skills essential for reading
  • Reduces letter reversals and reading errors
  • Improves writing accuracy and letter formation
  • Strengthens attention to detail and cognitive processing
  • Supports vocabulary development, especially for ESL learners
  • Encourages learning through play-based engagement

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