If you’re looking for a playful, hands-on way to help young learners master the alphabet, these llama-themed letter matching clip cards are just what you need! These printable cards allow kids to practice uppercase and lowercase letter recognition from A to Z.
They also help young learners hone their fine motor skills through pinching and squeezing the clips.
Whether you’re a classroom teacher, a homeschool parent, or just looking to bring a little extra learning to your daily routine, this activity is sure to be a big win!
How to Use the Llama Letter Matching Clip Cards
Getting started is easy. Begin by printing out the llama cards. Each one features a cheerful llama holding an uppercase letter sign, along with a few lowercase letter choices along the bottom of the card.
Cut out the individual cards and then laminate them if desired. For quicker prep, you can stack the pages and cut multiple sheets at once.
Once you’ve got the cards ready, shuffle the deck and place the stack face down on a table or play area. Hand each child a few clothespins or mini clips. They’ll use these to mark their answers.
Each time students pick a card, have them identify the name of the uppercase letter shown on the llama’s sign. Then, they will identify the matching lowercase letter and use one of their clips to mark it.
For an added challenge, encourage your learners to say the sound of each letter before choosing a new card. With vowels, this is a perfect chance to practice both the long and short sounds.
Materials You’ll Need
(You’ll find affiliate links in the below.)
- Clip Card Printable (Grab it at the end of this post.)
- Clothespins or Mini Clips (Rainbow ones make it even more fun!)
- Cardstock (highly recommended)
- Laminator (optional)
- Scissors
Easy Ways to Differentiate These Alphabet Clip Cards
The clip card set includes two difficulty levels. One set features two answer choices across the bottom, while the other has three. Start simple and gradually increase the difficulty as children gain confidence.
If your learners have difficulty using clips due to fine motor delays, no problem! Simply laminate the cards and allow them to use dot markers, bingo daubers, or even manipulatives to mark their answers instead.
For non-verbal students, these simple printable letter cards work perfectly with felt boards and push-to-talk buttons. Just add some hook-and-loop dots to the back.
Another Fun Twist on This Activity
Ready to take the fun to a new level? Transform these clip cards into a llama letter hunt! To set it up, cut the lowercase letters off the bottom and cut them apart into mini letter cards.
Then, hide the uppercase llama cards around the room. Give each student one of the lowercase letter cards and send them off to hunt for their matching uppercase letter around the room.
This alternative version of the llama letter matching clip cards game gets kids moving while reinforcing letter recognition and matching skills.
More Alphabet Fun for Your Littlest Learners
Activity 1
Activity 2
