Alphabet Go Fish – A Gameschooling Review From A Homeschooling Mom

We love Alphabet Go Fish! I started using Alphabet Go Fish with my daughter when she was 3. Something I love about this set is how big the cards are. They are easy for kids to hold and shuffle through. Plus, the images are adorable and great for referring to when learning about letters and their sounds.

Alphabet Learning Resources at the bottom of this page!

Gameschool:

Letter Recognition
Letter Sounds
Matching
Spelling
Alphabetical Order

Players: 1-4
Ages: 4+
Game Time: 10-15 min

Who We Play With: The whole family! When my kids were too young to know the letters, we played on teams and I whispered the letter to them so they could ask the other player for it.

*TIP* When playing with littles who are still learning letters, have them say the letter plus the picture to verify they are asking for the right letter.
For example, “Do you have H for Airplane?” let’s me know that he is actually asking for A.

Find Alphabet Go Fish On Amazon!

How To Play

Set Up
Shuffle and deal 7 cards to each player (5 cards each if there are 4 or more players). Put the rest of the cards in a pile in the middle where everyone can reach them.

If you have 2 of the same cards in your hand, place them face up in front of you.

Game Play

The first player asks a specific player if they have a specific card in their hand. For example, you have 5 cards A,B,C,D,E. You ask Player 3 if they have letter A.

If player 3 has the card, they must give the card to Player 1. Player 1 can then ask someone for another card until they do not get the card they asked for.

If player 3 does not have the card that was asked for, they say “Go Fish!” and Player 1 must take a card from the draw pile. If Player 1 picks up the card he asked for from the draw pile, he says “I got my wish!” and places the match in front of him, face up.

In order to ask for a card, you must have it in your hand.

Determining A Winner

When a player has no cards left, the game ends. The winner is the player with the most matches made.

Other Ways To Play

Matching Game – Lay all the cards out in a grid, face down. Each person takes a turn flipping over 2 cards until they find a match. If the player finds a match, they get to go again until they don’t. The winner is the player with the most matches. This can also be played as a 1 player game.
For littles, start with a few letters at a time so they don’t get frustrated.

Flash Cards – Take 1 card of each letter and make a pile. Hold up 1 card at a time and ask which letter it is and what sound it makes. You can start with the letters in alphabetical order and then mix them up!

Name Game – Mix up the letters of the name of the child. Have them put them in the correct order to spell their name.

Alphabetical Order Mix-Up – Take 1 card of each letter and mix them up in front of you, face up. Have the kids pick them up in alphabetical order or rearrange them in a grid in alphabetical order.

Spelling Game – Say a word and have the child spell it out with the cards. For littles, you can write a word on paper and have them find the correct letters, placing them in the correct spot.