This very simple lotto game will help very young children to recognize letters of the alphabet & the sounds they make. It can be played by up to 5 players. Each player takes a lotto board, & players must decide whether they all play with the letter or picture sides of the boards. All the letter or picture cards are placed face down on the table, & players take it in turns to pick up one of the cards, which they show the other players. If the card matches one of the pictures or letters on their lotto board, they cover it with the card. If not, the card is returned, face down, to the table. The winner is the first player to cover all the spaces on their lotto board. There are 4 versions of the game; players can choose to match picture cards to the picture lotto boards, or letter cards to the letter lotto boards. Or, to make it slightly harder, they can try to match the picture cards to the corresponding letter boards, or match letter cards to the corresponding picture boards. Although this game is ideal for children aged 3 & over, even younger children will enjoy being helped to match the pictures. You can also ask children to find a card with a fish on, or a card with something red on it, or a card with the letter 's'. The letter cards can be used to spell out words as well, so there are many opportunities for extra play value. Children will have so much fun with this game, yet they won't realise that they are learning at the same time. ...