Grab your backpack, it’s time to hike! In this cooperative digital game, students will climb to the top of a mountain by answering phonics-based questions. With each correct answer, they’ll move higher up the trail, passing through forests, rocky cliffs, and snowy peaks.

This game helps students practise identifying initial sounds, specifically focusing on the letter J. For each round, they’ll view an image of an object or animal and decide whether the word begins with the /j/ sound. By segmenting the word and identifying its initial sound, students build essential phonemic awareness skills.

Let’s Hike – Does It Start With J? is designed for early learners working on beginning sounds. The game can be played solo or as a team, with each correct answer helping the group move closer to the summit. At the end of the game, a polaroid snapshot reveals how far they made it and celebrates their progress.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Recognise and identify the /j/ initial sound in spoken words
• ✅ Strengthen phonemic awareness through visual prompts and segmentation
• ✅ Build early reading and listening comprehension skills
• ✅ Engage in team-based learning through cooperative play
• ✅ Practise segmenting and isolating sounds in a meaningful context

How to Play:

1. Students are shown an image of an object or animal.
2. They segment the word to identify its beginning sound.
3. If the word starts with /j/, they select ‘yes’; if not, they select ‘no.’
4. Each correct answer helps the team climb higher up the mountain.
5. A polaroid snapshot shows how far they made it at the end of the game.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during phonics rotations for initial sound practise with Foundation–Year 1 students.
• 💡 Pair with hands-on tasks where students sort real or printed objects by initial sound.
• 💡 Use in small groups to encourage peer discussion and collaborative decoding.
• 💡 Replay the game across different letters for ongoing phonemic awareness practise.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Send the QR code home for students to play as a homework or revision task.
• 💛 Let students personalise their experience by choosing from six characters before the game begins.
• 💛 Select the number of players or teams at the start of the game to suit individual, paired, or group play.

Let’s Hike – Does It Start With J? supports early sound recognition through visual learning and team-based play, one step at a time up the mountain!