Hiragana & Katakana PUZZLE - Japanese Language Game Activity for Beginner Kids

Are your students very new to learning Japanese characters? Or struggling to identify each shape? If so, this puzzle activity enables children to recognize and match hiragana / katakana shapes and sounds in a fun and engaging way!

You can also offer differentiated instruction choosing different combinations of puzzle pieces and mat. Each student can start from the easiest combination and then gradually move to more difficult levels at their own pace.

This will be a handy game in your classroom and you can use this again and again in the future. This is my must-have activity when I teach young kids!

This is also included in BUNDLE Hiragana & Katakana Starter Pack .

■ Level / Age

Beginner / G1 - G4

■ Activity type

• Individual or pair work
• Hands-on

■ Learners will be able to

• Recognize Hiragana and Katakana characters
• Match characters and its sound/pronunciation
• Read hiragana/katakana chart
• Match Hiragana and Katakana (with the combination of puzzle pieces and mat. i.e. Hiragana pieces and Katakana mat or the reverse.)

■ Includes

9 Puzzle Pieces (colour and B/W)

• Hiragana in 4 levels: 4, 3, 2, and 1 character(s)/piece
• Katakana in 4 levels: 4, 3, 2, and 1 character(s)/piece
• Hiragana and Katakana combined puzzle

7 Puzzle Mats (B/W)

• Hiragana: Hiragana chart, Hiragana w/romaji chart
• Katakana: Katakana chart, Katakana w/romaji chart
• Hiragana and Katakana w/romaji chart
• Romaji chart
• Blank chart

■ How to use

*Please check the video preview for the details.

1. Print at least one puzzle piece sheet and one puzzle mat for each student/pair.
2. Laminate or glue them on cardboard paper. You can also print them on thick papers.
3. Cut out the puzzle sheet into pieces.
4. Enjoy the puzzle!

Recommended:

• Keep the puzzle pieces in small storage bags with zip so that the pieces will not be lost and your student will learn how to clean up after use.
• Before laminating the puzzle mat, you can also give black and white puzzle mat sheet to each student as a hiragana/katakana chart and your students can enjoy coloring them. Laminate the coloured sheets and your student will love their own coloured chart. They can always look up the chart as needed and can use it as a puzzle mat as well.
• When you have time, I recommend preparing extra sets of puzzle pieces and mat, so that early finishers can challenge different levels (i.e. different combinations of pieces and mat). Eventually your students can read characters and enjoy puzzles even without the help of a puzzle mat.

■ Product Format

1 PDF file

■ Paper Size for printing

Letter size (8.5 inch x 11 inch)

(You can print on A4 size papers, as well. Please adjust your printer setting.)

■ Terms of Use

This product is for personal and classroom use only. You may not sell or distribute the files or physical printed materials. If you’d like to share this with other(s), please purchase additional license(s) at a discount price.

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