The aim was simple: show the cards to a small group of children and ask them to guess what they saw in the image. I wanted to find out if the pictures on the cards were clear, age-appropriate, and easy to recognize, without needing to explain or guide too much.
The group consisted of 3 preschoolers, aged between four and six. We sat at a small table in a preschool setting, and I introduced the cards one by one. Each card shows one large letter and an image of an object or animal that begins with that letter. I didn’t mention the letter at first, I just asked, “What do you see on this card?” Sometimes I followed up with, “Do you know what it’s called?” or “What sound does it start with?”
The reactions were immediate and often enthusiastic. The giraffe card was recognized by everyone without hesitation. They shouted “giraffe!” almost in unison. The cat card was a hit too; they said “cat,” “kitty,” or just made meowing sounds.
Animal cards were especially successful. All the children knew the elephant and giraffe without help. One child even added, “That’s my favorite animal!” when the elephant card came up. Interestingly, one called the giraffe a “long-neck horse,” which wasn’t quite right, but showed that the image itself was being interpreted correctly even if the vocabulary wasn’t fully there.
Some images didn’t land as well. The ant house card caused confusion. One child guessed “mountain,” another said “insects”. Only one child eventually said “and house,” and even that seemed like a lucky guess. That image might need to be reconsidered. Something more visually distinct or more familiar.
The children also started trying to connect the image to a letter, even though most of them don’t know the alphabet yet. One child asked, “Cat starts with K?” It showed that they were curious about the relationship between letters and sounds, even if they weren’t getting it quite right yet. That’s actually a good sign, recognizing that letters link to words is one of the first steps in developing phonemic awareness.
One unexpected thing was how naturally some of them started making sounds. For example, they meowed for the cat and pretended to trumpet for the elephant. This could be something to build on—maybe incorporating sounds into the activities would make the cards even more engaging.
Another interesting observation: a few children traced the big letters on the cards with their fingers while naming the pictures. It was spontaneous, but very in line with the idea of multisensory learning. They weren’t copying letters on paper yet, but you could see the impulse to connect touch, sight, and sound.
Overall, the test gave me a lot to think about. The children responded best to cards that had familiar, concrete images, especially animals and common objects like fruit or toys. They were naturally drawn to the pictures and excited to name them. The letter recognition was limited, but that’s expected at this stage. What mattered most was that they were engaged, curious, and making connections between sounds, objects, and letters.
