1.02.2016

How You Can Have Fun With Words

By Jessica Stone


Language can be so interesting in so many ways. It is incredibly important as a means of communication between humans, so understanding how it works and how it can be used are very good skills to have in general. There are different ways to have fun with words so that such a skill set can be developed.

Here are a few suggestions of useful games that the whole family can play together, including the children. You will really be able to put your brain to the test and continuously challenge it to get sharper and quicker at the task. Adding a variety of twists on word games can help as well. One example of this is the use of rhyme.

The alphabet is often a key component in many word games, serving as a point from which to begin or as a guideline throughout the game. You can pick any topic like cities, countries or animals and then every person in the group has to think of a word which begins with the next letter of the alphabet. Therefore the first player will say something beginning with the letter A; the next player's answer will start with B, and so it continues.

You can make things even more difficult and stump each other by using a previous answer's last letter as the starting letter for the next answer. This can be a lot of fun when there are a lot of people involved. It's even more fun and challenging when it's done to a specific time limit.

You can pretty much modify or simplify any game for a younger audience by letting them use paper to write down their answers. Do you remember the game 'Name, Animal, Place, Object'? Put these words as headings across the top of a page and then run the letters of the alphabet down the page on one side.

Set a timer, and have each player fill in as many answers as they can, finding words to fit each topic and alphabet letter. Kids can play this at home, but it's also a great exercise for a school setting. It has the added benefit of keeping them quiet while they think for a while!

There of lots of ways to take a word game to the next level for more of a challenge. Rhyming is an example, and something that can really stump players. Try putting different words on pieces of paper and everyone has to choose a piece of paper and rhyme with that word four times? Or how about making them use the word in a poem right then and there?

Rhyming isn't the only language trick to have some fun. There are puns and double meanings, or impressive sounding things like onomatopoeia, which is basically the name given to words that reflect sounds. Tongue twisters can be a great deal of fun, and good for practicing articulation. Let each person say it faster every time until someone fumbles. You can even try finding a really long word to make shorter ones out of.




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