Attention Logophiles
Word of the Week
Logophile (log-uh-file): Someone who loves words. It comes from the Greek words logo meaning "word" or "speech" and phile meaning "lover of."
Yassou!
I have so much I'm looking forward to next week! Thanksgiving and all the yummy turkey and side dishes have been on my mind for weeks! But, it's not all about food. I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with some of my very favorite people, too. It seems like the hours fly by when we gather together. I'm sure you also have people like that in your life. . .so you know what I mean.
Coincidentally, National Game and Puzzle Week falls on the same week of Thanksgiving! Everyone, we now have the perfect excuse to spend some of our quality time with loved ones playing games that are great for our brains. I've decided to share some neat word games I've come across over the years! Word games are not only fun, but they boost literacy skills too! It's a win-win!
I Spy- This one, I'm sure you've heard of. I love it, because there's not much to it, and you don't need any supplies. You can play this one virtually anywhere! Simply look around the room and select an object you want your audience to guess. Slowly give them clues about the object (I like to do 10 at most) and whoever guesses correctly first, wins!
I went to the zoo, and I saw. . .- You might have heard of this one, too. For younger kids, let them shout out any animal that comes to mind. For older kids, challenge them by naming animals alphabetically. You can challenge them even more by sticking to responses for a designated letter only OR restricting the animals to a specific ecosystem!
The Prime Minister's Cat- The first player finishes the sentence by describing the cat with an adjective and providing a name beginning with the letter A. The next player comes up with their own two responses, sticking to the same letter (if they can.) The next player tries to do the same. If they get stuck, they would progress to the letter B. Example: The Prime Minister's cat is adorable and named Alice. The Prime Minister's cat is anxious and named Alvin. The Prime Minister's cat is bashful and named Benjamin.
Hink-Pink- This is a rhyming game! Player one writes down a rhyme and gives clues for the others to guess the rhyme. Example: Big-rig - They might give the clues large- truck.
Words in Words- This requires only paper and pencil! Player one chooses a long word. The longer, the better! Everyone writes the word at the top of their paper. A timer is set for X minutes (you decide) and the players create a word list using only letters from the long word. Tally up the scores by giving one point per word!
Mouse & Cheese- A friendlier version of hangman that again, only requires paper and pencil! Simply draw a mouse at the bottom of a staircase and a block of cheese at the top. Draw blanks for each letter of the target word you want your friends to guess. Incorrect guesses get listed below the stairs, and an X goes on a stair. If the mouse reaches the cheese before they guess the word, the mouse wins! I've made a sample one for you to check out below!
I hope this gets you even more excited to spend time with loved ones this holiday season! Give one of these word games a whirl, and at least exercise your brain between bites of all the yummy food!
Pssst. . .any guesses for my sample Mouse & Cheese? It might have something to do with next week! E-mail your guess to LJMadwish@gmail.com. The first person to come up with the correct response will get a FREE copy of our latest book Perplexed by Perspectives.
Until next time. . .
Gram