Catch a Context Clue
This game is fabulous for children to practice using context clues to figure out the meaning of a word! Children will read a sentence that has a word underlined. They will have to find the meaning of the underlined word by using the clues that are given in the sentence to determine the word’s meaning. For example, “Cameron devoured his whole breakfast so he could play outside.” The child that reads this will have to use critical thinking skills and background knowledge to think about the possibilities of the definition of the word.
To prepare to play Catch a Context Clue, cut out the provided cards and don’t laminate the cards. Then, here comes some fun, you and the kids get to crumple up the cards and place them in a basket. After the cards are crumpled up in the basket, launch the basket of words into the air all at once and have the kids catch as many as possible. Once the children go through the cards and answered all the cards, they can put them back in the basket, to practice with the ones that were not caught, or place them to the side and then launch the basket again!
Another variation of the game I played with my kiddos in the classroom was tossing the balled-up cards like softballs into the air and the kids caught as many as they could. This added a sports’ element to the game! We laughed so hard because the kiddos were having a blast catching the balls and I became an automatic pitching machine. Then, we played the game. Each child took their turn reading the sentence, saying what they thought the underline word meant in the sentence and telling what context clue in the sentence helped them figure out the meaning. After answering, the child balled up the paper and threw it back to me. After everyone had answered their cards, I rapidly threw the balls, had each child tell their answer quicker and toss it back to me. FUN! FUN! FUN! A fabulous learning game that is entertaining! Your children will want to play this game again and again!
Context Clue Detectives
Want to play a board game that is also educational? Here’s a fabulous game to add to game night!
To play the game, place the context clue cards face down. Then, each player takes a turn, draws a card and answers the question. If the player gets the answer correct, he/she rolls the dice and moves that number of spaces on the board. But, watch out. Some of the spaces have you move back on the board. The first player that makes it to the finish spot on the board wins the game!
The cards have multiple choice answers for the definition of the underlined word in each sentence. Once the children become familiar with the words, you could do a variation of the game by reading the cards to child and not giving answers to choose from. This will help the child increase their listening skills, help him/her with memory and continue to work on learning to use context clues to find the meaning of words.
Best Hyperboles Ever!
This game is like the game “Apples to Apples.” However, hyperboles are used instead. To prepare, cut out the cards and cut out paper strips from the sheets provided. Sit in a circle with the 18 picture cards flipped upside down in the middle. The first person is the judge and will pick one of the picture cards, hold it up for everyone to see and then creativity time begins! The players that are not the judge must write the best hyperbole in order to try to have the judge pick their answer as the best one for the picture.
A hyperbole is an exaggeration. For example, I could write, “I can smell pizza from a mile away,” if I was shone the card that had a pizza on it. All the players fold up their slips of paper and place them by the judge who should have his/her eyes closed or covered. If the judge chooses the hyperbole that you wrote, then, you get a point. The first person to collect 3 points wins!
Fact or Opinion Coin Flip
This is an easy prep and fun game to practice writing facts and opinions. To play the game, each person gets a card that has a fact column and an opinion column. Before starting the game, flip the coin that will be used to see who goes first. During the game, the player flips the coin. If it lands on heads they write a fact on his/her card. If the coin lands on tails when it is flipped, then the player writes and opinion in that column on his/her card. Take turns in this manner until the charts are filled. If there is a point prior to this when someone flips a heads or tails and that column is filled, then, he/she will skip that turn.
HAVE FUN! GAME ON!
