| This is the
portion of the year where traditions become important to
families. Traditions can be simple, yet impressionable to
children. Here are some games that are easy to play yet
involve everyone during a holiday gathering. #1
Stand-up Sit-down Spelling
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As we gather together for holiday
dinners with friends and relatives we can share fun and
learning. This idea will reinforce spelling skills in a
group situation.
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Two groups are
formed with all those participating - from 2
players to 100 players. The two groups can be
separated by male/female; guests over 30 years/
under 30 years; those that wear glasses/don't
wear glasses, etc. It is fun to come up with
unique ways to separate into two groups.
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Think of a
seasonal word to spell and either say aloud when
asked or write down on an index card. As a
spelling word is announced, each person playing
spells the word aloud with their selected group.
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One group will
spell aloud the vowels in the spelling
word and the second group will spell aloud the
consonants in the word.
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The fun is when
saying aloud each letter of the word, each
member of the group must stand and sit down
after their letter (vowel or consonant) is said.
Even if the word has 2 consonants in a row - the
group must sit down and stand again to say the
next consonant letter of the spelling word.
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- This is fun to play around the dinner table
while waiting for dessert. Words you can use -
Thanksgiving - turkey - Pilgrims - feast - family –
grateful – corn – Indians - Mayflower.
This group spelling activity allows any ability to
participate. For added fun, spell each word a second
time and spell fast so the standing and sitting has lots
of movement.
#2 Newspaper
Letter Search
It is
nice to have an activity ready to go that involves all age
groups when guests arrive for a special event. This can be
played individually or with a partner.
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Have a page from a
newspaper available for each player or 2 person team and
a different color marker.
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At the top of each page,
write one letter from a Fall or Thanksgiving word. For
example - corn.
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One sheet has C, another
sheet has O, next sheet has R, and final sheet would
have N.
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Set a timer for 2 to 5
minutes and circle all the words on the page that BEGIN
with the letter listed at the top of the newspaper.
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When timer rings, exchange
the newspaper with another player, set timer again for 2
minutes to see if next team can find additional words
that begin with the letter at top of page.
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Continue exchanging
papers, until each group has a chance to view all pages.
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Score by counting all the
words circled in the same color on all the pages.
For younger children, you may
chose not to use the timer or the scoring. This allows the
activity to be a non competitive way of recognizing letters
of the alphabet.
#3 Thanksgiving Tic-Tac-Toe
Thanksgiving is often a gathering of all ages of people. This activity can
keep the children busy and learning with this variation of tic-tac-toe.
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Gather the children and come up with 9
words used during the Thanksgiving season. Example: holiday,
Pilgrim, harvest, November, corn, turkey, Indian, Lincoln,
Thanksgiving
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Write each word on a slip of paper and
place in a container. Hand out a paper plate to each
participant. Divide into 9 sections like a tic-tac-toe
board.
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Draw a word from the container and let
each child write it in any section of their plate. Do this
for all 9 words. Each participant will have the words in a
different arrangement. Hand out candy corn or candy pumpkins
as game tokens.
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Place all the word slips back in the container.
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You are now ready to play the game. One person
selects a word slip and reads it aloud. Each participant marks the word
on his plate with the candy.
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Continue selecting words until someone gets 3 in a
row and wins the round and the candy on his plate. Try to play enough
rounds so each participant can be a winner.
When playing the game with older children, scramble the
letters of the word on the slips of paper. They will need to think a little
bit more to find the correct word on the plate.
#4 Word Fractions
This game is both a word and math game. Try
it for a different look at fractions.
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Begin by thinking of holiday words – Mayflower,
corn, pie, cranberries, stuffing, cornucopia, etc.
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Write a word on a piece of paper and have a child
circle or say the fraction of the word.
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Take the word – CORN - Can you tell me what letters
are in ½ of corn? (co) or (rn)
Try these:
Let me
know by e-mail what your favorite activity was this month. I am compiling information for a resource book
and want your input. Thanks.
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