Linkity

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to determine which associations for a word start with a given letter. They also need to determine if a response is a correct association or not.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Prior to the game, children need to determine what words start with a specific letter. Practice naming a letter and brainstorming words that start with that letter. From there let a child, name a letter and a word that begins with that letter. Then everyone else says a word that is associated with that word. Discuss which words work and which don't. The first practice activity helps children determine words beginning with specific letters, while the second helps children determine the meaning of word associations.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Prior to the game, children need to determine what words start with a specific letter. Practice naming a letter and brainstorming words that start with that letter. From there let a child, name a letter and a word that begins with that letter. Then everyone else says a word that is associated with that word. Discuss which words work and which don't. The first practice activity helps children determine words beginning with specific letters, while the second helps children determine the meaning of word associations.

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to compare response times if there is a tie.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
At times players will need to compare their ideas about associations with a word. Children need to be able to give a justification for their association. Players need to listen and compare the responses to determine which are appropiate. The parent helps children learn by making the comparisons and associations clear. Parents are at an advantage, as they may know certain associations that will be meaningful to their child. Parents can help children by reminding them of these with clues.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
At times players will need to compare their ideas about associations with a word. Children need to be able to give a justification for their association. Players need to listen and compare the responses to determine which are appropiate. The educator helps children learn by making the comparisons and associations clear.

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to recall words they know.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents are familiar with words the children know from their environment. They can give clues by pointing to objects or giving a familiar clue. For example, "What is your favorite stuffed animal?" "A monkey!"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Children must remember words that start with a specific letter or use sound-letter association to determine a word. Educators can provide clues for children who are "stumped." The teacher says, "Add a vowel to the letter you picked. Can you think of a word that starts with those two sounds?" For example, the child draws the letter 'D' and adds the letter 'A' and then says 'Dad.' Educators can remind children to listen to the other players responses for ideas as well.

Experiment

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
The game does not require experimentation, but children will inevitably try any word they think of that starts with a given letter.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
When children generate an unrelated word through experimentation, the parent can make this a fun by asking the child to explain the relationship. This forces the child who generated the word to stretch their imagation to draw a relationship.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
When children generate an unrelated word through experimentation, the parent can make this a fun by asking the child to explain the relationship. This forces the child who generated the word to stretch their imagation to draw a relationship..

Practice

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players practice speed of response. They also practice generating appropriate words starting with various first letters.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To reduce frustration, parents may want to play several rounds, where children are not timed, but each responds in turn. This will allow children time to think and understand the game without the time pressure.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
To reduce frustration, educators may want to play several rounds, where children are not timed, but each responds in turn. This will allow children time to think and understand the game without the time pressure.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players vote on each challenge and conclude if responses are correct. Lead players also draw a conclusion about the first responder in a tied timing situation.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
As children disagree on various associations, parents can support the discussion by asking questions. "How is 'big' associated with 'chair'? If the child gives a good explanation, such as "some chairs are big and some are little" the parent can lead the group to listen. A comment may help them see beyond their own perceptions. For example, "It is true that my chair in the living room is bigger than yours."

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators should encourage players to listen carefully to each child's full explanation of their word. They can then discuss the merits of each offering. This will support listening to others, reasoning, evaluation, and being fair. The educator can say, "Can anyone think of an example of how the word 'bat' relates to the word 'fly'? When a child says, "A bat flies," other children may modify their thinking to expand their concept of 'bat' from a 'wooden stick that hits a ball' to 'an animal that flies.'

Review

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Review is done when there is a challenge to a response. Players must determine whether a challenged response makes an association with the given word.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents should encourage players to listen carefully to each child's full explanation of their word. They can then discuss the merits of each offering. This will support listening to others, reasoning, evaluation, and being fair. The educator can say, "Can anyone think of an example of how the word 'bat' relates to the word 'fly'? When a child says, "A bat flies," other children may modify their thinking to expand their concept of 'bat' from a 'wooden stick that hits a ball' to 'an animal that flies.'

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators can help mediate any disagreements during review. Educators should encourage players to listen carefully to each child's full explanation of their word. They can then discuss the merits of each offering. This will support listening to others, reasoning, evaluation, and being fair. The educator can say, "Can anyone think of an example of how the word 'bat' relates to the word 'fly'? When a child says, "A bat flies," other children may modify their thinking to expand their concept of 'bat' from a 'wooden stick that hits a ball' to 'an animal that flies.'

Demonstrate

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
When challenged players have to justify or explain their response.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents may ask for examples of how words are related. Children can verbally explain or act out what they see as associations. All children can think about and contribute to the discussion.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators may ask for further clarification to encourage children to explain their thinking. For example, "Tell me more" or "Can you give me another example?" Children can build on each other's ideas. Educators can ask children to comment on other children's ideas as well. This expands their demonstration of understanding.

Imagine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Some Players may come up with imaginative connections. This is great as long as they can make a logical connection.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can allow for more expansive definition of connection, and encourage children to be as imaginative as possible in their word choice. As long as all agree that there is an imaginative connection, the word should count.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators can allow for more expansive definition of connection, and encourage children to be as imaginative as possible in their word choice. As long as all agree that there is an imaginative connection, the word should count.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Adults or players give a word ending that can go with the letter drawn. The child adds the sound to the beginning to practice blending sounds into words. For example, the player draws the letter K and says "-ite." The next player says, "Kite." The next player draws a letter and gives a word ending, etc. If they are right they keep the card, if not the next player tries to blend the sounds into a word.
For an individual game with the adult, the child with language and cognitive delays may benefit from hearing choices. Lay down a letter and say a word that starts with that letter. Have the child pick a letter from their hand and lay down another letter. The adult chooses two words that start with that letter and asks the child which words is related to their word. For example, the adult lays down a D and says, "Dog." The child lays down an L. The adult then says "Lease or lamb." The child has to choose which L-word is related to dog. This modification helps children understand relationships and reduces their need to generate concepts

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
For children with language delays, generating vocabulary associations may be too difficult. Modify the game to see who can generate a word that starts with that letter first, regardless of association to prior word. If children have "word finding" issues eliminate the timing factor. Give an extra point if the word is related to the previous word. That will help children learn the concept of word association.
For an individual game with the adult, the child with language and cognitive delays may benefit from hearing choices. Lay down a letter and say a word that starts with that letter. Have the child pick a letter from their hand and lay down another letter. The adult chooses two words that start with that letter and asks the child which words is related to their word. For example, the adult lays down a D and says, "Dog." The child lays down an L. The adult then says "leash" and "lamb." The child has to choose which L-word is related to dog. This modification helps children understand relationships and reduces their need to generate concepts.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Draw a letter. Show the letter to everyone. The player who drew the letter then acts out a word that starts with that letter and the other players guess what the word is. This modification is good for children who are active or have a short attention span. The movement keeps them interested. It is also good for children who need more practice planning motor movements.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Work in pairs to come up with a word that is associated with the word named. The teams then choose one word to say. Vote on the best choice of word.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Use a magnifying glass to make letters larger for children with vision impairments.
Use a black marker to go over the letters on the cards. This will increase the contrast and make the cards easier to see.
In addition to using a black marker on the letter cards, place the card on a black piece of paper to provide additional contrast.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Teach children the signs for the letters. The hearing impaired child can then draw the letter and sign it for the other players. All must make the letter sign before they shout out their word association.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Player 1 draws a card and names something they see that starts with that letter. "I see something that starts with S." If the other player(s) guesses are incorrect, the Player 1 can give a clue or state another letter in the word, until it is guessed.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
This game requires letter-sound association and gives children practice in thinking about the letters words start with in their environment. If children state another letter in the word, they are sequencing along with sound-letter association. Asking for a clue requires children to think of an association with that word. These skills are important for language and literacy development.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Find 10 (or more) sets of duplicate letters in the deck, shuffle them and place them face down on the board. Proceed as with regular picture memory.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
Visual-spatial shape recognition and visual-spatial memory are needed for this variation. Both are important cognitive skills. Even if children do not know the names of the letters, they can play this memory game to help them learn the configurations.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Shuffle the deck. Dealer gives each person 4 cards. Each person sees how many words they can make with those cards in one minute. Give 1 point token (or a penny!) for each word. Give each player a fifth card. Now see how many words they can make with the five letters. This can be an added card or a new deal. Keep adding one more card each time. The words don't have to use all of the letters, but must be at least two letters long. Children can also trade cards to get a needed letter.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
This game helps children think about sequencing letters to make words. They will practice memory skills for simple words as well as sound-letter association, sequencing, and word recognition. All are cognitive skills needed for literacy.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Everyone work together to see how many things they can find in the room that start with this letter or are associated with the letter. For example, couch could be "c," or "s" for sit, or "p" for pillow. Pick a new letter and a new room. Count the words as you go. Try predicting how many things you will find starting with that letter. This can be scored individually, or just to see how many words everyone can come up with for a given room.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
Fluency or rapid thinking is encouraged in this modification. Children not only think about the letters beginning specific words (word-letter association), they expand their thinking to other words that could be associated with the original item. Being able to generate many ideas is important for creative thinking.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
For each turn, pick a topic to which all the words must relate, such as family members, animals, famous people, things at a park, geography (states, countries, etc) and more.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
Adding content help children share and learn information that relates to personal interests and values, as we all as to subjects they are learning in school. Picking subjects that are interesting to players will enhance motivation and persistence.