My son finds it difficult to learn spellings’
‘My daughter is bored of repeating words to spell them out’
Concerns like these are common among parents. This is where play-based learning can come in to ease your worries!
One of the ways of executing effective play-based learning is to play games, such as the Snowman, a fun game that helps your child learn spellings and simultaneously keep themselves occupied for a long time.
Its a simple one too. All you need is a pencil, paper, erasers and good vocabulary.
The game is easy and will engage you and your child effectively, regardless of whether it is conducted in a single-player or multiplayer format. Besides, the game can be played on a weekday or a weekend, with minimal preparation.
Are you curious to begin? Lets go!
What do parents need to do?
Almost all children love the snowman! In the game, you can make him teach your kids to spell right!
Here are the steps you need to follow
A sample image of the snowman ready for the same Source: Wikipedia
How is Snowman played?
STEP 1: Ask the child to guess the letters in the word, one after the other. It is important that they don’t guess groups of letters in the alphabet and guess ONLY one letter at a time.
STEP 2(A): For every right answer, the letter gets marked on the corresponding blank in the word. For instance, (in MONDAY) if the child guesses O correctly, you can fill O on the second position in the blanks.
STEP 2(B): For every wrong answer, erase one part of the snowman, starting from the hat. The order must be: The hat, the nose, the left or the right eye, the next eye, the head, the hands (one at a time), the circle in the middle and finally, the larger circle, which forms the base.
In total, the child is allowed to have nine wrong answers.
STEP 3: And when the snowman melts completely, your child has exhausted all the chances. You can move on to the next word.
STEP 4: If your child guesses the word right, you can draw the snowman again and move on to the next word.
To keep your children excited, narrate the game in such a way that: as you erase the parts of the picture, your child visualises a snowman melting as they spell the word incorrectly!
You can add lines like- ‘oh no, the snowman is melting! Is Riya going to save him?’ to make it more interesting.
The snowman is melting
Doesn’t this seem simple, quick and engaging?
What does your child learn?
While the game can be fun and exciting for the child, it also helps him/her learn.
Here’s how: When your child gets the word right, you can compliment them and ask them for the meaning. This way, you can assess their understanding, too.
When they get the word wrong, you can teach them the word, give the meaning and use it in a sentence. This way, your children not only learn to spell the word correctly, but enhance their vocabulary as well!
How can you customise the game?
This makes for an interesting game for kids
For a younger child (under 6): You can use one word and a snowman to keep the challenge at an easy level.
For older children: You can use multiple words (like names of books or films) to test their competence and keep them excited!
For a single player: You can think of the words and draw the snowman. Let your child just spell out the words.
For multiplayer: You can form teams and make them select words for each other. As parents, all you need to do is be the referee and draw the snowman!
You can also replace the snowman with a space man or policeman to have variety and keep the child engaged.
Play the game with your child and let us know how effective the learning process is. Share your experiences in the comments below!
Aparna is a mom, singer and dreamer by day and a BoJack Horseman-junkie by night. At BYJU'S, she writes happy stories about edtech and learning for kids. She believes in the power of music, the magic of the universe and a plate of idlis. When not writing or singing, you will find her intensely engaged in conversations about life and the power of words or listening to her favourite song, Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo.Byju's.
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