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wordfeud, words with friends and word-building with kids

home / reading / spelling / wordfeud, words with friends and word-building with kids
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My game-guy Owen has recently fallen hard for a game I’m currently all wrapped up in–Wordfeud.ย  It’s the same deal (I think) as Words With Friends, and it’s an app for my phone.ย  About a dozen times a day, my O-man grabs my phone and checks to see if it’s my turn to play.

And if it is my turn, he’ll try to help me find a word that will knock the socks off of my opponent.ย  The only photo I have of the game is my biggest word ever–which we were dancing around the kitchen for: 150 points for ‘rejoin’. Woot!

But what I’ve realized is that learning how to build on words, Scrabble-like, is way hard for kids. Maddy and Owen scan my letters and try to make words that I can use, but they don’t actually connect to the words already on the board.

Call me crazy, but we have been so busy playing our totally awesome, completely perfect ‘kid’ sneaky learning games and games from Gamewright, LeapFrog, and many other smaller (but equally fab) companies.

So in order to try to show my kiddos how the game works–and I emphasize ‘try’–we played real-life Wordfeud on our living room floor with huge letters.ย  And very few rules.

  • Real-Life Wordfeud:ย  While I was away last weekend for Mom 2.0, my own mom brought a bag of ‘goodies’ for me which included a ton of my old mixed tapes from the early 90’s, my old woodshop projects, and a boatload of random party decorations. The party decorations?ย  A total jackpot–balloons, streamers, signs, you name it–but there were at least six different hanging signs–from Happy Anniversary to Showers of Happiness.

 

No Happy Birthday, though, so for my husband’s birthday this week, we just used ‘happy’ everywhere we could.

After we hung the sings for a few days, we cut the letters apart.ย  We’d use the letters more that way–who knew when we’d need these signs otherwise?ย  Clearly, they’d spent way too long hiding in the basement.ย  They needed a new life–in Wordfeud!

 

We cut the letters apart from the signs. . .

 

. . . big or small, we didn’t care.

 

And once we had all of the signs cut apart–and the old, torn pieces were in the trash–we put them in a basket and carried them to the living room floor.

I said, Okay, who’s ready for a lesson in ‘Wordfeud’?

Owen, of course!, was right there, ready to go.

You’ve tried to play with me for weeks now, but I need to teach you how to play so you understand better. We’re going to use these letters to mamke a real-life Wordfeud board on our floor.ย  We’ll take turns building words just like we do on Wordfeud.

But the tough part is remembering that the words have to fit together like they do in my game.ย  Who wants to start?

Maddy grabbed the letters and made ‘happy’ on the floor.

Then Owen put down an ‘s’ and a ‘p’ for ‘sap’–which got big claps for us–he was building words!

 

Hooray! Our first attempt at word-building!

Then I used the ‘y’ and built ‘year’.

I said, Look at ‘happy’ and ‘sap’–notice how the ‘A’ and ‘p’ are touching? We then talked about how another way to create that same word would be to use the ‘p’ in ‘happy’ so that the ‘a’ and ‘p’ weren’t touching to create the non-word, ‘ap’.ย  Right as we were about to move them, guess who joined our game? Brady.

A totally perfect, teachable moment interrupted by our pooch. Maddy had just added ‘nine’ to the mix, when our silly dog got comfy.ย  Guess we should start paying attention to him, huh?

Perhaps we have a Martha Speaks on our hands? We joked that maybe instead of eating alphabet letters, our dog just has to sit on them to make him speak.ย  . . We hoped and hoped and hoped, but he never got up, so we couldn’t try it out.

 

Cora was busy making her own name after we got crafty and made a ‘c’ out of a number 5 that we had in the mix.

 

Cora was busy word building, too–her own name!

 

Owen got to work to create the word, Brady, but there were no ‘b’s–remember, no ‘Happy Birthday’ signs?–so he used two ‘D’s-pretty smart if I do say so myself!

Onto Brady’s name, I created the word, ‘Easter’, but that was way too boring for Maddy and Owen.ย  Owen tried to write ‘stupid’ Brady (really?! why? how? I’m not sure–but I didn’t dwell on it), which he was quickly reprimanded for, and instead, I challenged him to create a stronger, more positive word that began with ‘s’ to describe his pooch.

He went instead for something silly, which didn’t surprise me, and I’m not sure he quite understood the concept of ‘describing’ words.ย  We’ll save it for another day.

 

We got ‘skate with Brady’ which Maddy helped him with and which they used a bow for the ‘k’ since we had no ‘k”s.ย  I told him it worked and that one day if he’s really nice to Brady, maybe, just maybe, he’ll be able to skate with his dog–that is, if he even gives you the time of day after he’s made so famous by his speaking. . .

 

 

Owen tries to make up with Brady.

 

We played with the words for a while longer, but not much.ย  It was rainy, dreary, and cold, so it was an inside kind of day–perfect for preparing for Easter.ย  We stored the letters in a basket, ready for next time!

 

What I realized, through this exercise, is that building words is one thing; it’s a skill that kids can begin to pick up when the time is right and after lots of modeling and practice.ย  But building words upon other words–like in Scrabble or Wordfeud or anything similar–is a whole other ballgame.

I’m not going to push it with Owen and Maddy, I’m really not.ย  Perhaps over Easter we’ll bring out Scrabble–the board game–and try our hand at it.ย  Or maybe we’ll just keep these letters in the living room and every so often practice some real-life word building when we have a minute or two.ย  Until then, if my helpers want to jump in on my ‘phone’ games and add their two cents’, I’ll take it.

And seriously? It’s great for my kids to see me playing with words because it will only entice them to keep playing with words, too! Talk about a win-win!

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:new for us friday: leapfrog dvd’s and giveaway! (& link-up!)
Next Post:just 1 book: illustrator ken min (& signed book giveaway!)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The Activity Mom

    April 23, 2011 at 10:11 am

    So fun!

    Reply
  2. Morgan

    April 23, 2011 at 10:41 am

    I’m a Words with Friends addict and I have my fingers, toes, and everything else crossed that I’ll get approved to do a Donors Choose listing for a pair of iPads. I would love for my kids to be able to play with each other in Words with Friends (among other things).

    I love your idea for cutting apart the banners too! I recall seeing someone selling a huge bin of them at a yard sale last year so maybe I’ll get lucky and find someone this year since I now have an idea for how to use them. Not sure why it never occurred to me to cut them apart.

    Reply
    • amy

      April 23, 2011 at 10:54 pm

      thanks so much, Morgan!! Hey! Are you on we teach (www.weteachgroup.com)? I have a friend who said she’d LOVE to help one of our teachers who have a donors choose request–let me know!

      Reply
  3. Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama

    April 23, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    Oh Brady! That silly dog just wanted to play WordFeud with you! I love that you took your game obsession and turned it into an awesome kids activity!

    Reply

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What a weekend. So incredibly proud of all of these talented athletes!

๐Ÿ† 3rd in the state of Maryland for @sherwoodcheerleading ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿค

UMD Womenโ€™s Basketball won todayโ€” great job by @marylandcheer โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ–ค

#lovethesegirls #cheerweekend #marylandlife #lifeinmaryland #moco
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This Sugarfina Advent Calendar is what your teens want. 

$33 shipped TO YOUR DOOR w my 10% off and FREE SHIPPING!

Normally itโ€™s $60! 

I have been sharing my fave, super-COOL, Advent Calendars for teens and adults in my stories today!

This one right here was ours from last year, and we โค๏ธ LOVED it!

It is made by @sugarfina and each day we were surprised with FABULOUS sweet treats! 

Good-bye to the ole, crappy, tinfoil chocolates. Weโ€™re taking fun, new, and different candies each day of the month!

Grab it here: zulily.gfpv.net/MX9Ngn

#linkinbio @zulily #adventcalendars #adventforteens
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Do you need a ride to the polls? If you do, @VOTE411 and @lyft has got you covered! 

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Did you have a chance to join my IG live today?

It was a rainy, gross Sunday here in Maryland, and I shared one of my top picks for the holidaysโ€”> LEGO but for BIG KIDS. 

Or GRANDPARENTS. 

Or PARENTS. 

Actually ANY grown-up who likes to unplug once in a while and CREATE. 

I showed how I was doing with the LEGO Flower Bouquet (๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿ’๐ŸŒผ) and how many other awesome sets are 15% off and FREE SHIPPING (yayyyyy!!) over on @zulily ๐Ÿ’œ. 

Check it out. Theyโ€™ve got a ton of sets to choose from, like 
Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Friends, Disney, Mario Brosโ€”you name it. 

Find them here: https://zulily.gfpv.net/jWqkmn

Fab prices + free shipping = BIG WIN. 

#linkinbio #ad #LEGOforgrownups #everyonelovesLEGO #holidaypicks
View
Open
LEGO at 15% off and FREE SHIPPING! 

Check out the AWESOME set that is PERFECT for teens, grandparents, and ANY grownup who likes to create! 

This bouquet will last forever!

๐ŸŒผ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿ’

Use this link โ€”> zulily.gfpv.net/jWqkmn

#bestgiftsforkids #grandparentgifts #ad #LEGOforgrownups @zulily
View
Open
WHAT HAS ARRIVED FROM @zulily !?

Since Zulily carries such a vast array of items, it could be ANYthing: 

๐Ÿ’œ boutique-style clothes or shoes

๐Ÿค brand-name clothing & shoes

๐Ÿ’œ toys

๐Ÿค books or magazines 

๐Ÿ’œ pantry items, snacks, & treats

๐Ÿค haircare or cosmetics 

๐Ÿ’œ pet toys, treats, or accessories 

๐Ÿค personalized gifts

๐Ÿ’œ houseplants, seeds, or bulbs

๐Ÿค basics for kids through adults

๐Ÿ’œ craft supplies and kits

๐Ÿค furniture or home goods

๐Ÿ’œ designer handbags, sunglasses, or belts

๐Ÿค luxury items and gifts

๐Ÿ’œ sports equipment 

๐Ÿค sports gear for ALL fansโ€”NFL, MLB, NCAA, you name it

๐Ÿ’œ small appliances & kitchen items

๐Ÿค towels, sheets, blankets, linens

๐Ÿ’œ home storage & organization items

๐Ÿค coats, hats, scarves 

๐Ÿ’œ just about anything you can imagine!

Follow my stories for the deals and steals for families and educators, or check the Zulily Highlight!

Especially nowโ€”as we move into the exciting holiday seasonโ€”I will more frequently share items, and they will MOVE QUICKLY! 

So make sure you are checking in regularly, and pleaseโ€”if you are looking for specific items and a specific price point, let me know! 

I am happy to do some research to help you out!

๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’œ

#zulilypartner #linkinbio #ad #holiday #giftgiving bestgifts

Want to check it out for yourself? zulily.gfpv.net/teachmama
View
Open
๐ŸŸฆ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฉ๐ŸŸจ

THE best toy for kidsโ€”and classrooms!โ€”is on sale right now. 

The 101-piece PicassoTile Building Set (WITH CARRYING CASE!)
is only $34.99 on Zulily WITH an extra 15% off!

Stock upโ€”think: teachers, daycare providers, classrooms!
AND birthdays, holidays or rainy days!

This is a toy that I cannot recommend highly enoughโ€”perfect for littles through elemor middle school. 

From a tween I know and love: The *click* of the magnetic blocks is so satisfying, and honestly, theyโ€™re just really fun and relaxing to use. 

๐ŸŸฆ๐ŸŸช๐ŸŸง๐ŸŸฉ

hereโ€™s the link that will get you AN ADDITIONAL 15% off โ€”> zulily.gfpv.net/JrDdbE

And remember: FREE SHIPPING ON orders of $89+

#ad #linkinbio #besttoysforkids #dealoftheday

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