Try It: Clever Combinations
Wordplay is a great way to make grammar concepts stick!
When two words team up to create one, you’ve got a compound word. And compound words offer a lively opportunity for active wordplay.
Let’s make some clever combinations!
This activity is from the Arrow (ages 11-12) for the book It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas.
Encourage your kids to combine an everyday noun with a food item, then let your imaginations soar!
EVERYDAY OBJECTS
mail
cat
glass
book
daisy
poodle
wool
chair
keyboard
straw
pencil
desk
FOODS
pizza
steak
mozzarella
anchovy
artichoke
onion
banana
kiwi
popsicle
lemonade
granola
cookie
Print this chart and cut out the words or write them on index cards for easier mixing and matching.
Ask your child: Do you want to
- smoosh the words together to make a closed compound,
- leave a space to create an open compound word, or
- include a hyphen to hook up a hyphenated compound word?
How would it feel to receive pizza mail? Is kiwi-wool green yarn or a sign of mold?
You can even turn this into a game!
One person acts out the word (charades-style) while the others try to guess the creative compound word.
Wordplay for the win!
Tags: Try It
