A word play tip
Image by Savannah Lewis (cc)
Ask your kids to find the nuance differences between synonyms.
Example— all the words for “smell”
Smell
Fragrance
Aroma
Odor
Scent
Stench
Perfume
Bouquet
How are they used? Can you use ‘odor’ for flowers? Can you use ‘scent’ for a skunk’s spray?
Can ‘aroma’ be paired with anything besides food? Why or why not?
What’s the difference between a ‘bouquet’ and ‘perfume’? Which is lovelier, easier to breathe in?
How much worse is a ‘stench’ than an ‘odor’? Can you think of two different items and why one would be paired with ‘stench’ and another with ‘odor’?
This is how you build vocabulary far better than using a workbook that makes kids identify definitions or put the words correctly into sentences.
Focus on complexity—nuances, subtlety, relationships, contexts, situations, habits, contradictions in language. These practices help the words “stick” and enrich a child’s writing as you find that some of them will “pop through” to their own work.
Cross-posted on facebook.
