Upwords is a great English teaching game that is fun and educational
There's
nothing quite like an English teaching game to get
kids involved in learning how to use letters and words
Not every child loves to read. Some have learning disabilities or attention problems that make reading more difficult.
Using an English teaching game can really help to make the process easier. In fact, it can even help to teach older children whose first language is not English.
When you think of a game for teaching
English, your first
thought might be one of the most popular word games around, Scrabble.
But think about going a step further
and trying Upwords
instead.
Upwords is a very interesting game. It's played on an 8x8 or 10x10 board, depending on which version of the game you have. It's played very much like Scrabble. Players have to draw tiles and use them to make words, which they place on the grid.
The big difference that makes Upwords a very different English teaching game than Scrabble is that the tiles can be built upwards. So, for example, if the word "TOAST" was already on the board, a player could put an "R" over the "T" to make the word "ROAST".
That added feature of Upwords makes it an especially useful English teaching game. Aside from just letters and spelling, it also teaches players about rhyming words and similarly spelled words, making Upwords an English or spelling teacher's dream.
Another great thing about Upwords is that it can be tailored for any age. That's because younger players can make short words, while older players can make longer, more complicated, words. Your kids can expand their vocabulary as they play Upwords more and get older.
Setup time is almost non-existent. All you have to do is open the box, take the game board out and shake up the bag of tiles. Then you're ready to begin. Packing up is easy, too.
So, as board games go, Upwords is a great English teaching game and a fun game for all ages to play. If you are a parent, you could play it during a family game night. If, on the other hand, you teach, the kids in your class will love it. All the while, they will be learning lessons about words and letters that will stick with them for years to come.
Of course, any
word-based board game is capable of teaching
kids about
letters and words.
A good variety will keep kids from realizing that they're even playing an English teaching game and make them think they are just enjoying a game with their friends, classmates or family.
We'll publish more instalments in this series soon.
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