Linkity is a simple card game that can really make a huge impact on your child’s learning.
Linkity is basically just a deck of cards with letters on them. The idea is that you come up with a word that starts with one of the letters you have in your hand, but the word must some how be associated with the previous word. So if someone lays down an A and they say “apple” then the next person can lay down an s and say “slice” (because you slice an apple) and then the next person could lay down a g and say “golf” (because it’s a type of swing in golf). It doesn’t matter who lays down the next card as long as no one goes twice in a row and each word is associated with the previous word. But the concept of free word association is definitely an upper level thinking skill and this might make this game difficult for young children.
BUT…what if at the beginning of each round, one person chose a different category thereby narrowing down the word choices. So a 6 year old could play this game when you give categories such as: pets, food, dinosaurs, cities or states, or cartoon characters. Then whoever wins the round gets a point and you move on to the next category.
This game could support not just creative thinking and categorization, but also reinforce the topics that your child is learning. Whether they are studying ocean animals or cities in TX or farm animals, this game could be used to solidify those “files” in their brains.
There is a video to show you how to play here.
Let me know if you and your family come up with any different ways to “play to learn.”