Feather

Anagram Challenge

This is a very adaptable game, which can be fun at a party, mixed age gathering, a rainy afternoon or a plane journey! It takes a little preparation.

Age: 6+

You will need:

Letter tiles - lots! Use tiles from an existing game (such as Scrabble), make your own by cutting pieces of card into small squares and lettering them, or print out some of our Alphabets here (if you laminate them you will be able to use them again and again).

How to play:

Depending on the number of players, you may want to divide the children into teams. If you have many more than 3 or 4 teams you will need an awful lot of tiles! Mix up the age groups if appropriate.

Choose a collection of words for your challenge, which you believe that each child or team will be able to unscramble. Younger children will need simple words and fewer of them; older age groups can probably cope with 5 or 6 longer words at a time. You should try to theme each group of words.

For example:

For young children, farmyard animals - duck, cat, dog and cow.

For older children, farmyard animals - duck, cat, dog, cow, goose and chicken

For mixed age groups, including adults, animals - goose, chicken, giraffe, lion, antelope

Give each player or team a stack of the letters that will form their words, and a hint to get them started. Your hint could apply to the group ("you will find all of these on the farm") or specific to one word ("it has two stomachs").

The first player or team to unscramble all their words wins.

Hints:

This game can become quite addictive! Once children understand how to play, they can set each other challenges. Suggest they pick a 5, 6 or 7 letter word (as appropriate to their age) and find the correct letters, then simultaneously hand the letters to another player and see who can work out their anagram first. If a player makes another word - as long as it is correct - that still counts!

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