Educational Tips and Tidbits

Clear communication is a must-have skill in today’s job market.  A person needs to speak AND write clearly and in ways appropriate to the setting.  That translates into flexible, creative communicators.  Help your child gain those skills through daily practice!  Writing assignments and discussions are just a few tools, though.  Try these day-brighteners when you need a creative new idea to boost communication skills.  You can play verbally or in writing; just make sure you have fun!

• Monkey See Monkey Do

Put players into teams of two.  Give each person two pieces of paper and pencils or markers.  Have each player secretly draw a design (make it as complicated as you like!), and then get out the blank paper.  Players take turns giving verbal directions to their partner to duplicate the secret design they’ve drawn.

• A Monster on the Board!

You’ll need a large chart paper, white board or even chalk board for this one.  Colored markers are also a plus.  Gather the group and have the students give directions to draw a monster.  The most specific and descriptive their instructions, the closer your drawing will come to their mental picture!  For example, the kids might tell you the monster needs long, curly hair.  As you work on your creation, point out all of the adjectives flying around, and maybe even keep a running list beside the picture.

• Robots

Pair players up.  One player can pretend to be a robot that is controlled completely by verbal instructions.  The other player gets to give the directions.  Set some tasks for the teams to accomplish, like picking up a piece of paper, but remind everyone that the robots can do NOTHING that is not in the directions.   For example, if the controller says to bend down, the robot must bend down in place even if the paper is out of reach.  No fair taking unrequested steps!!

These are just a few diversions that rely on clear communications.  What other creative activities can you share?  Please leave your favorites in the comment box below.

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