One of the greatest challenges parents face today is getting their kids to write. Let’s face it: children often look at writing assignments with dread and confusion. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The What is the Sentence? game is a new solution to writing phobia.
Our school system now demands of first graders written work that forth and fifth graders produced 50 years ago. Much of what our current curriculum materials demand is developmentally inappropriate, but few young parents understand this or have the time to read what current brain research has to say on the subject.
The first step in relieving the stress on both parents and students, is to recognize the obvious: you can’t write a paragraph until you can easily write a sentence.
Learning to write an interesting sentence can be a boring, tedious, even stressful exercise or it can be fun, interesting and enjoyably challenging. The former will bear scant fruit, while the latter will produce willing and often eager writers.
A new game on the market, What Is The Sentence?, from Sheformar International, is a solution to this problem.
What is The Sentence? is an easy to play, yet unique card game with amazing versatility. It can be played as a solitaire game, a fun family game or even a team game. There are enough variations to keep it challenging for the most word proficient adult, so you will never outgrow What Is The Sentence?.
The game includes four kinds of cards:
- Vowels
- Consonants
- Action Cards
- Steal Cards
Also included are four timers (15, 30, 45, 60 seconds) and a die. The basic game involves dealing 4-6 Consonant Cards and one Vowel Card to each player. One of the 67 Action Cards is also drawn and read to the players. The Action Card gives some sort of instruction for that round of play.
The great variety of Actions can include:
- Use an adjective in your sentence.
- Use the name of a state in your sentence.
- Use a musical instrument in your sentence.
- Use a mode of transportation in your sentence.
- Use a part of the body in your sentence.
- And on, and on, and on…..
For instance, if your cards are: R,A,C,M,P and the Action Card says, “You must create a sentence with at least one color in it,” your sentence could be:
Make A Purple Cow Run.
Or
Color My Rumpled Apricot Purple.
Or
Please Manufacture A Red Cat.
Thus, players will create 5-7 word sentences, many of which will be laugh-out-loud funny, with little stress but lots of challenge.
The game designers thought of nearly everything.
They have special instructions for children under 7 years old to make it easier for them to play and compete. They also have alternate game instructions for Advanced Play. For an added bonus, an interesting Fun Fact is included on each Action Card so players will learn even more.
Check out the game here! Let us know what you think if you play it!
