101 Quick-Thinking Games and Riddles for Children (Smartfun Activity Books) - Softcover

Bartl, Allison

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0897934970 ISBN 13: 9780897934978

Publisher: Hunter House Inc.,U.S., 2009

Synopsis

As any teacher can tell you, no two students learn alike. Some struggle to finish a test on time, others are done in minutes. Some students need a lot of structure, others need creative freedom. Despite the many different learning styles, there is one common factor: Children learn better when they're enjoying themselves. Just a few minutes of laughter and creativity a day can be more valuable than hours of homework. They can be used any time and are perfect for free time, supply teacher days and for enhancing Maths or English lessons. This book is divided into two parts: games and riddles. The activities gradually increase in complexity and teach important learning concepts while enhancing concentration. Ideas for modifying the games are included throughout and helpful icons indicate the size of the group and the need for props, a large space, an outdoor setting or physical contact. Some activities encourage children to find the correct answer first, some are games of wit and creativity and others encourage children to use vocabulary and language in unusual ways. All of them promote active learning, keep students engaged and give adults and children alike the chance to laugh, stretch and wake up their brains. Ages 6-10

About this title

Review

101 Quick-Thinking Games and Riddles for Children is a collection of games and riddles designed to "encourage concentration, reasoning, patience, an understanding of numbers, the use of logic, and working with letters and words. They enhance memory skills. They help to develop social abilities and teamwork." (p.1) The activities in the book are designed for teachers of children age six through ten.

From a quick glance in the corner of each activity's page you can tell whether or not this activity will work for you by the icons pictured there. There are icons telling the size of the group needed, whether or not props or space are required, if there is physical contact involved or if it is an outdoor activity. The icons are very beneficial in that you do not have to take the time to read through each description in order to find out if the game is
something that would be applicable to your situation.

The first part of the book has 101 games and then the second part of the book has 65 riddles. The games start out fairly simple with one called "Quick Lineup" in which children are split into two groups. Each child writes down a number on a piece of paper and then everyone in each group lines up in numerical order. The first group that completes the task is the winner.

The games become increasingly more challenging and end with an activity called
"Mystery Letter" in which one child goes outside the room and the remaining children decide on a "secret letter." When the child comes back into the room he asks the other children up to ten questions which the children answer using the letter somewhere in the word. The guessing child attempts to find the connections and guess the letter.

The author, Allison Bartl, is the author of many books for children, some of which are of similar format to this one. She is an experienced elementary-school teacher so she definitely has the background necessary to create fun, educational activities for this age group. Though most of the activities are geared toward children in a classroom setting the majority of the activities can be modified so that parents can utilize these ideas at home with their children. "101 Quick-Thinking Games and Riddles for Children" contains a lot of creative, fresh ideas and I think that any teacher, parent, or group leader would find numerous activities inside that they would be able to use!
-- Kam Aures for RebeccaReads

Edition details

• Publisher: Hunter House Inc.,U.S.
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0897934970
• ISBN 13: 9780897934978
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160