Type: Reading Skills:
Language & Literacy
In this activity, you’ll learn how to create a bilingual word puzzle for your children to play with. Bilingual word puzzles are homemade puzzles that incorporate both English and another language. /
What We Learn
Language development
Sounds of letters
Problem solving
Supply List
Magazines pictures of familiar objects
Scissors
Cardboard
Glue
Marker
How-To
Begin by tearing out images from magazines. Choose images of simple objects which children are familiar with, such as a dog, a cat, a ball or a tree.
If you can’t find images from magazines, you can always draw your own pictures of objects on blank sheets of construction paper.
Next, glue each image onto separate pieces of cardboard or thick cardstock.
Use the scissors to cut your cardboard piece into two halves. Don’t simply cut in a straight line, but instead cut using a wavy or jagged pattern. When cutting, try to make the pattern of each puzzle piece a little different, so that each puzzle piece only fits together with its corresponding half.
Use a marker to write the name of the object in English on one half of the puzzle piece. On the other half, write the name of object in a different language, such as Spanish.
You want the children to become familiar with the words while they are looking at the puzzle pieces, so write the names on the image side of the puzzle piece – not on the reverse side where they won’t see it.
Be sure to make enough puzzles for different words to keep your children interested.
Finally, provide children with the various word puzzles and encourage them to put together the pieces to all the various words. While they are engaged in the activity, remember to ask them open-ended questions about what they are doing to encourage their verbal skills. Ask them to try to sound out the names of the words in the new language they are learning.
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Source:
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