We all get newspapers in our house and as a ritual read them during morning hours to start the day knowing whats going around the world. While newspaper reading is considered majorly an adult activity, parents want their kids to have interest in the same. No doubt, newspaper reading is a healthy habit, most of the children find newspapers very boring and dry. Well, do you know newspapers can be used to play games as well and all of these games will add to your critical thinking and reading skills enhancement. Below we are suggesting to 5 best newspaper games that are highly recommended for all ages, especially children.
1. The Adjectives
Requirements: Newspaper (single edition) and marker
Number of Players: 1 to multiple
Method: This is first in the list of Best Newspaper Games. To play this one first set a 15 mins timer. Start with any newspaper edition and encircle or underline each adjective your find. Try to find out as many adjectives as you can within the 15 mins and keep a note of the score. Repeat multiple times using different editions to see how you are performing.
Benefit: This activity has multiple benefits. It enhances reading skills including comprehension and speed. With more and more practice the child will be easily able to identify adjectives and this will also help him/her write better English in the future.
2. Map the pic
Requirements: Newspaper (multiple editions allowed)
Number of Players: 1 to multiple
Method: This is another fun newspaper game in which we just select any random picture from the newspaper and then try to map that picture to some other relatable headline. For example if there is picture of some water body under one headline, we might find some other article where we can fit that same image.
Benefit: This motivates the child to think how he/she can reuse the same picture under multiple scenarios. It inculcates critical thinking by making the child wonder regarding the various placements for that picture by imagining the fitment under different articles.
3. The Tower Challenge
Requirements: Newspaper (single edition) and scissors
Number of Players: 1 to multiple
Method: This is a game from architecture category and will involve the use of critical thinking. In this version, players are only allowed to use newspaper (one edition) and a pair of scissors. Each player is expected to use critical thinking skills to build the tallest stable tower. Yes, by stable we mean, each tower should stand on its own without falling for 60 seconds. The one who is able to achieve the maximum height tower without fall for 60 seconds is the winner!
If you are a single player trying this game, you can simply try repeating the game, each time trying to get more height and stability than the previous round.
Benefit: This game is really good for letting your child understand the concepts of stable architecture. With more and more practice he/she will understand the importance of height and width management to achieve greater balance in the tower.
4. The Collage
Requirements: Newspaper (multiple editions allowed), scissors, glue, colors. white chart
Number of Players: 1 to multiple
Method: This was a classic game in earlier decades. It often used to be a vacation homework activity given to kids during those time. But now, with digitization, this seems to have lost its glory. But trust me, you will like this activity once you try. Try to collect as many old newspapers as you can from your house and your neighbours. One you have collected the newspapers, think of what you would like to draw on the chart; try to find the related cutouts from newspaper and paste on the chart. You may enhance the final version with outlines and fillings using your colors. This way you can build a beautiful collage from the newspapers using your creativity and colors.
Benefit: With this activity, the critical thinking gets enhanced as the child is able to map his/her imagination to the available objects. This motivates the child to build the best version of the drawing he/she wanted to draw using the images/colors available in the newspaper. The final chart which gets ready might be very different from what the child initially thought of and that what will give him satisfaction and confidence to experiment.
5. Word Hunt
Requirements: Newspaper (single edition) and marker or pen
Number of Players: 1 to multiple
Method: This one is last but not the least in best newspaper games but very effective for critical thinking. In this game, we simply make two piles of alphabets (a-z); one labeled as ‘start’ and another labeled as ‘finish’ kept upside down so that they cannot be read. Each player will get a chance in rotational manner to pick one alphabet from the start and the finish pile respectively. For Example: start pile shows T and finish pile shows H. Turn on the timer for 15 or 30 mins and now each player, in their edition of newspaper will try to find words starting with T and ending with H. The one who finds the maximum number if words will win the round.
Benefit: With more and more practice of this game, the reading skills and speed of your child will get enhanced. He/she will learn to scan the text quickly to fine related content instead of reading through all the content. This is another aspect of critical thinking that will help your child throughout his/her life.
Hope you liked the the above list of Best Newspaper Games that provide numerous learning benefits. Please leave your feednack in comments.
