Psychologists tell us that we learn best when we play games — when we’re engaged, creative and goal-focused. This is true of learning languages, too. At the moment, you may be in quarantine and searching for productive things to do. So, why not take a look at our clever games that you can play with no preparation and without a partner? The only equipment you need is pen and paper — and your brain!
Four by four
Make a square 4x4 grid (see below). Fill it with letters of the alphabet. (Tip: include several vowels.) The aim of the game is to form words by moving from one letter to the next in any direction, including diagonally. Can you find ten words? What’s the longest word you can make? We’ve made a start for you with these examples:
| C | H | Y | O |
| J | A | R | M |
| S | F | E | P |
| I | D | N | H |
side
pen
farm
car
...
Now, try it with your own letters!
Word bingo
This version of bingo uses words instead of numbers. The idea is to predict which words you’ll see or hear. For example, before you read the news online or listen to the news on the radio, write down nine words (in a 3x3 grid) that you think you’ll come across — this is now your bingo card. Cross out the words that you guessed correctly. If you can draw a line through three of them vertically, horizontally or diagonally, shout “bingo” loudly as a reward.
BINGO: Words in the news
| president | city | accident |
| meeting | war | victim |
| economy | crisis | protest |
You can play the same game in other situations, for example when you’re watching a TV show or reading a magazine.
Alphabet challenge
Choose a category (e.g. something to eat, or something you can do on holiday). Start with “A is for…” — and off you go! Can you find a word for each letter of the alphabet? (Tip: you can leave out X and Z!)
Neugierig auf mehr?
Dann nutzen Sie die Möglichkeit und stellen Sie sich Ihr optimales Abo ganz nach Ihren Wünschen zusammen.
