Welcome! I'm Cookie's Mom. You can learn all about Cookie and why I blog here: About Cookie's Chronicles. If you're new here, you may want to SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED. Thanks for stopping by! Pull up a beach chair and be my guest, won't you?

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Play Time:
"Name Something Real!"

I'd like to share with you a new, highly entertaining and educational game, invented by the master himself. 

Here are the rules, as best as I can tell.

Name Something Real

1. Name something, as directed, that is real. Pretty much anything qualifies as long as it exists in real life. You may be asked to name something "in the whole world" or something "in the whole house". DO NOT deviate from these restrictions, else you will have to start again (apparently that is a very, very bad thing). Four-year-olds are nothing if not dramatic.

2. Define said real thing. You have three chances to come up with the correct definition.

3. When providing potential guesses as to the definition of the thing, be as silly as possible. Tapping your head and saying "think, think, think" a la Whinnie the Pooh will earn you bonus giggles.

4. Exclaim with theatrical surprise when told by the master that your guesses are incorrect. It also helps to scratch your head a little in confusion and dismay. 

5. Be particularly impressed when the master informs you of the name for the thing that you described, which is not the thing that you first named.

6. After you have guessed incorrectly, and amusingly, exactly three times, ask the master, "What IS the correct definition?"

7. Show genuine interest in the response and use particular facial and verbal expressions to indicate your having been enlightened by the master.

8. Extend this fabulous game by asking questions to further elaborate on the master's definition (see example below).

Here is an example from this morning's session, held, as is the norm, at the breakfast table. (Warning: It is wise to serve only clear liquids if simultaneously eating and playing this sometimes hysterically funny game.)

Jack: Name something real in our WHOLE HOUSE!

Me: Okay. Uhhhhhhhhh. Ummmmmm. A fork!

Jack (already giggling in anticipation): What's a fork?

Me: It's.... something that you use to make your hair look tidy.

Jack: Ha, ha, noooooo. That's a comb, silly!

Me: Oh. Right! Hmmm. Well, then it must be something that you dip into that wet colourful stuff and wipe around on a piece of paper to make a pretty picture!

Jack: Ho, ho, ho, noooooo. That's a paintbrush, silly!

Me: Oh, ya! I knew THAT! Let's see. Hmmm.... Think, think, think. Ah-ha! I know just what it is! It's that thing we use to make delicious fruit smoothies!

Jack: HA, HA, HA!!! Noooooooo, silly. THAT's not a FORK! That's a BLENDER! Silly mommy!

Me: REALLY??? Huh. Well, then what IS a fork, Jack?

Jack: It's something that you EAT with!

Me: Oh. Kind of like hands?

Jack: No, you hold it IN your hand!

Me: Oh!! And then you eat it?

Jack: NO!!! Ha, ha, ha. You use it to pick UP food. You eat the FOOD, silly!

Me: OH! I get it!

Jack: Mommy, name something real in the WHOLE WORLD!

Me: Uhhhhh. A t-shirt!


And so on.....

This game is brilliant. It's fun. The master laughs a lot, which is good for everyone's well being. It teaches creativity. It tests his ability to take a concept and apply a label to it (in naming the thing that you described which was not the thing that you named), and it tests his ability to accurately define the thing that you named. This is not to mention what it does to exercise the master's mama's brain. Oy! Having to come up with ever new things to name as well as unique and amusing definitions for these things is a serious neural workout! 

Source: wallquotes.com via Sue on Pinterest



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26 comments:

  1. Ha! Sounds like a lot of fun!

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  2. I love it, what a cute idea! I think my 4 year old would totally get a kick out of it!

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    1. If she likes the word "silly" as much as Jack, she's sure to love it! :)

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  3. Sounds like a blast! And sounds like a really good game to play on a long car-trip.

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    1. Hey! Great idea about making it a car-trip game!

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  4. What a fun way to start the day... lots of laughter and some brain exercise!!! Coming over from Bianca's quotable bits! :)

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    1. Laughter and brain exercise... who could ask for more? :) Thanks for stopping by Susi!

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  5. I am going to try this tomorrow morning. Sarah will love it.

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    1. I hope you both have a whole lot of fun with it, Lisa! :)

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  6. The Master is brilliant for sure. What a fun game! Might have to try it with my girls. I know Little B would be right into it.

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  7. It sounds like you have a lot of fun together with this game. He has a great imagination!

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  8. I should be a) in the mood to play it and b) be extra charged with patience with takes me to point a) again...

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    1. Ya, definitely, Nadia. There are days when we are nearly comatose in front of a television, and then there are these days of patience and energy when we get to have a lot of fun!

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  9. Sounds like a fun game. However, I don't think it would keep my 16-year-old entertained...oh, I miss them being little.

    Thanks for visiting my blog!

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    1. Thanks Laura! Little is fun, but I bet 16 has it's joys too. Hard not to miss what's passed and stay in the moment. Already I am noticing this!

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  10. What a cute game!! Your son is very imaginative. :)

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  11. Love it! Funny and you my dear are a genius and a cool mama.

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