There are children’s books authors that put a lot of emphasis on imagination in their story, and make up words. This activity is about discovering in a book the words created by the author and figuring out the intended meaning for each of them.
Participants
There is no age limit, but in this case the size of the group is important; it shouldn’t exceed 10 to 12 children.
Objectives
- To figure out the meaning of words in their context.
- To develop curiosity and attention.
- To discover imagination in the written language.
Method
It is necessary to have a board or flip chart where one can write the new words that appear. The narrator or storyteller tell the children that throughout the story there will be new or created concepts.
At the end of the story the children say the new words they can remember. The words are written in the board, leaving some space to write on the side and explain them. The activity can be complemented choosing more usual words that could be used to replace the new ones.
When children say common words, these should also be written and discussed, looking for possible synonyms. To end the activity one can talk a bit about which words are more meaningful or beautiful, etc.
Time
This will be determined by the mental alertness of the children and the number of words found. One hour could be a good average.