How to Make Your Own Word Fun

Prepare a set of index cards with words from which each player must make a new word as an anagram. The word cannot be a real word and the player must be ready to use the new word in a sentence. Other players can guess what the new word's English meaning based on the usage. For example, the word "play" might become "alyp." The sentence might be "The alyp held seven books." Other players might guess the meaning to be such things as a book bag, a shelf or a box before learning that the word was intended to mean "librarian."

Choose two common items, such as a lawnmower and a string bean. Create a word combining the first two and make up a definition for the created word. Add a layer of difficulty by adding required categories or parts of speech. The new word might be "lingbeower" with a definition of a skinny cat in the animal category or the person who can't help moving wind chimes that they pass in the people category.

Create mock sonnets based on an assigned word or idea. Print off existing sonnets and rewrite them to reflect an opposite meaning. Try some Ogden Nash-inspired short verse if time constraints preclude working with sonnets. Base couplets on rhyming word pairs distributed on index cards. Invite players to write a poem in the same style as their favorite poet or as a parody of their least favorite.

Don't overlook old familiar word games with a new twist. Find smaller words in a larger one or a phrase. Connect words crossword-style on a large piece of paper marked in a grid. Start a word association game where the response must be an opposite meaning. Give each player a secret word that others must determine using only questions that can be answered "yes" or "no." Prepare index cards with pairs of words for a matching game. Make the pairs synonyms or antonyms for a more challenging game.