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How to Play Six Degrees of Separation With Kids

Six Degrees of Separation is a party game in which players try to connect two movie actors to one another in fewer than six steps. You start by linking the first actor to another who was in a movie with the first actor. You then link the second actor to a third actor who was in a different movie with the second actor, and so on. Playing this game with kids can be a challenge because their knowledge of popular culture is not as extensive. The key is to bring the game into a domain with which kids are familiar. This version of Six Degrees uses words instead of celebrities, and stipulates that all links must begin with the same letter of the alphabet.

Instructions

- 1
  Choose two words that you want the players to connect, starting with the same letter of the alphabet. For example, you might choose "basket" and "burrito." For older kids, choose words that are more remote. For younger ones, choose words that have natural connections.
- 2
  Ask the kids to make the first link, choosing another word that is associated with a basket, for example, and that also begins with the letter "b." Use your judgment to decide if the links are close enough. For example, if someone suggests "beach," it is probably acceptable because you bring a basket to the beach. If someone suggests "book," on the other hand, you would need to hear a good argument for how they are connected.
- 3
  Ask for a third step. From "beach" you might get to an adjective such as "brown." Again, use your judgment. If you are playing with younger children, accept the link that sand on the beach is brown. If you are playing with older children, you might want to ask for a more explicit link.
- 4
  Continue this way until you have reached six steps, or until you have gotten to "burrito." From "brown" you might get to "beans" and then "burrito." As the children get more familiar with the game, ask them to suggest the two words that must be linked.

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