Good or Bad
Target Words
Good (positive) words: fantastic, incredible, outstanding, stupendous, terrific, excellent, wonderful, amazing, superb, exceptional
Bad (negative) words: awful, seasick, nauseous, illness, stench, irritating, horrible, flaw, bicker, glum, disgust, clumsy, onxious
Materials
Flash cards you make
Directions
Make your own flash cards with the words. Cut them up, shuffle them, and put them in a hat or bag.
Either inside or outside, make a pathway out of 10 stepping stones. You could use pillows, rocks, pieces of paper, whatever you have to mark 10 spaces, like a game board.
The kids line up at the first spot. If there are more than one, they take turns moving. You (the grownup) randomly pick a card from the hat and read it out loud. The kid has to decide if it's a good (positive) word or a bad (negative) word. If they don't know, they can get help from you or another kid. If it's a good word, move forward one space. If it's a bad word, move back one space, like a human board game.
The first one to the last spot is the winner!
Extension
Talk with your kids about what other words have good and bad meanings, and which words are neutral, neither good nor bad. Make more cards with these words so you'll have even more next time you play. You can also make sets of cards with any two categories, for example foods you like and don't like, or places you've been or not been.
Related Books
- The Pout–Pout Fish
by Deborah Diesen & Dan Hanna - Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst & Ray Cruz - The Happy Hocky Family
by Lane Smith
Age Range
4–7
Skills/Subjects
- Reading & Language
- Critical Thinking

