Rebus Puzzles for Children
One of the greatest challenges to education is overcoming a child's initial apprehension over acquiring new knowledge. Many things exacerbate this anxiety, including the authoritative structure of the classroom and the fear of ridicule from peers. Entertaining activities allow a child to overcome her reservations about education. In short, entertained students can learn more effectively. Rebus puzzles challenge students while providing a nonthreatening avenue of education, but require careful selection to be effective.
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Considerations for Selecting Rebus Puzzles
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Before an educator considers the use of Rebus puzzles, she should carefully analyze the various factors that will determine her selection. Instructors should assess the maturity and, most importantly, the worldliness of the students in the classroom. Many Rebus puzzles are based upon idioms that will only make sense to older, more experienced students. The cultural and regional differences also influence the types of puzzles the teacher should include. Some words or images involved in the puzzles may confuse students from non-native cultures.
Different Types of Rebus Puzzles
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Rebus puzzles come in many different types, though many sources mix and match the types, meaning instructors will have to sort the appropriate kinds based upon their students' capabilities. Position-based Rebus puzzles use the placement of elements to convey a meaning, such as placing the word BOARD below the word GOING to represent "going overboard." Other Rebus puzzles use word direction, size, shape, sound or even color to express a point. Some Rebus puzzles don't use words at all, but instead rely on pictures to construct a phrase.
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Age-Targeted Rebus Puzzles
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Because Rebus puzzles are so popular, instructors can find them on a variety of websites. Since so many exist, some of these online resources have areas dedicated to certain age groups, such as youths, adolescents or teens. While these designations are vague, they do eliminate some of the work an instructor has to do when looking for appropriate Rebus activities. If the students are just learning words, picture-style Rebus puzzles may prove more effective than other types.
Subject-Themed Rebus Puzzles
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While it might seem that most Rebus puzzles are specifically targeted to language arts, this is not always the case. Many websites and books contain Rebus puzzles directed specifically toward teaching a specific type of lesson. Some of these Rebus puzzles are set up like an examination, where the questions are created by the puzzles themselves, requiring the students to figure out the question and the answer. The subject-themed Rebus puzzles cover most topics, including history or even chemistry. The latter Rebus puzzles are best suited for older children.
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