English is a language full of expressions, phrases, sophistication, and idioms, and who can forget various figures of speech? These figures of speech are what add the necessary spice and color to this beautiful language. Figures of Speech are devices that are used in various forms of creative writing to convey strong emotions, strong justifications, symbolism, and also exaggerations!
The focus of this article is on the figure of speech known for its overblown exaggerations; the Hyperbole. Hyperbole is used by many people around us without even realizing it.
When it comes to teaching and making this concept familiar to kids, along with definitions and examples, hyperbole, and its application can be better explained through games and activities. The article offers easy games and creative activities that trigger the brain and engage children in active learning. It also helps teachers offer a diverse learning experience.
Fun and innovative games to teach hyperbole
The below-mentioned games are helpful in creating a challenging environment for students. Just like idiom games, these games too foster an active learning environment while strengthening knowledge of the concept of hyperbole.
1. Find Me!
This is an interactive game that helps in the development of coordination while working in a team.
- Create flashcards with examples of sentences containing hyperbole
- For example:
- My mother is taking forever to make my lunch
- My friend cried an ocean after she lost her pencil
- Divide students into teams
- Students have to identify the word which conveys the hyperbole in the sentence
- In the above sentences, the word forever and ocean convey the idea of hyperbole
- The team which gives the correct answers win
This game also improves students’ communication skills. It encourages them to participate and creates a healthy competitive environment in the class.
2. Say It Quick
This is a game that challenges students to think carefully. It encourages them to express their creativity through their answers.
- Create placards having random hyperbole phrases or words
- For example – My Whole World, Million Times, Gazillion Dollars, or Tons
- Divide students into teams
- Show these cards one at a time
- The team needs to form sentences and be quick in giving answers
- The team giving the maximum number of correct answers wins the game
This game is a great way to develop spontaneity in students. It helps in developing and polishing their communication skills and makes them confident about themselves.
3. Who Answers it First?
A quiz is a format of a game in which players as well as the audience both roll their sleeves up and sit at the edge of their chairs.
- Make different questions on hyperbole and draft them in a paper
- The questions can be a fusion of riddles, jokes, and everyday conversations where hyperbole can be used
- Now, divide the students into teams of 2 each
- Pass this sheet of paper and set the timer
- The team to identify the hyperbole in the minimum time wins the game
Learning hyperbole through quizzes can help students learn the various common phrases which are used in everyday life very easily.
4. Hyperbole Bingo
Bingo is a very famous game among all age groups. This game can be used in a creative manner to help students learn the concept of hyperbole as well.
- For this game, take printouts of 25 different pictures that depict hyperbole statements
- For example, you may take a picture of a girl crying and show an ocean beneath her
- Now, write the hyperbole words on the board that match the pictures
- For example, you may write the following way
- Cried an ocean
- Weighs a ton
- Died laughing
- After this, ask students to make 5 columns and 5 rows giving them 25 boxes
- Now, students need to make 25 sentences with the hyperbole keywords from the board and write them randomly in the 25 boxes they made.
- After this, show different pictures and let students understand which hyperbole matches with their written sentence. Just like the normal BINGO is played, students need to strike the sentence associated with the picture.
- The student completing it first wins the game
This game helps in involving students and encourages participation in the class. As students get an opportunity to visually connect with the concept, they are more likely to retain this knowledge.
5. Challenge Me
This is a unique hyperbole game where students get an opportunity to challenge, learn, and be creative. It focuses on quick thinking as well!
- To play this game, divide students into teams of 2 each
- Now, teams have 2 minutes to challenge the other team
- Here, Team A gives challenges to Team B by giving hyperbole keywords
- Now, Team B has to make a valid sentence on it
- The team to give the maximum number of correct statements wins
The game is not just one way because here the challenge lies with both teams for finding different hyperbole keywords. Both teams benefit from gaining knowledge.
Interesting hyperbole activities for students
Classroom activities also offer an engaging learning experience. Check out the fun and easy-to-conduct activities to help students learn the concept of Hyperbole.
1. Where’s My Pair?
This is a fun musical activity that can help students identify and understand the proper context in which hyperbole can be used.
- Ask students to select random chits out of two bowls
- One bowl has chits of hyperbole phrases and the other has chits of appropriate yet incomplete sentences in which they are used
- After they pick the chits, ask them to make a circle
- Play the music and let them walk in a circle
- Stop the music in the middle and ask students to find their pair
- Guide them to know if they have found the right pair
- The activity goes on till everyone finds their pair
This activity encourages class participation and facilitates learning in a playful manner.
2. See, Think, Reply
This is an activity that can help students learn interactively through the use of various creative images.
- Show different pictures which define a hyperbole. For example, you may show a picture of a girl wearing boots as big as a boat
- Let students anonymously answer which hyperbole it is or where exactly the picture is exaggerated
- Guide them and explain to them the reason behind the correct answer
This activity includes the usage of interactive images, which can actually help them retain the learned information for a great period of time. Interactive images to learn concepts can help in learning faster and better.
3. What’s In the Jar?
This is an artistic activity meant to channelize the creativity of students in the best possible manner.
- Keep a jar in which there are many chits having many kinds of hyperbole
- Students have to pick one random chit
- They have to draw the hyperbole that is written on the chit
- After they have drawn it, they have to go in front of the class and ask their classmates to guess what hyperbole their drawing represents
- For example, if a student has drawn a very fat man then other students can guess the hyperbole is the over-exaggeration of being so full and the man could explode
This activity can help students learn effectively through the use of art. It can help them develop their imagination and help them learn better.
4. Hyperbole Hunt
This is a fun activity that can challenge students to a good level. This game can help in clearing the concept of hyperbole in an efficient manner.
- Give students a set of poems in a printed format that have hyperboles in them
- Give them a set of 5-6 poems
- Ask them to find as many hyperboles as possible
- Discuss if they have selected the right ones or guide them after the process
This activity can help students learn and identify the usage of hyperboles in a creative way. It can help them understand the difference between metaphors, similes, and hyperboles in a better fashion. Along with this, teachers, students, and parents can also employ online games and activities to get a strong hold on the concept of similes and metaphors.
5. Find Hyperbole!
Hyperbole can also be used in everyday communication. Students can better understand the concept when they learn to identify and apply them.
- To conduct this activity, ask students to find hyperbole in everyday conversations with everyone
- They should note these hyperbole statements
- Invite an open discussion the next day to help them understand
Such an activity helps students understand how hyperbole can be often used within conversations.
Conclusion
Learning the concept of Hyperbole through some figurative language online games and activities can help students get easily familiar with it. It can help them become a bit more comfortable with this concept. These activities and games with consistent exposure can help them gain mastery over this concept. It can eventually help them in using this concept in their everyday life and gain a stronger grip over it!
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,