Association board game: awaken your imagination! Associations, associative thinking. Word association games

Hello, dear readers of the Russian Word blog.

Today I want to talk to you about what it is association, associative thinking and why it is important to develop the ability for associative thinking. At the end of the article you will find links to wonderful resources to help you select associations, as well as exercises and games that develop associative thinking.

Ideas about the world around us and the concepts possessed by human memory are undoubtedly interconnected. This connection is based on a person’s past experience and reflects an objectively existing relationship between real world phenomena. Associations play a very important role in the structure of the lexical system of a language.

Nikolai Vyacheslavovich Krushevsky, Polish and Russian linguist, 19th century language theorist:

All sorts of things word connected with other words by ties associations by similarity; this similarity will be not only external, that is, sound or structural, morphological, but also internal, semasiological. Or in other words: every word is capable due to a special mental law, and excite in our spirit other words with which it is similar, and get excited by these words...

Semasiology- a branch of semantics that studies lexical meanings words and expressions and changing these values.

Semantics studies the semantic meaning of language units.

What is an association

The word “association” has many meanings. In psychology and philosophy, association is a connection between certain ideas, sensations, perceptions, when one image entails another image or concept.

Ideas about the relationship between concepts and images were developed by Aristotle and Plato. Over time, the science of associations has developed, and now they distinguish several types of associations, such as:

associations by similarity (for example, a match is fire),

by contrast (liquid - thick),

by proximity in space or time (cream - cake),

cause-and-effect associations (onions - tears).

Associative thinking is thinking in images, this is a person’s ability to find and apply various associations, that is, analogies. In order to better understand a thought or simply remember something, a person looks for associations. This way new ones are created original ideas, peculiar semantic connections appear.

Memorizing new phenomena, objects, events and facts usually occurs on the basis of existing experience. At the same time, we “turn on” our imagination, look for associations and remember a new word, tying it to something familiar to us.

For example, to remember the pin code of a bank card 8007, an associative chain is built: the year of the Olympic Games in Moscow + the seven wonders of the world. And that’s it, the PIN code numbers are firmly “stuck” in your memory.

Associative thinking is multifunctional, it helps us work and think more productively.

Any person who strives to keep his intellectual baggage in good shape must constantly develop associative thinking. This process does not require long, painstaking training; anyone can do it at any time. And the result will not be long in coming.

In order to develop associative thinking, you can find reinforcement for your activities every day in everyday things. Watch passers-by, passengers in transport, try to guess their age, social status etc.

Simple exercises to develop associative thinking

Exercise 1. We are looking for a number of associations.

First we name two words, and then we make a series that begins with the first word and ends with the second. For example: a brush is a museum. Brush – canvas – artist – painting – museum.

Exercise 2. Create a chain of associations.

We come up with a word, select an association word for it, and do the same with the next word. For example: umbrella - rain - cold - warm tea - fireplace - house, etc. These chains will be unique, because each person will have their own associative series.

Exercise 3. One sign.

Our task is to select associations for two words based on a given characteristic. For example: blue and endless - the sea.

Exercise 4. Original associations.

Create unusual associations that are not so clearly implied. For example: a hedgehog is a pincushion.

Such developmental exercises stimulate thinking, it helps to analyze some information, remember any information more firmly and without much stress,

One of the best trainings for the development of associative thinking is intellectual game"What? Where? When?”, because participants answer questions thanks to the logic of thinking, imagery, thanks to the rapid organization of associative chains, and not just using general erudition.

Association games

Known to everyone association game"Crocodile". Helps to have a lot of fun. Rules of the game Crocodile

Participants are divided into 2 teams.

A leader, or “shower,” is selected from each team in turn. The opposing team offers him the floor.

The presenter shows the hidden word to his team using pantomime (gestures and facial expressions). The team must guess the word guessed by their opponents. While showing the word, the players of the guessing team must name the word as quickly as possible and offer many versions of the correct answer.

Basic rules for the presenter:

- it is prohibited to pronounce any words and even sounds, as well as articulate with the lips;

- the word cannot be collected in parts, it should be shown as a whole at once;

- you cannot point to surrounding objects that directly or indirectly indicate the hidden word.

The main criterion for winning or losing is the time spent guessing the words. The team that spends less time in total is considered the winner.

And at the end of my article about associations, I want to recommend 2 Great Resources, helping in the development of associative thinking.

I already mentioned one of them in the previous article. about associations

Sociation.org is a collective mind association game.

This is an experimental non-profit project whose goal is to collect the most big dictionary Russian language associations.

Another resource - Word Association Network

Wordassociations.ru– gives the opportunity to view associations for any word. Each word is accompanied by dictionary entries from the dictionaries of D. Ushakov and V. Dahl. And even drawings. Great project! Highly recommend!

The word has its own history. The word does not appear out of nowhere and does not appear out of nothing. Words in the language are not scattered chaotically, but form a solid foundation filled with harmony of meaning.

Language is not a random formation of words; language is an integral world in which words live. Here they live by their own rules and abide by their own laws.

Just as a fortress is made of carefully selected and hewn stones, language arises from the ordering of words. Like the stones of a temple, firmly bound with clay mortar, words are tightly bound together by semantic connections.

Words live with man - they unite generations... Language is the temple of human thought. A temple where every word carries its own unique meaning.

Language, like the temple, gives a person immortality...

Great words!..

Board game The association has many variations. In fact, any entertainment that requires you to remember similar words or pictures can be called associative. This set is useful both for adults, as a brain warm-up between everyday activities, and for children who are just learning about the world and learning to see cause-and-effect relationships.

This game is intended for children aged three years and older

To understand the meaning of the set and the benefits it brings in the process of entertainment, you need to understand what the term “Associations” itself means. This is the name for the connection between two identical or different objects, events, ideas, thoughts, feelings, real world phenomena and other knowledge.

For example, you may associate mushrooms with soup, forest, rain, salad and other things that have at least some connection with a mushroom.

Game description

The board game Trefl Association is designed for children from three years old and belongs to the category of educational sets. It can keep a child occupied with solving problems for a long time and will not soon get boring, because in one box there are nine versions of one game at once. With each contest, participants will develop reaction speed, intelligence and depth of thought. Entertainment also develops creativity, because to come up with an association you often need to push the boundaries of thinking.

One round of such a set takes on average from ten to twenty-five minutes, so you can play the game during a break between tasks. From one to four people can guess associations at the same time, so the set will help keep the child occupied even on a weekday, when parents need a few minutes for household chores. This way, your child can have fun and useful time while you vacuum the carpets or wash the dishes.

The game is produced by the Czech company Trefl SA, which has been providing families with fun entertainment since 1985. Initially, they only made puzzles, but over the years they began to produce new sets, most of which were created for families with children. Educational games are the specialty of this company.

In the set you will find tasks to find triple associations, which is aimed at developing creativity among players. Similar training and subsequent tests are carried out to establish the level of divergence (the ability to think broadly and quickly).

Types of games

From the numerous explanations it is clear that this game is very useful :)

The educational Association game can be useful and interesting at the same time. By finding relationships between individual objects, players expand their horizons and sometimes surprise themselves. Association games are useful for developing creativity because they teach you to notice non-obvious details.

There are special tests to establish the level of creativity and all of them are directly or indirectly related to association. Cards are not always used to play the game. Association toys can be purchased at the store or made yourself.

If you have just started to master this kind of associative games, you can familiarize yourself with some “homemade” options:

• Verbal. The first player calls any word. The next player must name the association that first comes to mind. Thus, the game continues until it gets boring. For example, "Water - Ice - Iceberg - Titanic - Film, etc." If someone names an unfamiliar word, it is permissible to use an explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. If someone named a feeling, you can name the object that causes this emotion. The connection between the two named objects is not always obvious.
• In a well-known company, you can play a special version of the Association game, which teaches you to think outside the box. For example, you ask your friend to say with what piece of furniture he associates another player, or with what science he identifies. To understand the depth of thought, after the name of the association you can tell the reason for such a chain.
• For mobility You can combine the association game with tag. For example, a participant thinks of a word and hits another player by naming what he has in mind. Salennye catches his opponent and says his association, and so on. You can make a word map in advance. “I’m great at what I do” is an example of a theme for associations. Women's associations can be very different from men's.
• Distant associations This is a test game for the bravest. Write down three words that are not related to each other, for example, House - Boat - Table. After this, you need to come up with one association that matches all three words. In the case of the above example, the word “Tree” ( wooden house, wooden boat, wooden table).

What is in the box

In the set you will find seventy-two double-sided puzzle cards

In the Association game set for children you will find seventy-two double-sided puzzle cards. One of the sides was created as a coloring book. In addition, the set includes a booklet describing the rules of the nine mini-games that the First Discoveries set provides.

Rules and course of the game

The game rules for each of the nine mini-games are different. All of these versions can be played in a group or alone. The use of an association noun is mandatory - it cannot be other parts of speech. Noun declension is acceptable.

Mosaic

All cards are laid out on the table or any other flat surface in open form. If there are multiple players involved, make sure everyone can reach the pictures. When all the cards are laid out, you should start looking for triple combinations one by one. For example, cheese = milk = cow.

Race

Place all the cards face up on the table. At the “start” command, all players begin to search for combinations at speed. The winner is the one who collects the most connected associations. Scoring begins when there are no cards left on the table or it is impossible to assemble a set from them.

My

This version of the mini-game requires the participation of a host. All cards are collected together and shuffled to form a single deck. The dealer places one card at a time on the table. When one of the players sees a triple association, he must shout “Mine!” The kit goes to the participant who shouted before the others. If you saw a set, but someone else reacted faster, you will have to wait for the next association to test your reaction. The winner will be the player who collects the largest stack of cards.

Stories

Each player is given five random cards in their hand, from which they must create a story. For example: “The teacher is tired of school board, so I bought sunglasses and a folding bed so I could sunbathe under the sun.”

Find the item

Participants lay out all the cards on the table face up. The goal of the players is to search for things that meet certain characteristics. What specific criteria the items should meet can be decided jointly. For example, in this horse you will look for everything that starts with the letter “K” or everything that is blue. Sometimes you can deviate from the templates and declare that the goal of the con is “what you can wear” or “edible things”.

Number of players: any
Extras: paper, pens

After several youth meetings, you can check how well the guys know each other. Give everyone a piece of paper and ask everyone to write 4 things about themselves that not many people know. For example:

I have a dog and a parrot.

I love playing chess.

I really want to buy a computer.

I'm going to become an agronomist.

Liar - psychological game for adults

Number of players: 5-8 people
Extras: question papers, pens

This game will also help you get to know each other better. Prepare forms equal to the number of players. The forms should contain questions similar to the following:

The farthest place I've been to is...

As a child, I was forbidden to do... but I did it anyway.

My hobbies - ...

When I was little, I dreamed of becoming...

The most great achievement in my life this is...

I have one bad habit -...

Sheets with these questions are given to each player, and everyone must fill them out, answering all but one question truthfully. Those. one answer will be incorrect, false.

Jumping without a parachute - a psychological game

Number of players: nine
Extras: chair

For this game, four pairs of participants stand on one side of a chair facing each other, crossing their arms as is recommended when carrying the wounded. Another player who will be the “jumper” stands on the chair with his back to them. He stands on the edge of the chair and falls back like a stick of wax. 8 people standing behind with crossed arms catch him.

The thrill and success of having a comrade caught are exciting and captivating. The fear that their comrade might hit them forces them to hold on tightly to each other.

5 steps - psychological game

Number of players: any
Optional: board and chalk or pens and paper

The facilitator invites the group to identify some interesting professional goal, for example, to enroll in some educational institution, get an interesting job, and maybe even do something outstanding at work in the future. This goal, as formulated by the group, is written out on the board (or on a piece of paper).

The facilitator invites the group to determine what kind of imaginary person should achieve this goal. Participants must name its main (imaginary) characteristics to the following positions: gender, age (preferably this person is the same age as the players), academic performance at school, financial situation and social status of parents and loved ones. This is all also briefly written down on the board.

Psychological game to identify a leader

Number of players: any
Additional: no

To do this, the participants are divided into two or three teams of equal numbers. Each team chooses a name for itself. The presenter offers the conditions: “Now the commands will be executed after I command “Start!” The team that completes the task faster and more accurately will be considered the winner.” This creates a spirit of competition.

So, first task. Now each team must say one word in unison. "Let's start!"

In order to complete this task, all team members need to somehow agree. It is these functions that a person striving for leadership takes on.

Second task. Here it is necessary for half the team to quickly stand up without agreeing on anything. "Let's start!"

Search for benefits - psychological game for adults

Number of players: any
Additional: no

Participants are divided into 2-3 groups. Each group chooses a profession from among those offered during their acquaintance with information professionograms (the profession must be one of those in demand in modern market labor of your city). Next, each group is given the task of presenting themselves in it, their capabilities, working conditions, labor collective, prospects, benefits, etc.

After everyone has imagined who, by whom, where and how they work, participants are asked to come up with and indicate: what needs (physical, safety, social, egoistic, self-actualization) can each participant satisfy in their chosen profession?

Need:

In what way is it satisfied?

Instructions

There are many options for playing " associations", and each one plays the game differently. If there are four or more of you, sit in a circle. The presenter whispers to his neighbor on the right whatever comes to his mind.

The next person also comes up with his own association for “Newton” or “tree” and tells it to his neighbor. Thus, all players along the chain transfer their - associations.

Helpful advice

If your company is small, you can use another version of the game. Someone says the word first, and then everyone takes turns saying their associations to it. If the association is too unexpected, the player explains it. The game goes on until the participants get tired of it. And during the game you can learn a lot of funny incidents from the lives of your friends.

Sources:

• Table game "Associations"
• Let's play in association!

The game "Crocodile" involves 2 teams. Each should have 4 people. A leader and a person who knows how to count well is needed. He will announce the results of the rounds and the entire game.

Warm-up

The game "Crocodile" begins with it. You are given 30 seconds to warm up. The team selects one person who, using facial expressions and gestures, will try to show a certain object. What exactly is on a piece of Whatman paper. It is placed in such a way that no one from the team can see what is written on it.

If the item is guessed correctly and the word is pronounced out loud, the team receives 5 points. If it is named incorrectly, then 5 points are immediately subtracted from the result obtained.

The number of points must be strictly monitored by the presenter or the person selected before. He will count the points earned by those playing Crocodile.

The manipulations of the silent participant trying to show the object are funny to watch. At this moment he is unable to utter a word.

Then the teams change places, and a member of the opposing team shows the words. Then the player changes again. Thus, everyone takes turns showing what they are capable of.

At the end of the “Warm-up” the results are summed up. Each team is assigned as many points as it earned through the efforts of all participants.

Thematic round

After the players have warmed up, they will have a “Thematic Round”. Each team is given 90 seconds. There are 5 topics of 5 words per round. Difficult words“cost” more, you can instantly get a lot of points for them (if you can guess correctly).

As in the previous one, in this round the players are also silent and take turns to show one word. If the team cannot guess it, then the mime can say: “Stop” to save the allotted time.

You can come up with any topics. For example, “Office”, “Village”, etc. The participant names the topic and has the opportunity to see the word. With the help of gestures and his facial expressions, he depicts the object, and the team guesses. The “price” of words is from 10 to 30 points. For 10 - easy, for 30 - difficult. At the end of this round, the results are also summed up.

Round "Situation"

The player is put on a mask, and he shows only with gestures - without facial expressions. For each correct answer 40 points are given. The time for one show is 40 seconds. There are many situations that can be described in one word. For example: acquaintance, quarrel.

Not everyone participates in this round, but only 2 people from each team.

“Book”, “Round Attraction” and the result

The next task is to guess the book. She is silently portrayed by a person who is not a member of any of these brigades. If the time is up and the team did not guess correctly, then the right to name the book goes to their opponents. Displaying one book takes 30 seconds. For the correct answer, 40 points are awarded.

For the “Round Attraction” a screen is put up. A light is placed behind her. Competitors see only the shadow of their showing player. 2 people from each team take part in turn. The pantomime must “show” a cartoon, TV show or movie in 40 seconds. For each correct answer, 60 points are awarded.

IN final round duels are held. Two opponents from different teams stand with their backs to each other. Each one depicts some great person.

At the end, the results of all rounds are summed up and the winner of the Crocodile game is announced.

Crocodile is played by 2 teams of 4 people. The fun competition consists of five rounds. The one who “shows” the word does not have the right to talk at this time. Only facial expressions, gestures, or, depending on the topic of the round, one of these are allowed.

Instructions

Before plunging into the world of facial expressions and gestures, choose a presenter and decide whether he will also be a bookkeeper or will entrust this mission to someone else. When the roles are assigned, you can start playing Crocodile.

If you have been chosen as the host and scorekeeper, then begin the humorous competition with the first competition, called “Warm-up”. Prepare for it, as well as for subsequent ones, in advance. Take several A4 sheets and write words on them large with a felt-tip pen. First, call the first member of one of the teams, which one will be decided by lot.

Show the player words one at a time. Stand so that only he can see them, and the team does not have such an opportunity. The player must remain silent and try to convey the word he sees to his team using gestures and facial expressions.

If they guess correctly, award them 5 points. If a word is incorrectly named, subtract 5 points. After thirty seconds, the turn goes to the opponents. Then the second person of the first team comes out. Make sure you take turns and follow the rules.

GAME, noun. Action according to the meaning of Ch. play

GAME, noun. An entertaining type of activity not related to direct life support tasks; one of the integral elements of the existence of humans as a species, as well as other highly organized animals

GAME, noun. A specific type of entertainment or sports activity, regulated by rules and taking place in a specially designated place

GAME, noun. A set of items for such an activity

GAME, noun. Same as match; one stage, a session of competition in some team sports

GAME, noun. Specialist. the process of a participant performing a specific role in a theatrical performance or sports competition

GAME, noun. The process of performing a piece of music

GAME, noun. The movement of gas bubbles characteristic of some wines and sparkling drinks

GAME, noun. Peren. brilliance, sparkle, radiance, shimmer (of precious stones)

GAME, noun. Expressive variability (face, eyes, voice, etc.)

GAME, noun. Peren. a deliberate series of actions pursuing a specific (usually unseemly) goal; intrigue, secret plans

GAME, noun. Math. (game theory) - mathematical formalization of the interaction of several players

GAME, noun. Urban-type settlement in Udmurtia, administrative center of the Igrinsky district

GAME OF DICE, Steady combination. A game that uses dice

THE GAME IS NOT WORTH THE CANDLE, A stable combination. The money or effort spent on something is not justified by the result.

WORD PLAY, stable combination. Witty expression, pun

THE GAME IS WORTH THE CANDLE, A stable combination. Exp. the case justifies itself if it is brought to fruition

Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

GAME, games, many. games, w. 1. units only Action according to verb. Play. Children think only about the game, forgetting about their lessons. Play is the basis of education in orphanages. Game of rounders. Game of chess. Tennis game. Theater game. Game of generosity. Playing with people. Playing the piano. Game of Diamonds. Game of colors. 2. One or another type of this action, as a set of certain techniques and rules. Children's games. Outdoor games. Sport game. Gambling. 3. What is played is a set of items necessary for this. I bought a naval game. We sat down and printed out the game (a new deck of cards). Dostoevsky. Games for children are sold. 4. only plural. In ancient Greece - festivals that took place at certain intervals of years and consisted of chap. arr. in sports competitions (historical). Olympic Games. Corinthian games. 5. Manner, way of Playing. This musician has good game. 6. A separate moment, part of a game (card, sports). This game doesn't count. Take the game with your serve (in tennis, volleyball). 7. Combination, card layout. It was a good game. 8. Turn Play (usually cards). It's my game now. To reveal whose game is to discover whose. secret intentions. The game is not worth the candle (translation of the French le jeu n "en vaut pas la chandelle, from the language of gamblers) - a saying about an empty, unprofitable business that does not justify the money and effort spent. Exchange game - buying and resale valuable papers to benefit from exchange rate differences. Play (lead, start, etc.) a big game - transl. take actions that may entail serious consequences. Dangerous game- translation risky venture. A play on words - a pun, the use of one meaning of the word vm. another. Playing with words (disapproved) - the use of pompous phrases for the sake of hiding the truth or due to poverty of thoughts. Game of nature (book) - deviation from normal physical norms, ugliness. Game of fate (book) - an unexpected turn, an incident in life. A game of chance is an unforeseen accident. A play of imagination (ironic) - an empty fantasy, an invention.