⛄ How to play Snowman (Hangman)

Easy rules, to read aloud 🔊

1. One person thinks of a secret word.
2. They draw one short line for each letter.
3. Everyone else guesses a letter.
4. If the letter is in the word, write it on its line.
5. If not, draw one part of a snowman.
6. Guess the word before the snowman is done to win!

The full rules

1. This is the old word game many people call hangman. At Peabody we draw a friendly snowman instead, one piece for each wrong letter.
2. The word picker chooses a word everyone knows and draws one blank line for each letter. For new readers, pick short words like cat or frog.
3. Guessers call out one letter at a time. Write each guessed letter off to the side so no one repeats it.
4. If the letter is in the word, write it on every blank where it belongs.
5. If it is not, draw the next piece of the snowman, in this order: a big bottom snowball, a middle snowball, a head, eyes, a carrot nose, a hat, one stick arm, and the other stick arm.
6. Guessers may try the whole word at any time. A wrong guess at the word adds a piece too.
7. In the next round, someone else picks the word.

How to win: The guessers win if they fill in every letter before the eighth snowman piece is drawn. If the snowman is finished first, the word picker wins.

Tips

• Start with vowels like A, E and O.
• Then try letters that show up a lot, like S, T and R.
• When you pick the word, check your spelling twice.

What it practises

letter sounds, spelling, guessing smart.

Other ways to play

• More pieces. Add buttons, a scarf and a smile to give the guessers more tries.
• Give a clue. The picker gives a hint, like "an animal," or tells what the word means. It is a good way to learn new words.
• Apple tree. Draw a tree full of apples and cross one off for each wrong letter.