Great Word Puzzles for Tiger Moms and Their Cubs: Common Sense Puzzle #1

Oh, there are so many fun word puzzles and games that can serve as a source of enjoyment and learning for Tiger Moms and their Tiger Cubs - and a source of learning while having fun!

One interesting type of puzzle is a "Common Sense" word puzzle, also known sometimes as Family Ties. In this type of puzzle, each numbered segment contains four words that belong to the same topic or subject, but each word has had one letter changed to disguise it. And what's more, when the letter was changed, an actual word was formed - not merely a meaningless jumble of letters.

The puzzle solver sees four apparently unrelated words and has to figure out which letter to change in each one to make a new word, and to do that in such a way that the four new words are all related in some way.

One helpful trick for those who are new to this type of puzzle (and especially for solvers who are children) is to look at each word individually and perhaps to cover each letter, one at a time, to see what words might be created when one letter is changed. Brainstorm a whole group of words. When that has been done for each of the four words, some sort of pattern should emerge to help find the meaning or sense that the four words have in common, and from there to select the four answer words.

The puzzles presented here are designed for elementary age children. Since this type of puzzle is likely very new to most children, a hint is given for each group of four words (although you will not normally find hints with these puzzles). But, assuming that a puzzle solver really doesn't want too much help, the hints are slightly indirect. A parent or teacher who is sharing this puzzle may choose to change the hint, if more help is needed. The idea is to have fun!

Speaking of having fun: If a child becomes frustrated or bored with this, it's likely best to stop for a while and come back to it again later during leisure time. But even as a fun, brainy game, there is plenty that a solver can learn from this puzzle and others, including some new vocabulary words.

There are three levels of puzzle presented here. In each level first the puzzle appears, then the hints and the solution side-by-side. Please contact me if you have questions about this. Your comments are always welcome, and I hope you and your Cubs enjoy the puzzles!

1. top    dill    coat    black 

2. mouse    hug    shark    dent 

3. bar    bud    maxi    drain 

4. ark    peg    ton    singer 

5. sports    stacks    pangs    beans 

6. slate    sky    shed    lure 

7. tight    spade    mark    fright 

8. shorn    friar    slicker    splitter 

9. bug    cut    class    giblet 

10.lingo    yards    mice    spanner

1. play
2. home
3. travel
4. body
5. wear
6. winter
7. see
8. ouch
9. drink
10. games

1. prance  sing      pace     dune    
2. racket   moat     scare    grove   
3. wall      bag       bale      mount  
4. clue      greed    bellow  frown  
5. beat      broad   means   brink   
6. spool    place    fort       class    
7. sleep    pain      haul      know   
8. dunk     pleasant   bard     swam           
9. print     drag     scamp  lye       
10. harden  slant     blower  feed     
11. gruel     moan    marsh   fateful  
12. sharp    yelp      ploy      balk     
13. winnow   sputter   wane   flame
14. rope     dairy     oily       penny  
15. chore    reach    wafer    band

1. court
2. winter
3. game
4. rainbow
5. table
6. table
7. weather
8. wings
9. art
10. grow
11. unkind
12. friend
13. wall
14. blossom
15. summer

1. nook    reap     trite      span    
2. worse   pin        cog       steep   
3. wish     fat        dot       douse  
4. lined     pool     milk      radon  
5. bad      lack      curse    pallet   
6. piece    runt      bother  rather  
7. ample   merry   time      glum    
8. born     yaw      union    popper
9. marriage           part      baggy   roach   
10. swine    threat    spring   word   
11. slow     repeal   oven     bark    
12. feel       flout      pure     gait      
13. cable    choir     stoop    cheat   
14. fountain            galley    plaid     mill      
15. roam    dart      boil       silo      
16. crew     booth   coup     stem    
17. quiet     blanked            cower   sweet  
18. rumor   colic     woke    best     
19. field      bold     left        grass   
20. brand   greet     barge    luge

1. library
2. farm
3. pet
4. sew
5. tote
6. kin
7. pie
8. soup
9. ride
10. tie
11. uncover
12. fishing
13. room
14. land
15. grow
16. eat
17. bed
18. smile
19. sword
20. big