Mad Libs are a time honored solution for every potentially boring situation from long car rides to rainy days to insomnia. Kids love Mad Libs. Mad Libs make it perfectly all right to use any word you want in a given context. It's like reverse learning: kids learn to use the parts of speech by using them to create nonsense.

A Story on Every Page

A Mad Libs book has a short story on each page, with many of the key words left out. Instead there is a blank, beneath which is specified the particular part of speech: noun, verb, adjective, proper name and so on, that will make sense in that space. One player reads the Mad Lib to herself, asking the other players for the necessary parts of speech to fill in each blank. For example, when she reaches a blank calling for a noun, she asks the other players to name a noun. Whatever they say, she writes in the blank. When she's filled in all the blanks she reads the story with all the crazy contributions from the other players in place. The outcome can be hilarious.

Exercise for the Brain

The best part is that the players are exercising their brains. Mad Libs give kids a chance to use what they've learned in school to have fun. The parts of speech can be especially boring for many kids. Mad Libs makes a game out of them. Kids need to know what the parts of speech are in order to play. Also, by putting correct parts of speech into varied, even senseless contexts, kids learn more about what the parts of speech do and how each one functions. Seeing it from a quirky angle brings insight into the value of grammar. Kids learn what doesn't make sense, accentuating their understanding of what does.

Something for Everyone

Mad Libs come in different versions: Goofy Mad Libs, Off the Wall Mad Libs, Original Mad Libs; there's even a Survivor Mad Libs based on the hit television show. It's easy to find one that your child or student will want to play.

Every kid struggles with the tedious aspects of the educational system. And boredom isn't conducive to learning. Many teachers struggle to find ways of making the school day more engaging and, ultimately, more productive. Games and activities let a child's spirit have a part in the learning process. That makes learning fun and fun is the ultimate teaching tool. Once learning becomes fun there's no stopping it.