Sac-à-dos
the backpack game
She called me a backpack. I called her a cloud. A no-repeats word volley that never ends.
She called me a sac-à-dos. A backpack. I said “you're a cloud.” That was a year ago and we have never stopped playing. It needs nothing, no book, no toys, no screen, and she is now genuinely better at it than I am.
How to play
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1
Someone starts: “You are a backpack.”
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2
The other one fires back: “You are an apple.” Then a cloud. Then a spoon. Then a dinosaur.
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3
One rule, and it is the whole game: you cannot repeat anything already said.
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4
Slip in a repeat on purpose sometimes. Let them catch you. They will, and the delight of catching you is enormous.
The memory game of the set.
This is the memory game of the set. To take a turn, your child holds every word already said, comes up with a fresh one, and checks it before it leaves their mouth. That is listening, memory, and self-control working together, and catching YOUR repeat is the same checking turned outward. It is not a phonics game, and it does not need to be. It is the on-ramp: playing with words for the pure joy of it is where sound play begins.
Want the printable version?
This game plus all nine, as beautiful one-pagers you can print and keep, with ready-to-use sound lists and simple ways to level each game up as they get better.
Free. One email, no spam. The game above is yours to keep either way.