"Words That Will Get Kids Crazy!"

Here is the most cool part of kid's performing. Children listen. And they listen hard.

Kids have a tiny vocabulary but they are absorbing umpteen words a day, so all words are fun and the sillier the better.

I love Doctor Seuss. I loved reading Dr. Seuss books to my kids. I always think of him as more of a poet, his simplicity of language tied into his art is wonderfully surreal. I used to read the books wondering how many pages we would go before he made up a word. We don't get very far...

You can misuse words, you can make up words you can use words in the wrong order. The rules aren't in place. Children are still practicing please and thank you, they get verb tense wrong, it's ok, there is someone there to correct them, just don't let it be you.

There are words that are just funny. Poop. Well let's see, it's funny because you are saying poop. It's funny because it's got a popping sound to it, so it's funny. It's funny because it's taboo. It's funny because it's an easy word to rhyme. Blue-poo. Boot-poop. Goo- poo. Root - poop.

I know I stretched it a bit in there but so what.

Words are fun. I play with kids names. "what's your name?" "Michael" "Bicycle? Someone named you bicycle?" "Gracie" "Crazy? Really, your name is crazy?" "Paul" "Shopping Mall. Can I give you my credit card?"

When I do this with kids they start raising their hands in excitement, "do me, do me!" Drop your adult sensibility about making fun of names. Don't be mean, have fun with it.

I also turn it on myself. "My name is Boswick. What's my name?" Kids shout Boswick. "Buzz light year? No Boswick, say Boswick" kids are howling with laughter. They shout out Boswick. "Bob? No Boswick! say Boswick!" Kids can hardly sit up straight by this point.

Off beat rhyming. Similar sounding words, huge to kids. And guess what, it's stretching their brains, it's developmentally appropriate. Rhyming is getting these guys to be better readers. You get the laugh, they are going to do better for the rest of their life. I think that's a win win!