From a three-letter ARA to an eleven-letter STRUISVOGEL

The spread of word lengths is what makes this grid worth printing. ARA, the macaw, is three letters. STRUISVOGEL, the ostrich, is eleven. Between them sit GIER, UIL, TOEKAN and ADELAAR. A child hunting all six has to change tactics halfway through: short words are found by luck and careful rereading, long ones by locking onto an unusual opening letter and following the line.

STRUISVOGEL is also a small lesson in how Dutch builds words, since vogel means bird and turns up inside a great many species names. Once that is pointed out, TOEKAN and GIER look less arbitrary too. None of this needs teaching formally — it comes up naturally while your child is scanning, and a sentence from you at the right moment is enough to make it stick.

Use it with children who like big, dramatic animals, because ostriches, vultures, toucans and macaws are easy to care about and so their names go in willingly. It works printed alongside a picture book about birds of the world, or as the quiet half of a busy afternoon, or in the car. Six words, six pictures, no timing and no marking — just a sheet your child can finish alone and feel pleased with. Ask afterwards which one they would most like to see for real, in Dutch.