How to Play Splashy Words
A step-by-step guide for players, parents, and teachers.
What’s the Game?
Splashy Words is a sentence-building app where you look at picture cards, create a silly sentence using as many words as you can, and say it out loud! The sillier the sentence, the more fun it is.
There are no wrong answers! Every sentence is a good sentence. Even silly ones like “The purple fish danced on the cookie” count!
How a Turn Works
Step 1 — Get Ready
Your name shows on screen. Get ready for your words!
Step 2 — See Your Cards
Picture-word cards appear on screen. Each card has a picture and a word underneath it.
Step 3 — Build a Sentence
Look at your cards and think of a sentence that uses as many words as possible. It can be silly!
Step 4 — Tap Your Words
Tap each card you used in your sentence. It gets a colourful splat and your stars go up!
Step 5 — Say It!
Press the “End Turn” button and read your sentence out loud. A parent, teacher, or friend confirms you said it.
Step 6 — Earn Stars
Stars are awarded based on how many words you used. The number needed depends on each player’s reading level — emerging readers need fewer words, while confident readers need more.
Word Categories
Each turn gives you a mix of different types of words. The colours help you tell them apart:
- Doing Words (red) — verbs like Run, Jump, Eat, Dance
- People & Animals (green) — Cat, Dog, Mom, Pirate
- Little Words (blue) — The, A, And, On, Is (text only)
- Describing Words (orange) — Big, Silly, Fast, Red
- Things (purple) — Ball, Cookie, Star, Rocket
- Places (yellow) — School, Beach, Zoo, Castle
- Sight Words (teal) — Common words matched to each player’s reading level
How to Win
Players take turns building sentences. After each turn, you earn stars based on how many words you used. The first player to reach the star goal wins the game!
You can set the star goal in Settings (10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 stars). Play with friends and family — up to 4 players can join!
Reading Levels: Each player has their own reading level (Emerging, Growing, or Confident) which adjusts word difficulty, star thresholds, and timer speed — so everyone can play together fairly!
Tips for Parents & Teachers
Reading Levels: Set each player’s reading level on the Players tab. Emerging readers get simpler words and easier star targets, while confident readers face a bigger vocabulary and higher thresholds.
Timer: The timer is OFF by default. Only turn it on when the child is confident and having fun. Time pressure can increase anxiety for struggling learners. When enabled, the timer adjusts automatically based on each player’s reading level.
Encouragement: Celebrate every attempt! Even a 1-word sentence is a step forward. The app is designed so there are no wrong answers. Look out for the Silly Sucker bonus — a chance to award an extra star for especially creative sentences!