🔗 What's the Connection?
The host reads out three or four words that seem unrelated, and players race to find what links them. Sun, lemon, banana? All yellow. It gets kids thinking sideways and works anywhere, with no equipment at all.
What you need
Equipment: Nothing (just a list of word sets). Prepare 10 to 15 word sets ahead of time, each with one shared link. Players can play alone or in teams of three or four.
How to play What's the Connection?
- The host reads out three or four words that sound unrelated.
- Everyone thinks quietly for 20 seconds. No shouting out answers.
- On the count of three, anyone with an idea raises a hand.
- The host picks the first hand. A correct link scores points.
- Wrong answer? The turn passes to the next raised hand.
- If nobody gets it, the host gives one hint, such as "Think about colors."
- Still stuck? Reveal the link and move on to the next set.
Scoring and wrapping up
Scoring: Solved without a hint: 2 points. Solved after a hint: 1 point. A different, clever link the host accepts: 1 bonus point.
To finish: After 10 sets, add up the points. Finish with a round where each player invents a set of their own for the group to solve.
By age
- Ages 8-9: Stick to links you can see, like colors, shapes and places.
- Ages 10+: Try hidden links, like words that rhyme or things that come in pairs.
Variations
- Big group: Play in teams. Each team writes its answer on paper and all teams reveal at once.
- Capy twist: Add an odd-one-out word to each set. Players must find the link and the word that does not belong.
Tips for the adult in charge
- Three words are easier than four. Start with obvious links and build up to trickier, sideways ones.
- Accept any link that genuinely works. Creative answers are half the fun.
🖨️ Printable connection cards
Read the words aloud, then check the link on the right.
- Sun, lemon, banana | All yellow
- Piano, keyboard, door | All have keys
- Clock, face, hands | A clock has a face and hands
- Tree, dog, seal | All can bark (trees have bark, dogs and seals bark)
- Snowman, ice cream, freezer | All cold
- Orange, lime, peach | Fruits that are also colors
- Spider, octopus, crab | Lots of legs
- Soccer, globe, marble | All round
- Bat, owl, fox | Awake at night
- Bee, honey, hive | All about bees
- Wheel, pizza, coin | All round and flat
- Bed, river, flower | All have a bed
- Eye, needle, storm | All have an eye
- Comb, saw, zipper | All have teeth
- Bottle, mountain, giraffe | All have a neck
- Table, chair, elephant | All have legs
- Rainbow, crayon box, parrot | All full of colors
- Penguin, ostrich, kiwi | Birds that cannot fly
- Bell, shoe, mouth | All have a tongue
- Pineapple, hedgehog, cactus | All prickly
- Moon, cheese, sponge | All have holes or craters
Questions and answers
What age is What's the Connection for?
It works best from about age 8, when kids can think about categories and hidden links. Younger children can play with simple color or shape sets.
Can we play it on a car journey?
Yes. It needs no equipment, so one adult can read the sets aloud and everyone answers in turn.