Celebrate Words Matter Week in March

There are many ways to celebrate the importance of words during Words Matter Week, which is held during the first full week of March. We’ve listed a few to help you get started, but we encourage you to get creative and spread the message in as many ways as you can (we’d love to hear what you do!). If you’d like to be a Words Matter Catalyst, you may print copies of the poster and post them in your local libraries, bookstores, schools, or other organizations.

We encourage you to share Words Matter Week on Facebook, Pinterest, X, and other social networks. Let’s get people talking about words!

Celebrate with Family and Friends!

Host a word party, and play word games such as Scrabble, Boggle, and Pick Two.

Libraries

Create an attractive yet intriguing display of books about words, including dictionaries, grammar guides, thesauri, and even etiquette guides.

Host a theme storytime with books about words, such as the following:

• The Boy who Loved Words by Roni Schotter
• The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds
• Max’s Words by Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov
• The Dictionary of Difficult Words: With More than 400 Perplexing Words to Test Your Wits! by Jane Solomon
• Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos
• Lexie the Word Wrangler by Rebecca Van Slyke

Bookstores

Create an eye-catching display of word-related books with funny titles.

• Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English
• Things That Make Us (Sic): The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar Takes on Madison Avenue, Hollywood, the White House, and the World
• Miss Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins: The Careful Writer’s Guide to the Taboos, Bugbears and Outmoded Rules of English Usage
• The Elephants of Style: A Trunkload of Tips on the Big Issues and Gray Areas of Contemporary American English

Host a panel of communication experts such as authors, journalists, broadcasters, and others for a discussion of why words matter in the 21st century.

Bloggers and Webmasters

Blog daily on the topic of words (sample writing prompts below), then link back to the Words Matter webpage or the NAIWE blog so others can read your posts.

Suggested writing prompts:

• Words can change history. What word, speech, or document do you believe to be most important?
• Writers craft words into memorable phrases, stories, poems, and plays.
  What writers make your heart flutter? Why?
• What word, said or unsaid, has or could change your life? How?
• Communication breaks down when words are misused. What is the funniest or worst break-down you’ve ever observed?
• What person in your life helped you understand the importance of choosing words carefully? What would you say to them if you met them today?
• If you had to eliminate one word or phrase from the English language, what would it be? Why?

Link to the Words Matter Week webpage.

Copy the Words Matter Week poster image and share it on your own website with a link back to Words Matter Week.

Churches

Do a focused study on the Word, and discuss the meaning of “Word” in John 1.

Have a treasure hunt for all the verses that address words, speech, and conversation. Award a prize to the person who finds the most verses.

Schools and Homeschools

Gather together a basket full of books about words, and spend time each day exploring them. You can find a list of possible titles at Notes from the Windowsill to get you started.

Have children write on each day’s writing prompt.

Play word games such as Scrabble, Boggle, and Pick Two.

Nursing Homes and other Group Homes

Post a copy of the Words Matter Week poster in a central spot to remind staff about the importance of communicating kindly and gently with residents.

Offer residents the opportunity to talk or write about each of the daily writing prompts or to tell word-related memories.

Play word games suitable for the residents’ abilities.

Volunteer to write letters for elders; many enjoy communicating but find writing difficult.

Writers and Writers’ Groups

Write daily on the writing prompts, which are listed above.

Participate in the Words Matter Week writing challenge by responding to the questions on your website, blog, or social media pages and link back to us on the NAIWE blog.

Celebrate Words Matter Week by enjoying with others an open mic night and then showcasing your work.

Professional Associations and Networking Groups

Schedule a specialized seminar on communications or public speaking.

Financial Advisory Firms

Provide a copy of the Words Matter Week poster to each member of the firm to remind them to communicate clearly with clients.