Kids Vocabulary Games: Fun Games to Help Kids Learn Vocab Words

How Can I Help My Child Practice Vocab Words?

Learning new vocabulary words is an important step for children as they advance their reading comprehension and language skills. However, the most common practice activities involve the tedious acts of writing the word, looking it up, writing the definition and reviewing. Although repetition is beneficial, getting your son and daughter interested in learning is more important in the long run. Motivate your child by incorporating games into his or her after school vocabulary practice.

Three Vocabulary Games for Kids

Concentration

Concentration is a fun way for your child to actively search for a match between vocabulary words and their definitions. Start by writing each word and definition on separate index cards, and then place the cards face-down in rows. You and your child will take turns flipping two cards at a time to try and find a match. If a match is made, the player keeps the cards and takes another turn. If the word and definition are not a match, turn the cards back over and move to the next player. The player with the most cards at the end wins.

Bingo

Turn Bingo into a fun vocabulary practice by creating cards by hand or on the computer, and then letting your child fill the cards with vocabulary words. Instead of calling out words, call out the definitions. If the player has the word that matches the definition, he or she can put a marker on the square. Continue until one player has five markers across. Be sure to have the player read the words with the definitions before declaring him or her a winner.

Charades

If you have a group of people, such as your child's friends, siblings or other family members, you can incorporate your son or daughter's weekly vocabulary words into the game of Charades. To play, divide the players into equal teams. Then, write all the vocabulary words on slips of paper and put them in the bag. Let each player select a word and act it out so their teammates can guess what they picked. You may want to incorporate a time limit of 30 seconds for guessing. If the team guesses right, they score a point. Continue until a designated winning score is reached.