English vocabulary games for kids are a great way to educate kids. They help kids to keep talking and using language while having a lot of fun. This is a fun activity to keep kids learning even when they are unaware.
So, you can use these games to engage reluctant learners and motivate them to play and learn. Learning English might be boring for them but being engaged with these games can make them interested in vocabulary.
Dear friends, we have compiled 10 English vocabulary games to get kids excited about the subject matter. Here are the games discussed below:
1. Pictionary
Pictionary is a great game for kids of all ages. This game is a good activity that enables kids to review vocabulary.
In this game, a picture is selected and shown to the kid or a word is whispered to his or her ear by someone else. The picture is given a word. The first person to guess what the picture determines the next picture. This game can also be played in teams with a point system to determine the winner.
2. Unscramble
This vocabulary game involves the use of mixed words to form other words. The words are written on a board or a piece of paper and all the letters are mixed up. For example, look to form “school”. plus to form “pupil” and so on.
Kids have to unscramble the words and say the answer aloud to be scored a point if it is the right one. This is an interesting game if a team of kids is involved. This game works perfectly when there is a use of letter shapes/ letter blocks instead of writing the letters aboard. They can use the blocks or shapes to rearrange the words to create the right answers to the unscrambled words.
3. Charade
The Charade game can be compared to Pictionary. They are similar but charades use actions to communicate the secret word instead of the use of pictures. This is a great game to keep kids active and help them to learn words with the use of human actions.
Verbs make the easiest words to communicate actions to kids. Also, complicated words can be used to teach the kids more words. This game can be played by two or more people. The words can be written on a piece of paper for kids to choose from. The words on the paper are acted out while the kids try to guess the correct answer in three minutes and score a point.
4. Taboo Words
Taboo Words is an English vocabulary game that teaches kids words description and synonyms. It’s a type of Word Brain and helps kids to practice synonymous words.
This game is more interesting if played by two or more people or even a team. A person can be chosen to sit at the front marked as the ” hot seat”. A piece of paper with a word on it is held at the back of the person on the hot seat. The kid on the hot seat can’t see the papers. An amount of time is set for the team members to get the person in the hot seat to say the number using descriptions.
5. 20 Objects
This game helps to test memories and vocabulary at the same time. The items needed are a large space and common 20 items from your environment which can be a classroom, a playroom, backpack, or even a purse and so many more.
The items are arranged on a large space or a desk. After the arrangement, they can take a brief look at the items before covering them with a sheet or a cloth.
Kids can write on a piece of paper words that represent the items covered. They can write as many items as they can remember in English.
For correction, a list of the items can be written on a board or paper. A point can be given to kids when they have listed the correct words for the items.
6. Word Bingo
This is an interesting and tricky game. Kids need to be well prepared for this particular game. There is a need for adequate preparation to play the word bingo games and the variations. The variation of bingo include;
Picture Bingo which makes use of pictures on the Bingo card and calls out the words that relate. You can also try a sight word bingo game to help children learn and recognize common words in a fun and interactive way.
The Synonym Bingo game gets kids’ brains working by giving them a word that means the same thing as a word written on their card.
Antonym Bingo helps kids to know the antonyms in English. This is just as it sounds, it calls out the antonyms of words written on their cards.
7. HangMan
The Hangman word game for kids is interesting and fun. It is known to be one of the most popular English and vocabulary games for kids.
In this game, the first player thinks of a word and the second player guesses the word before it is hung. Also, the first player can write spaces for letters on a paper so as give help player 2 be able to guess how many letters make up the words. The second player chooses a letter he/she thinks is part of the word.
If the first player guesses right, the first player writes the letter down. if it is incorrect, the first player draws part of the hangman on the paper. If the drawing is completed after the guesses of the second player, player 1 wins the game.
8. Word Search
Word Search games for kids is an adventurous game. It is quite challenging for kids to go on a quest to search out words.
To play the games a 10 x 10 grid of squares is drawn. Words are placed within the grids. The words can go up, down, diagonal which can make the letters overlap and be used more than once. A list can be created on the side or bottom of the page of the words entered into the grid. After filling the square till no words can fit it, random letters can be written in the blank boxes.
Kids have to go on an adventure to find as many words as they can. This game can be done by a kid or as a team to make it competitive. During the competition, kids can make an identical grid and whoever finishes first, wins the game. The game helps to improve their literacy and vocabulary skills. It teaches kids persistence and tenacity.
9. Words within a word
This is a self-help game for kids to learn how to create their own words. They can create their words using 8 -10 letters to form long words.
The objective of the game is to enable kids to make lists of small words out of the long words and letters. For example: from the word CHARACTER, you can get small words such as; cat, rat, hat, Hart, chat, and so on.
This game helps kids to upgrade their spelling skills to be better at Spelling bees.
10. Word Rhymes
This game requires children to rhyme words. This is a game that needs a team to make it fun. A person will Select a word and others will write as many words that can rhyme with that particular word. For example “Rat” rhymes with the bat, pat, mat, cat, cat, Nat, fat, and so on. This game helps kids to learn rhyming patterns of words and also improve their language skills.
