4 Fun Word Games To Play With Kids & Develop Their Vocabulary
Children will benefit from developing their vocabulary and learning a wide range of words. This is especially true when they’re younger, and research suggests that expanding their vocabulary will help them develop a wider range of early literacy skills. Coupled with the educational benefits, kids start to understand more of the world around them and what certain things mean when they know lots of different words.
The great thing for parents is that developing a child’s vocabulary is shockingly easy! It’s a case of getting them to learn and discover new words – which can easily be done through a variety of fun games. Games keep things fun for your kids so they learn without even realizing it. You can play any number of word games to help your children learn, though these four are the most suitable:
Hangman
This iconic children’s game is always fun and constantly encourages your children to develop their vocabulary. Everyone should know how to play Hangman, but here’s a quick recap:
- Come up with a word and draw spaces on a piece of paper or board to show how many letters it contains
- Get your child to guess a letter and fill in the spaces if that letter is present in your word
- Every time they guess an incorrect letter, you start drawing a line until you create the “Hangman”
You can play Hangman online if you don’t have any pencils or spare paper. When you set the words, this is a chance to teach your kids new things for them to remember. But you can also switch it around and get them to come up with the words. It’s a clever way to develop their spelling skills at the same time!
Scrabble
You can’t go wrong with a game of Scrabble. This game may be more for children of kindergarten age who already have an understanding of many words. They get seven tiles and have to make words from the letters. It’s the ultimate test of vocabulary – though you can make some tweaks for it to be more child-friendly.
- Play with your child instead of against them so you can help them form words
- Let your child use an anagram solver to find words from their tiles. This teaches them new words and shows them how to spell them
- Buy Junior Scrabble as it’s made for kids and is better for younger children below the age of 5
Scrabble is one of those games that your child improves at the more they play it. Of all the options on this list, it’s definitely the best at developing vocabulary. You know a child has grown up playing Scrabble when you listen to some of the words that come out of their mouth!
Word Search
A classic word search game will always go down a treat with children. Find loads of online word searches or buy books with plenty of them inside. The goal of a word search is to find different words in a grid full of letters. You’ll love this idea as it includes a level of profession for your children.
Start them off with easy word searches that show the words below the grid and are easy for your child to find. It teaches them to read the words and locate the right letters. This also introduces them to words they might not have heard before – which encourages them to ask you about the word so you teach them how it’s pronounced and what it means.
As they get more accomplished, they move on to harder word search puzzles with more letters and longer words. Eventually, they’ll reach the stage where no words are given under the grid. Instead, the grid has a theme and they have to find all of the relevant words.
I Spy
Don’t forget how brilliant I Spy is as a word game for kids! It’s one of those learning activities you can do on holidays or car trips because you don’t need any equipment or space. Look at something around you and tell your child what you spy. They get the starting letter, and then it’s up to them to figure out the word based on their surroundings.
Start easy by picking obvious things they know and get progressively harder to teach them new words. The best thing about this game is that you point at real things and name them, which helps your kids learn what things are called by visual association.
I’m sure you can think of many other great word games for kids, but these four are excellent starting points. Encourage your kids to learn through games and they’ll develop key skills from a very early age.
