How to Make Vocabulary Building Games for Children

It is never too early to work with your child on vocabulary at home. A good vocabulary helps your child become a better reader, writer and will give your child the tools he or she needs to succeed later in life. Building vocabulary does not have to be boring either. Your child will appreciate the following fun vocabulary games.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Index cards
• Pencil
• Computer
• Dictionary
• Paper

1. Play First Word. This is a fun game that will help your child understand about rhyming words and the difference between "real" words and "made up" words and how words relate to each other. This game is easily played in the car or at home--there are no special materials needed. Start the game off by saying a word out loud. It can be any word that comes to the top of your head. Your child will then immediately say the first word that comes to mind. Then you will say another word and so on. For example, if you say "Cat," your child may say "Mouse," then you might say "Cheese" and your child may say "Sandwich." It is interesting to see how your child’s through process works. You can also play this game by stipulating that only rhyming words are used, but they must be real words, not made up words.
2. Play Scrambled Words. Before you play this game, come up with a sentence of six or more words such as, "When I feed my dog, he quickly runs to his bowl." Then write each word on an index card. Mix the cards up and have your child see how fast he or she can place the sentence back in order. You can add to this game by making up several sentences and mixing all the cards up. See how many sentences your child can put in order.
3. Make a word find. Word finds are always fun and will help your child learn new words and the spellings. There are several websites such as Fun Brain that will allow you or your child to make up a word find. You can choose skill level and type in the words you want to include. To challenge your child, pick new vocabulary words and have your child find the definition of each one before using the word search. After you have made the word search, you can print it out.
4. Learn Real or Not? This is a fun game that young children will enjoy. Go through the dictionary and pick out five or six words your child may not know. Try to find words that sound silly. Write them on a sheet of paper. Add in three or four words that are made up. Have your child read each word and try to come up with a definition and a sentence for each one. See if your child can spot the real or made up word. Your child can then use the dictionary to locate the real meanings of the words.