Need to help your students get more hands on practice for their vocabulary words? I've got 5 fun vocabulary games you can use right away!
Vocab in a Bag is a an easy and fun vocabulary game! Students in all grade levels can play in small groups of 3-6 for vocabulary of any subject. It is a great practice activity when students have just been introduced to the vocabulary, and it can also be used as a review activity. This product inclu...
Back when I was a student, there is only one vocabulary activity I can ever remember doing in class or for homework. It was looking up the word in the dictionary, writing the definition, and using the word in a sentence. I can recall this assignment itself (probably because of the sheer number of times I had to do it), but ask me how many of those actual words I am able to remember. Couldn’t tell you a single one, to be honest!
Long vocabulary lists can appear daunting and unlearnable at first glance, but they don’t have to be perceived in such a way. Here we have engaging and entertaining activities, games, and strategies to help your students master their vocab lists with ease. Learning is made fun with the right
Fun vocabulary games can be a powerful tool in the upper-elementary classroom! As elementary students progress from learning to read to reading to learn, content area vocabulary becomes a crucial part of instruction. Each content subject area such as math, social studies, and science has its own unique set of vocabulary words. Students need to be introduced to and repeatedly exposed to the vocabulary terms that are important in each unit if they are to develop a deep understanding of a specific content area. Fun and Easy Vocabulary Review Games I have found that incorporating a variety of fun and easy vocabulary review games into our schedule motivates my students to spend a few extra minutes studying their words in preparation for the big game! Egg Hunt Review Egg hunt review is a game that my students always love to play! It gets them out of their seats and moving around as they search the classroom high and low for plastic eggs. The only materials needed to play this game are plastic eggs, some strips of paper, and notebook paper. Before your students come into class, number and write a definition on each slip of paper. For example, one slip of paper might read, "1. a written request from a number of people". Fold up the slip of paper and place it inside one of the plastic eggs. After recording all of the definitions and placing them inside of the eggs, hide the eggs around the classroom. When you're ready to play with the class, have each student take out a piece of paper and number it accordingly. If you hid 20 eggs around the room, tell the class to number from 1-20. It's always more fun to play with friends, so I have my kids work in pairs or small groups. When the game begins, one student from each group goes on the hunt for an egg. Egg Hunt Review They bring the egg back to their group, open it up, and read the definition aloud. The students then need to figure out which vocabulary word goes with the definition and write it on the corresponding line. If the definition read, "5. a soldier who is paid to fight for a foreign country", then the students would write "mercenary" next to number 5 on their paper. The student who found the egg then puts the slip of paper back inside, places it back wherever they found it, and then returns to the group so the next student may take their turn finding an egg. One of the things I like about this vocabulary review game is that I can just set a time limit based on how much time we have available to play. When time is up, I tell all the students to return their eggs, and then we begin going over the answers. I draw a random name stick and have that student go find an egg and read the definition out loud to the class. We discuss the correct answer, and students check their own papers to see if they got that one right. I collect the slip of paper and empty egg from the student, and call another name to find our next egg. By the time we are done going over all of the answers, I don't have any clean up to do on my own. Hoop Shoot Review Hoop shoot review is another class favorite that only requires a trash can, a ball or wad of paper, and a list of the words and definitions for you to use. Divide the class into two or more teams. Place the trash can in a strategic location and mark the spot on the floor with tape to indicate where the students need to stand. One student comes up to the line, and you read them a definition. If they identify the correct word, they earn their team one point. Then they attempt a "free throw" at the trash can to earn a bonus point for their team. So easy and always a hit with the kids! Vocabulary Bingo Elementary age kids always love a good game of Bingo, and I found the perfect online Bingo card maker! You can play virtual Bingo or print out cards. It's free for up to 30 students! My Free Bingo Cards First, you need to decide which size Bingo card you would like to create. On the left-hand side, go down to "Templates" and choose between a 3x3, 4x4, or 5x5 card. Click on the template you would like to use. My Free Bingo Cards Templates Next, you will type in your title and all of your vocabulary words. Free Bingo Card Maker Click on "Next Step", and you are ready to play Bingo online or print your cards! This is such an easy way to create a vocabulary word game that you can use year after year. Swat the Vocab! Swat the Vocab is the vocabulary review game that my students request the most! It gets very competitive and exciting! All you really need to play is a whiteboard or chalkboard and some fly swatters. For social studies, I have all of the content vocabulary words printed on cardstock with an image of a fly, but you can just simply write the words on your board. Make sure to spread them out as much as you can. Divide your class into three or more teams. Have one player from each team come up to the front and get a fly swatter. Read a definition out loud, and watch out! The student who swats the correct vocabulary word first earns their team a point. It happens so fast, I had to tell my kids to hold their position when swatting so I could see which fly swatter had swatted the word first. Swat the Vocab! I have no doubts that if you begin playing these fun vocabulary word games with your class, they will be more motivated to study their words!
Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today’s classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students to become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids to develop their vocabulary is time that is well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a routine to teach new vocabulary
These games can be used to review any vocabulary word list. Easy to prep classroom vocabulary games that make reviewing fun for kids.
Need to help your students get more hands on practice for their vocabulary words? I've got 5 fun vocabulary games you can use right away!
This review game for middle or high school students is SO MUCH FUN! I play this in my classroom before test day. It could be used for math, science, social studies or any other subject! It's an easy, active game that I often play instead of trashketball.
Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today’s classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students to become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids to develop their vocabulary is time that is well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a routine to teach new vocabulary
Fun and engaging ESL activities, games and worksheets in printable PDF format with full teacher's notes and answers for English teachers to use in class.
Games are a great way to help students practice vocabulary. For newcomers that are just learning English, they are a fun way to practice basic Tier 1 terms. For students at higher language levels and native speakers, they are great ways to practice content-specific vocabulary. It is important to review vocabulary words with ELLs before
Upper elementary classroom tips and ideas with a focus on classroom management, student engagement, & cooperative learning.
This printable matching socks game is the perfect activity to keep your toddler entertained and learning through play. Download it for FREE!
Are you looking for engaging vocabulary activities? These 10 Fun Vocabulary Activities are sure to be a hit in your classroom.
Let's dive into some new options to teach vocabulary, for those who have the time and energy to pursue them. In this post and podcast, I'm sharing ten ideas for making the study of vocabulary something students might even look forward to.
Grad these printable BINGO cards to help kids learn Latin Stems. After all everything is more fun as a game!
These dice games for French are a fun and engaging way to practice vocabulary, grammar, and sentence writing with core and immersion classes.
Guessing games are a great way to practice speaking, critical thinking and vocabulary building in ESL classrooms starting from young learners through adults. Whether you are an English teacher or a parent trying to improve your child's vocabulary in a first or second language, guessing games are a MUST! Here's where to start: Ages 3-4:
Vous connaissez le jeu Dobble ? Voici 7 versions différentes de ce jeu adoré des enfants et à imprimer gratuitement ! À vous de faire votre choix.
Basic vocabulary, like knowing prepositions, is necessary for beginning readers. Teach prepositions with this simple game.
Looking for a fun vocabulary activity? This extension is perfect for middle and high school to help encourage critical thinking and associations.
Make word study fun and engaging for your students.
Free Remembrance Day word scramble printable game for kids
Looking for a way to get students to have fun learning new words AND remember them longer? Try these brain-based vocabulary activities.
At school - STORY WALK (Lesespaziergang) 5-fach differenziert“At school with Annie - Story walk“ (Lesespaziergang) ist eine motivierende Methode, um das Les
Fun and engaging ESL activities, games and worksheets in printable PDF format with full teacher's notes and answers for English teachers to use in class.
Hey Ya'll! Do your kids love to learn by playing games? What if I told you that you could increase your students vocabulary by playing games that take 20 minutes or less? Vocabulary is something that is highly stressed in my district. It seems like each year, more and more pressure is put on us to increase students vocabulary. Today I'm here to share with you 4 easy games that you can implement into your class to increase vocabulary and make learning fun AND engaging! Kids should get excited about learning. Implementing games into our daily routine helps increase their learning when they don't even know it. All of these activities that I'm about to share can be used in a whole or small group setting. First up is Heads Down, Vocab Up! This is a game I like to have my kids play when I have a few minutes to kill before moving onto the next subject or when their little brains just need a break. It's super simple. Does your class like to play "heads down, thumbs up" or some call it "heads up, 7 up"? Mine do! Heads Down, Vocab Up! is just like that only using word cards. You can use any type of vocabulary cards you'd like. We play using sight words, compound words, contractions, academic vocabulary and more. Here is how to play: Pick 3-4 students to be it. Give each student picked a vocabulary card. Turn off the lights and the rest of the class puts their head down (NO PEEKING!) and their thumb up. The students chosen go around the room and pick someone by touching their thumb. When the teacher turns the lights on, those picked stand up and try to guess who picked them. Rather than calling out the students name, they must call out the vocabulary word that student is holding. If they get it right, they get to trade places and be it. If they get it wrong, they sit back down. Then the next round begins. You can also have your students tell the meaning of the word, use it in a sentence or give a synonym. This way it can be easily differentiated for various learners. When using academic vocabulary cards, I like have them say the word and their own meaning of the word. This is a simple review that can be done in 5 minutes or stretched out into a whole group lesson. Up next is a little game I like to call Word Speed! Word Speed is quick game that we play daily throughout the week. I do this with vocabulary and grammar skills mostly. All you need is some chart paper and makers. You could easily laminate chart paper and use dry erase markers to make it reusable. What you'll see below is bulletin paper from our workroom. Here is how you play... 1. Split your class up into 2 teams. (You can do more if you'd like) 2. Tape a piece of chart paper on opposite sides of the room for each team. You want them far enough apart where the other team can't see the others paper. 3. Write the topic you are covering at the top of the chart paper. 4. Time them for 1-2 minutes (sometimes this will be longer such as 3-4 minutes until everyone has a turn, but they think they only have one minute). 5. Each person write a vocabulary word and passes the marker to the next person. They are not allowed to talk while doing this. (The picture above, they had to write a pair of synonyms. They cannot write something that has already been written.) 6. They have 1-2 minutes to write as many words as they can. 7. When the time is up, the person holding the marker brings it to you. 8. I give each team one point for having the correct words. They race every day. On Monday-Wednesday, I do not count off for spelling. On Thursday and Friday, if a word is misspelled, I do not count it. This helps with preventing tie-breakers. 9. At the end of the week, the team with most points is the Word Speed Champ for the week! We play with a new piece of paper everyday so that they are able to use the same words. On Tuesday, I use the back of the page that they wrote on, on Monday. I kept a tally of the points on the board. I found that they loved this game so much, that they would go home and ask their families for words to use. Once the kids got into the routine of playing for various concepts, they would always ask if it was Word Speed time! Now lets talk about a class favorite that I use for multiple concepts. This little game is a BIG DEAL! It's called KABOOM! I blogged about this concept awhile back. You can read about it here. I'll do a quick recap. All you need to create KABOOM is popsicle sticks, a permanent marker, and a cup. Here's how to play: Color one tip of each popsicle stick. This end sticks out of the cup. Write a vocabulary word on each stick. You also need 5-10 KABOOM sticks. (For my academic vocabulary sets, I put 2 sets of vocabulary words that are 8 words each, and then 5 Kaboom! sticks. For sight words, I do a full set and then 10 KABOOM sticks. Place all the sticks in a cup with the colored tip sticking up. Students play rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first. The first player draws a stick and reads the word. For academic vocabulary they must read the word correctly and tell the meaning or use it in a sentence. This is good for differentiation in your groups. If the student reads the word and uses it in correctly they get to keep their stick. If they read it incorrectly or use it incorrectly, the stick must go back in the cup. If they draw a stick that says KABOOM! They have to put all of their sticks back into the cup. This is a BIG DEAL ya'll! The player with the most sticks at the end of the game wins! I like to play KABOOM with academic vocabulary at the beginning of each small group. I can easily differentiate each question I ask based on each student to fit their needs. We also play whole group using sight words, parts of speech, and for various math concepts. This is a favorite during stations as well. I keep all of my games set up in baskets and the kids can easily grab a cup when they have time. All the other games I have created are stored and labeled in ziploc bags. Last but most certainly not least is my personal favorite, Beach Ball Vocabulary! I originally started playing this game with math facts and learned that I could use it for all different subjects. You can read my math fact post here. All you need is a beach ball and a maker. Write vocabulary words all over the ball in a random order. Here is how to play: Have students form a large circle around the room while you or another student stands in the middle. GENTLY toss the beach ball to a student. Whatever word their thumb (you can pick right or left) lands on, they must tell the definition, use it in a sentence, or give an example of. Then they GENTLY toss the ball back to you and you throw it to another student. The example shown above was played with antonyms. Students had to say the antonym of the word one of their thumbs landed on. For academic vocabulary, I have all of unit 1 words written on a ball, all of unit 2 words written on a ball, etc. This way they are getting review of words we have already learned. All of the games show above can be used with multiple concepts such as academic vocabulary, synonyms/antonyms, prefixes/suffixes, compound words, contractions, parts of speech, sight words and so much more. Use them cross-curricular for math concepts or science and social studies. I hope you can incorporate at least one of these activities into your classroom! My kids love them and I hope yours do too! Have a great day!
As teachers we know that vocabulary is pivotal in students’ success. When I was growing up, our vocabulary activities consisted of looking up definitions in the dictionary and copying them down on notebook paper. Do you think I truly understood those vocabulary words? Not. One. Bit. In order to truly understand vocabulary words and what […]
Engaging, student-centered vocabulary activities for secondary students, vocabulary lessons, vocabulary practice, vocabulary ideas
Every year I am shocked by my students' underdeveloped vocabulary. They struggle with reading comprehension because of their limited understanding of words. Their writing can be very drab because of their limited word choice. And when it comes time for standardized testing they often struggle with understanding what is being asked of them because of
As a conclusion to our Snowville, we made Ice-cream in a Bag by measuring and combining all of the directions. Try this at home with your parents and see if you can follow the directions to make delicious ice-cream. Ingredients: Ice cubes 1 cup of half and half 1/2 cup Kosher salt 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pint size ziplock bag 1 gallon size ziplock bag Directions: Combine half and half, sugar, and vanilla in pint-size bag. Seal bag tightly (do not want it to leak) Fill gallon-size ziplock bag halfway with ice cubes. Sprinkle Kosher salt over ice cubes. Insert pint-size bag with ingredients into bag with ice and salt. Seal gallon-size bag. Shake bag for 5-10 minutes until the ice-cream mixture begins to harden. Take small bag out of ice and open. Enjoy!
I have the absolute BEST set of Free Dinosaur Printables to share with you today! And I'm not even exaggerating; these dinosaur printables are absolutely beautiful and incorporate literacy, numeracy, vocabulary building, and more. You'll also be able to play lots of fun games with them, like a matching game, Go Fish, and Guess Who!
Awesome collection of Spanish Vocabulary printables for Spanish Preschool, Spanish Immersion Kindergarten, and Elementary Spanish. Browse by resource or theme!
My Spanish 1 students are working on time. They’ve got some great groundwork on this matter from Martina Bex’s units, and they’ve gotten a lot of exposure to numbers through the …
