If you’ve read Language and Learning, you’ll know that three simple ways to help your young child develop their language skills is talking with them, playing with them, and reading with them.The simplest and most effective way to increase your child’s vocabulary is enjoying regular meals together (see Table Talk for more information).
But what if you want some more specific ideas or suggestions? Well, read on for a list of activities that will help to expand your child’s vocabulary, and have fun at the same time!
“What am I?”
A home-made version of Celebrity Head or Hedbanz. Cut out pictures of objects and hold them up without looking at your own picture. A player can ask questions about their own picture until they guess the answer, or other players can give them clues (eg. what type of thing it is, what you do with it, what parts does it have etc.)
“Family Feud”
You’ll need 2 teams plus a host. The host asks teams to name something from a given category. If a team scores 5 points they win the round. Keep playing with new categories until a team wins 3 rounds.
“Scavenger Hunt”
Give each person/group a list of objects to find such as 4 fruits, 3 items of clothing, 5 things you can play with. The first person/team to collect all the items is the winner. When the game is finished, ask players to name all the items they have collected.
“I’m thinking of…” – I spy with a difference!
Describe an object in the room, saying “I’m thinking of….” and continuing with details such as category the object belongs to, its function, its appearance. Continue with description clues until another player has guessed correctly.
What’s the Category Mr Wolf?
One person is the “wolf” and stands on one side of the room or yard. The other players call out “What’s the category Mr Wolf?”. The “wolf” replies with a category name (eg. food, animals). Players take turns thinking of an item in that category, and take one step for each word they think of. When all players have thought of one item for the category, repeat from step 2 with a new category. Keep repeating until players have made it all the “wolf”. The “wolf” then calls out “dinner-time” and chases the players until one has been tipped. It is then that player’s turn to be “wolf”.
Hopscotch
Similar to above, except the child hops on one square per word – the aim is to think of enough words to make it all the way back to the beginning!
Board games are a great and versatile way to help with vocabulary development. Some favourites are Scattegories, Slapzi, Taboo, Scrabble, Boggle, Guess Who and Hedbanz.
There are many apps (paid or free) available as well. Some suggestions are Bag Game, Factory of categories, Outdoor Fun and Playhome. The best apps are the ones that require interaction between parents and children.
Happy playing!
