Vocabulary games for 1st graders

10 Vocabulary Games for Elementary Classrooms

This post was originally published on Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher.

Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today’s classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids develop their vocabulary is time well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a vocabulary routine that keeps my vocabulary instruction simple to plan and provides a meaningful use of instructional minutes. To read more about my weekly routine, click on the picture below.

I love using games to practice and review vocabulary words. Games are engaging and fun, and students will remember more when they are having fun! Games can be used in centers or as a whole group activity. I have come up with ten different games that are super simple and can be played with any list of words. You can play these games with ELA words, science words or even math vocabulary. You will find lots of free printables throughout this post that will make it super easy to start playing these games in your classroom tomorrow!

Vocabulary Bingo

Each student will need one of the free game boards. If you want to be able to use them over and over, laminate them and have students use dry erase markers. Otherwise, they can use any writing utensil. 

Provide a long list of vocabulary words. Students will need 24 words, so it is a good game to play at the end of the unit to review. You can also mix math, science and ELA words for a review of multiple subjects! Students will write a different word in each box. They decide which words and what order to write them in so that every board is a little different. When you are ready to play, give students a definition. Students determine the word. If they have that word on their board, they can cover it or color it.  The first person to get five in a row is the winner.

You can download the game board for free HERE.

Memory Vocabulary

To play this game, you will need cards with vocabulary words and cards with their meanings. You can make them with index cards or you can use the free editable card template that I have provided. Students shuffle up the cards and place them face down in an array. Students take turns flipping two cards. 

If they flip over a match — the word and its meaning — they keep the two cards. If they are not a match, they flip the cards back over and it is the next person’s turn. Play continues until all of the cards are gone.

You can grab these free editable word cards HERE. 

Pop(sicle) Vocabulary

For this game, you can use the word cards from the memory game or you can write words on popsicle sticks. You will also want some of the free pop cards or write pop on several sticks. Put the cards or sticks into a container. Students take turns pulling one card or stick out of the container. If they pull a word card, they must give the definition. You can change this up a bit by requiring them to give a synonym and antonym if you prefer. If they answer correctly, they keep the card. If they are wrong, it goes back in the container. If they draw a pop, they must put all of their cards back in the container. 

This game won’t end on its own because there are always pop cards. When the time is up, the winner is the person with the most cards.

You can grab these cute pop cards for free HERE. You can also grab the free editable word card template HERE. 

Headbanz Vocabulary

This game is perfect for a small group or center. You will need word cards and the headbands from the game Headbanz. Students will take turns putting a word card on their headband, so that they cannot see it but the other players can. The student will ask yes or no questions of the other group members until they can correctly guess the word. For example: “Is my word a verb?” “Is ‘take’ a synonym for my word?”

Tell students that they must be asking questions pertaining to the definition, part of speech and definition! Once a student guesses their word, the next player takes a turn. You can also use a timer to keep things moving. There really isn’t a winner for this game, but it always a favorite in my classroom.

You can grab these free editable word HERE. 

Vocabulary Jeopardy

This is a good whole group game, but you can have students working in teams. You will need to use word cards again. You will be taping them, face down, onto your board so that the whole class can see the blank back of the card. You will add the category and point cards that I have provided for you. 

The first team will choose a category and a point amount. Flip that card over and give that team 5-10 seconds to answer. So if they choose synonyms for threes points, they need to give a synonym for the vocabulary word.  If they are correct, their team gets the three points. I usually just keep score on the board. If they are not correct, put the card back so that another team can try it. Once all of the cards have been completed, the team with the most points is the wining team. Be sure to put the toughest words in the five point row!

You can download these free heading cards HERE.

Trashketball Vocabulary

For this game, you will need a small ball and a trash can. I also put a piece of masking tape on the floor to show students where to stand when they throw. 

The teacher will need a list of vocabulary words. Divide the class into two teams and have students get in a line starting at the tape. Ask the first person a question. You can just give them a word and ask for a definition or a synonym, or to use the word in a sentence. You can even use questions from assessments. If the student gets the question right, they get a point for their team and they get the chance to throw the ball. If they make the basket, they get a bonus point for their team. If they are not correct, the question goes to the next person in line. At the end of the allotted time, the team with the most points is the winning team. 

Vocabulary Board Games

This is so simple to implement because you are using simple games that students already know how to play. Games that I suggest are Candy Land, Checkers, Connect Four, Chutes and Ladders, etc. It is ok if the games seem young for your grade level. The kids love playing them anyway! 

You will also need word cards. The game is played according to the traditional game rules. The only change is that before a player can take their turn on the game board, they must flip over a word card and correctly define it. If they are correct, they get their turn. If they are incorrect, it is the next person’s turn. It is so simple, but my kids beg for it!

You can grab these free editable word cards HERE.

Game Show Vocabulary

This is another whole group game that you will play in teams.  You will need some sort of buzzers or bells. 

I have animal sound buzzers that I love because each team gets their own animal sound. The kids LOVE it. But be sure to do some training about proper use. I take a point if I hear a buzzer at an inappropriate time. Teams stand in a line behind their buzzer so that they can easily take turns. The teacher asks any vocabulary question and when a team thinks they know the answer, they push their buzzer. The first buzzer I hear, gets to answer. If they are correct, their team gets a point. If they are incorrect, the other three teams get another chance to buzz in and answer. Then those four students go to the back of their team line. The winning team is the team with the most points when time is up or you run out of questions.

Charades Vocabulary

This game doesn’t require any prep and could be done when you find yourself with a little extra time before lunch or during rainy day recess. I often play this with the whole group in teams, but it could be played with a small group.  Teams will take turns being the actor. Either give the team a word card, or just whisper the word in their ear. The team or the student will go to the front and act out the word. They can’t talk. The audience will guess what word they are. You can give the audience teams buzzers or just let them call out answers. You can give teams a point for getting answers correct, or you can just play for fun.

If you want to use word cards, you can grab these free editable word cards HERE.

Rolling Words Vocabulary

This is a super simple game. Students will play in a small group and only need word cards (or even definition cards!) and a die. Players take turns flipping a card and giving the definition (or if it is a definition card, they give the word). 

If they are correct, they roll the die to see how many points they get. If they are incorrect, it is the next person’s turn. The winner is the person with the most points when time is up or all the word cards are gone.

You can grab these free editable word cards HERE.

Did you miss any of the free resources from this post? Just click HERE to grab them all at once!

With TpT for Schools, your administrator can review, purchase, and send TpT resources directly to you.

Here’s How

Do you have resources for helping your students to learn tier two vocabulary? I have put together units that include everything you need to teach, practice and assess vocabulary. Each unit includes teacher plans, weekly word lists, daily activities, task cards and assessments. Click on the pictures to get a better look at each unit.

Jamie is a full-time curriculum designer and educational blogger. She loves creating resources that help teachers save time while keeping students engaged and learning. You can visit her store and blog for more fun ideas and resources. You can also connect with Jamie on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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10 Interactive Vocabulary Games for the Classroom

Vocabulary is not only the foundation and key element to learning any language but also an important tool in learning other subjects as well. As a teacher, searching for fun and meaningful ways to improve the children’s vocabulary in any field is an essential task. And, while traditional lesson plans for teaching vocabulary are the starting-point, vocabulary games are becoming more and more valuable. 

To help you out, we decided to find and share some of the best vocabulary games for the classroom. First, we’ll take a look at the benefits of using vocabulary games in a typical school environment, and then we’ll list our favorite vocabulary games with detailed explanations on how to implement them, and how the students will benefit. 

Benefits of Vocabulary Games

Without a solid vocabulary in their native language, children will read slower, have a hard time understanding complex sentences, won’t be able to express themselves in a clear manner, and might even have trouble organizing their thoughts and memorizing new concepts.   

A young mind learns new words by developing a mental network that builds elaborate ideas hierarchically. This is why using newly learned words frequently is the best way to reinforce that mental network and make new connections. 

Vocabulary games are perfect for that task, as they provide a communicative atmosphere where children can express themselves. But the popularity of using vocabulary games in a classroom goes beyond that. 

Vocabulary games provide a fun-filled and relaxing learning atmosphere. Learning can be stressful for kids who are anxious when answering in front of authority or in front of their classmates, which is why learning through games is a wonderful opportunity. Plus, you’ll get a chance to evaluate the children’s progress in a spontaneous setting. 

Another reason why vocabulary games are so beneficial is that they’re unpredictable. Instead of memorizing a certain word order, or several definitions, children will have to actively construct the answers from previous knowledge.

10 Interactive Vocabulary Games for the Classroom

Games are challenging, motivating, and amusing. This means that most of the time, children will be learning new words or reinforcing newly acquired knowledge, without even realizing it. Here are some easy-to-implement, fun, and meaningful vocabulary games for the classroom. 

Guess the Word

You might know this game under the name “Who am I?” where players use yes or no questions to get clues about a person or fictional character that the other player has in mind or has written on a piece of paper. Our “Guess the word” variation works the same way, except children have to guess which word is written on the piece of paper that’s attached to the child’s forehead. 

You can play this game with a time limit or not, depending on how hard you want to make it for the kids. 

To play, divide the classroom into four or five groups of four to five children. After this, instruct the children in the group to come up with a word on a specific topic (something they’ve recently learned). Each member of the group should write a word on a piece of paper attached to the forehead of the member on their left (without them knowing what word they got). After this, one by one, students take turns asking yes or no questions (example: Is my word a verb?), trying to guess the words on their forehead.  

You’ll need:

• Little pieces of paper.
• Pencils.

Memory Cards – Vocabulary Edition

This game works just like a regular memory card game. The only difference is that children will have to match words with their meanings, instead of two identical objects. Aside from practicing their memory skills, children will have to quickly recall the word when seeing the definition and remember it so they can match it once they find the appropriate word in the cards. 

To play this game, you can divide children into small groups, or let them play in partner-groups. The player that matches most cards wins the game.  

For practicing English skills, you can buy word cards online. However, if you want to personalize the game and make it much more effective, you can make your own cards with words that children have recently learned in science, math, geography, history, and other subjects.

You’ll need:

• Word cards and matching definition-cards.

Explain This! – Lightning Rounds

Lightning rounds are super fun and adrenaline-packed games or contests where children, especially hyperactive ones, will get a lot of excitement and laughs. This game is most suited for topics that children are well familiar with. 

To play, you’ll need to divide the classroom into two groups. After this, one player from each group comes forward and competes in defining most words in a specific time limit (one or two minutes). The words can be drawn from a bowl, or as a teacher, you can pick the words, while the players try to define them. The player who succeeds in defining more words wins a point for their group.

To make it more fun, you can make categories from which the players can choose a topic. 

You’ll need:

• An extensive list of words.
• Pieces of paper and bowl (alternative). 

Vocabulary Jeopardy

This is a game that the whole classroom can enjoy, or you can divide students into two or three groups. Just like the classical and famous Jeopardy game, our vocabulary version is just as fun and challenging. 

To play, draw a table on the whiteboard, with different categories as rows and the points as columns. The word cards should be taped on the board facing down. This means that the players can choose a category and the number of points they would want to receive, and they’ll receive a word. More points mean the words are harder to define. Alternatively, you can choose to make different answers for a different amount of points; one point for telling a synonym, two points for spelling a word, and three points for defining a word. The group with the most points wins.

You’ll need:

• Whiteboard.
• Pieces of paper. 
• Color markers.

Vocabulary Dice Game

While some games depend entirely on the children’s knowledge or memory skills, this simple vocabulary game adds the element of luck, which means anything is possible. It’s a wonderful game because it evens out the field to a certain point, so children who have a harder time learning new words won’t feel too far behind the overachievers. 

To play, you need to divide students into small groups or play in partner-groups. Give each group a dice and a stack of word cards. Players roll the dice and draw a card. If they can correctly define the word (if given a definition – to guess the word), they receive points according to the number on the rolled dice. Time for answering should be limited so it’s more challenging and fun. If the answer is wrong, the student gets zero points in that round.  

You’ll need:

• Dice (two or more, depending on the number of groups). 
• Word cards.

Vocabulary Checkers

Everyone’s familiar with regular checkers, but did you know there’s a vocabulary version that’s just as popular? Vocabulary checkers is much more stimulating, challenging, and exciting. 

To play, you’ll need a special vocabulary checkerboard, which is just like the regular board, only with blank spaces in the middle of each field that you can fill out with words. The spaces can be predetermined, with words of your choosing, or you could give students the opportunity to write the words themselves (for the opponent player). The added challenge comes with the fact that a player can only move or occupy the square if they correctly define the written word in that square. 

Other than that, the rules are the same as a regular game of checkers. To take an opponent’s piece, they must say 3 synonyms of the written word or use it in a sentence (since the word is already defined by the opponent).  

You’ll need:

• Checkerboard and pieces. 
• Printable vocabulary checkerboard.

Vocabulary Pictionary

In our vocabulary edition, we don’t make a strict distinction between Pictionary or Charades, because the rules can be flexible – the main aim is to have fun and go through a lot of vocabulary words. 

To play, you need to divide the classroom into two groups and assign a topic. One member from each group has to come forward and describe a word or a phrase to its group. The words are given to the players by the opposite group. Whichever team guesses correctly first, gets a point. If both groups fail to guess the words in a specific time frame, neither group gets a point, and new players get new words to describe. 

In order to make it more educational, you can set some specific rules. For example, players need to use a synonym, define the meaning, or use descriptive sentences. They shouldn’t use clues like the number of letters in the word or point to clues without using words.

You’ll need:

• Two whiteboards and markers, or
• School board and chalk.

Conversation Competition

The conversation competition is probably one of the most advanced vocabulary games, which means it might be more suitable for middle schoolers or even high school students. The main goal of this game is to improve the children’s ability to publicly speak, debate, and construct better sentences.

To play, divide the students into pairs. After this, one pair comes forward to compete. As the teacher, you’ll give one of the students a list of 10-20 vocabulary words one minute before speaking. Their task is to analyze the words and share a logical, meaningful story with their partner using the words from the list. Their partner (not knowing the words) can ask questions, or reply with their own opinions, which can help the other student use the words faster, or make it that much harder. Once they use all of the words, they sit down and another pair comes forward. The teacher should measure the time for each conversation and the pair that uses all the words in the shortest time wins. 

You’ll need:

• Word lists (for each pair). 

Word Train

This vocabulary game teaches children the importance of individual effort for the success of the whole group. 

To play, divide the blackboard into two sections, left and right, and write 20-30 vocabulary words in each section. After this, divide the class into two groups and make them form a line (each group in a separate line). Upon your instruction, the first student from each group approaches the board (each in their separate section) and chooses a word for the student behind them to define. Once the second student defines the word correctly, the first student erases the word and goes at the back of the line, while the second student comes to the board and chooses a word for the third in line. The first group that manages to erase all the words in their section wins.  

You’ll need:

• Chalk or marker.
• Eraser.
• A list of vocabulary words.

Newspaper Detectives

Give each student one page of a newspaper and a vocabulary word. The students should circle every word, phrase, picture, or name that relates to their vocabulary word. After five or ten minutes, each student should present their findings in front of the class – tell them the vocabulary word and explain how the marked words relate to the word. The student that has the most valid and meaningful connections, wins the game.

This is also a more advanced game suited for middle school students or older. It’s a multi-purpose game where children work on their reading, analytical and critical skills, as well as their creativity. They’ll improve their vocabulary, not just by reading, but by actively thinking about new connections between words, and listening to their classmates.

You’ll need:

• Newspapers or magazines.  

Before You Leave 

Hopefully, you liked our list of vocabulary games for the classroom and we guarantee your students will love them. We made sure the games are very easy to implement, don’t require too much set-up time, and can be adapted to large and small groups, as well as partner groups. 

Also, most of the games are simple variations of famous and classic party or family games, which, most likely, children will already be familiar with. This is going to make things a lot easier, as they’ll feel comfortable and ready to start playing. But, even if they’re not familiar, the games are so simple that kids of all ages can enjoy them. 

Last but not least, vocabulary games are just one way to engage children in classroom activities, but if you want to find more, check out our blog and subscribe to our newsletter. We can also cover you with educational, interactive worksheets for any subject or grade. 

Word games and exercises for children in kindergarten, Card file of word games in kindergarten

Playing activities of a preschooler > Games for children round, what is oval?

Game progress: The teacher asks the child to name as many round and oval objects as possible. The child starts the game.

If he cannot name, the teacher starts: “I remembered that an apple is round and a testicle is oval. Now you go on. Remember what shape is a plum, and what is a gooseberry? That's right, the plum is oval, and the gooseberry is round. (Helps the child name objects and compare them in shape: ring-fish, hedgehog-ball, cherry-cherry leaf, watermelon-melon, acorn-raspberry, tomato-eggplant, sunflower-seed, zucchini-apple) .

In case of difficulty, the teacher shows the child a set of pictures and together they arrange them into two groups.

“Flies - does not fly”

Game progress: The teacher invites children to quickly name objects when he says the word “flies”, and then name other objects when he says the word “does not fly”.

The teacher says: “Flies”.

Children call: “Crow, plane, butterfly, mosquito, fly, rocket, dove”, etc. Then the teacher says: “Does not fly”. Children call: “Bicycle, chamomile, cup, dog, pencil, kitten”, etc. The game continues: the words “flies”, “does not fly” are called by one of the children, and the teacher names the objects together with the children. The game can be played while walking.

"Edible - inedible"

The game is played by analogy with the previous one.

"Alive-non-living"

Game progress: First, we explain that we call all living objects "WHO", and inanimate objects "WHAT". Here are some examples.

Then we play questions and answers. You can use picture books.

What is growing? Who is growing?

Who flies? What flies?

Who swims? What is floating?

Who is the biggest? What is the biggest?

Etc.

“What happens below and what happens above?”

Game progress: The teacher invites the children to think and name something that happens only upstairs.

If the children find it difficult, he prompts: “Let's look up, above us is the sky. Does it happen below? No, it always happens only at the top. And what else happens only at the top? Where are the clouds? (stars, moon) . Now think about what happens only below? Look at the ground. Where does the grass grow? Where does she go?” (plants, ponds, earth, sand, stones, etc.) .

After that, the children independently enumerate the objects of nature that exist only above and those that exist only below.

"What can be sweet?"

Game progress:

The teacher offers the children: Listen carefully, I will name something that is sweet. And if I make a mistake, then I must be stopped, I must say: “Stop!”

The teacher says: "Sugar, marshmallows, raspberries, strawberries, lemons."

The children listen attentively and stop him on the word where he "wrong". Then the children themselves name what is sweet.

“Answer quickly”

Game progress: The teacher, holding the ball in his hands, becomes a circle with the children and explains the rules of the game: “Now I will name some color and throw it to one of you ball. The one who catches the ball must name an object of the same color. Then he himself calls any other color and throws the ball to the next one. He also catches the ball, names the object, then his color, etc.”

For example, “Green,” says teacher (makes a short pause, giving the children the opportunity to remember green objects) and throws the ball to Vitya.

"Grass", - Vitya answers and, having said: "Yellow", throws the ball to the next one.

The same color can be repeated several times, as there are many objects of the same color.

The main feature for classification can be not only the color, but also the quality of the object.

The beginner says, for example: "Wooden", and throws the ball.

“Table,” answers the child who caught the ball and offers his word: “Stone”.

"Home" - the next player answers and says: "Iron", etc.

The next time the form is taken as the main feature. The teacher says the word "round" and throws the ball to any player.

"Sun" - he answers and calls another shape, for example "square", throwing the ball to the next player.

Thoth names a square object (window, handkerchief, book) and suggests some form. The same shape can be repeated several times, since many objects have the same shape. When repeating, the game can be made more difficult by offering to name not one, but two or more objects.

“How are they similar?”

Game progress: The teacher invites the children to look around and find two objects that are somewhat similar to each other.

He says: “I will call: the sun-chicken. How do you think they are similar to each other? Yes, that's right, they are similar in color to each other. And here are two more items: a glass and a window. How are they similar to each other? And now each of you will name your two similar objects.

Games to eliminate the fourth "extra" word

“Be careful!”

Game progress: The teacher says to the children: I will name four words, one word does not fit here. You must listen carefully and name the "extra" word. For example: matryoshka, tumbler, cup, doll; table, sofa, flower, chair; chamomile, hare, dandelion, cornflower; horse, bus, tram, trolleybus; wolf, crow, dog, fox; sparrow, crow, dove, chicken; apple, tree, carrot, cucumber.

After each highlighted "extra" word, the teacher asks the child to explain why this word does not fit into this group of words, i.e., to explain the principle of grouping.

“Listen carefully!”

Game progress: The teacher says to the child: “I will name the words, and you will say which word does not fit: cat, fox, horse, cow; tractor, car, rocket, bus; pear, turnip, beet, carrot; book, pencil case, ball, notebook; water, thermometer, medicine, cotton wool.

In case of difficulty, he slowly repeats a certain set of words and helps the child to highlight the unsuitable for some reason.

Find out!

Game progress: What berries do you know? Now I will name the words, if among them you hear the word for a berry, then clap your hands.

Presentation words - cabbage, strawberry, apple, pear, currant, raspberry, carrot, strawberry, potato, dill, blueberry, lingonberry, plum, cranberry, apricot, marrow, orange.

"Now I'm going to name the words, if you hear a word related to berries, clap once, if it's about fruits, clap twice."

(Words can be used the same, you can come up with others.)

As a basis for systematization, there can be a theme - tools, furniture, clothes, flowers, etc.

Tell me, what are the similarities in taste? color? size?

- lemon and pear

- raspberry and strawberry

- apple and plum

- currant and gooseberry

What is the difference in taste? color? size?

Divided into groups

Game progress: "What groups do you think these words can be divided into? Sasha, Kolya, Lena, Olya, Igor, Natasha.

What groups can be made from these words: dove, sparrow, carp, titmouse , pike, bullfinch, zander".

"Pick words"

Game progress:

1. Match as many words as possible that can be attributed to the group wild animals (pets, fish, flowers, weather phenomena, seasons, tools and etc.) .
2. Another version of the same task.

Use arrows to connect words that match the meaning:

ball | furniture

poplar | flower

cabinet | insects

plate | wood

coat | clothing

ant | crockery

pike | toy

rose | fish

“Similarities and differences”

Game progress: Invite the child to indicate the similarities and differences of the following pairs of words:

Book - notebook | Day - night

Horse - cow | Tree - bush

Telephone - radio | Tomato - cucumber

Airplane - rocket | Table - chair

"Find the opposite object"

Game progress: Calling any object (for example, sugar) , you need to name as many others as possible that are opposite to this one. It is necessary to find opposite objects according to the function "edible - inedible", "useful - harmful", etc., on the basis of (size, shape, condition) , etc.

"Search for an analogy"

Game progress: A word is called, for example, a briefcase. It is necessary to come up with as many "analogues" as possible, i.e. other items similar to it in various essential features (bag, sack, backpack, etc.) Game progress: Invite the child to name a group of objects in one word. We call many specific objects with one word. For example, birch, pine, oak, etc. we call trees.

d) clock and thermometer 900 Devices)

D) Kit and Lev (animals)

E) Echo and mirror (reflection)

“Words-twin”

Course of the game: This exercise is associated with this a phenomenon of the Russian language, like homonymy, that is, when words have different meanings, but are the same in spelling.

Which word means the same as the words:

1) a spring and something that opens the door;

2) the girl's hair and a grass cutter;

3) a branch of grapes and a drawing tool.

Think of words that are the same in sound but different in meaning.

Additional tasks for the exercise:

4) a crying vegetable and a weapon for shooting arrows (burning vegetable and small arms) ;

5) part of a gun and part of a tree;

6) things to paint on and greenery on the branches;

7) a construction site hoist and a mechanism that must be opened to allow water to flow.

"What is needed"

Game progress: The car runs on gasoline or other fuel; tram, trolleybus or electric train are powered by electricity. All this together can be attributed to the group "transport".

Seeing an unfamiliar car (e.g. truck crane) , they ask: what is it? Why?

Similar exercises are performed with other concepts: tools, utensils, plants, animals, furniture, etc.

"Why?"

Game progress: Now I will tell you words, and you will answer me, which is more, which is less, which is longer, which is shorter.

- Pencil or pencil? Which one is shorter? Why?

- Cat or whale? Which one is more? Why?

- Boa constrictor or worm? Which one is longer? Why?

- Tail or ponytail? Which one is shorter? Why?"

The teacher can come up with his own questions, focusing on the above.

"Choose the main thing"

Game progress: An adult says to the children: Now I will read a series of words. From these words you will have to choose only two, denoting the main features of the main word, i.e., without which this object cannot exist.

Other words are also related to the main word, but they are not main.0003

For example, a garden... What do you think, which of these words are the main ones: plants, gardener, dog, fence, earth, i.e. something without which a garden cannot exist? Can there be a garden without plants? Why?. .. Without a gardener... a dog... a fence... land?.. Why?

Each of the proposed words is analyzed in detail. The main thing is that children understand why this or that word is the main, essential feature of this concept.

Sample tasks:

a) Boots (laces, sole, heel, zipper, shaft)

b) River (shore, fish, angler, mud, water)

c) City (car, building, crowd, street, bike)

d) Barn (hayloft, horses, roof, livestock, walls)

e) Cube (corners, drawing, side, stone, wood)

f) Division (class, dividend, pencil, divider, paper)

g) Game (cards, players, fines, penalties, rules)

h) Reading (eyes, book, picture, seal, word)

and) War (plane, guns, battles, rifles, soldiers)

“Dunnet”

Two games: The host thinks of a word or tells the conditions of some completely unusual situation, and the players (children or adults) must guess the word or explain the situation by asking questions that can be answered with one of five answers: "yes"; "No"; "Yes and no"; "there is no information about it"; "it's not significant. "

For example: "I thought of a plant in the middle zone. In ten questions, determine the plant that I thought of."

Themes for "danetok" and possible continuation of the game.

What vegetable did I have in mind?

- Is it a root vegetable? (Carrot, beet, radish)

- Is it a leafy vegetable? (Cabbage, lettuce)

- Is it a fruit vegetable? (Tomatoes, cucumbers)

What name did I think of?

- Is it a male name?

- Does the name begin with a vowel?

- Is there such a name in our group?

What piece of clothing did I have in mind?

- Is this outerwear?

- Are these men's clothes?

What fairy tale did I have in mind?

- Is this a Russian fairy tale?

What historical figure did I have in mind?

- Is this a man?

What must I do in the morning?

What color do I have in mind?

What property of ice cream, light bulb, watermelon, pencil did I guess?

What country did I have in mind?

What kind of writer, storyteller, poet, scientist did I have in mind?

What famous battle did I have in mind?

"Black box"

Game progress: Children are shown a "black box" or just a bag, briefcase and are asked to guess what is there in 10 questions? Etc.

- Is there a man-made object? Is there something soft? Is there something metallic? Etc.

List the items

Game progress: One leader is selected from the group of children. He leaves the room for 2 minutes. At this time, 7 objects are placed on the table in the room and the situation is thought about. For example, children think of the situation "I'm going for a walk", then 7 items of clothing should lie on the table.

The driver is invited, the situation is told to him and he is allowed to inspect the table for 1-2 minutes. Then he turns his back to the table and faces the group of children and starts listing the things on the table. After each correct answer, the group says "Correct!", after the wrong - "Wrong!". If the driver has not listed all the items, the group says which items he forgot.

"Opposite"

Game progress: The leader calls the group of children a word. The task is to name a word denoting the opposite object.

For example, the facilitator says the word "cup". Children can name the following items: "board" (the cup is convex, and the board is straight) , "sun" (the cup is made by a person, and the sun is part of nature) , "water" (water is a filler, and a cup is a shape) etc.

Each child in turn offers his answer and always explains why he chose that particular subject.

"Come up with a riddle"

Game progress: A leader is selected from a group of children. His task is to come up with a riddle. The group must solve this riddle. Then another child comes up with a riddle, and so on. Children of 6 years old love to come up with riddles, the game is lively.

“Who is whom (than) will be?

Game progress: The good thing about the game is that you can play with the company or together with your child anywhere. Ask each other questions, make sure that the baby answers the question correctly.

Who will the egg be? (may be a chick, a crocodile, a turtle, a snake.)

- a chicken - a rooster;

- a boy - a man;

- calf - cow or bull - paper - book;

- snow - water;

- water - ice;

- seed - flower;

- flour - pancakes;

etc.

Reverse game: "Who was who?".

- a horse - a foal

- a flower - a seed

"The third extra"

Game progress: An adult says three words - an owl, a crow, a fox. The child should quickly analyze these three words in his mind and determine that all three words refer to wildlife, however, an owl and a crow are birds, and a fox is not. Therefore, the fox is superfluous here.

More examples for younger preschoolers:

- milk, juice, bread - all three words mean edible. But they drink milk and juice, but eat bread;

- car, horse, tram;

- hat, scarf, boots;

- rose, birch, tree.

For children aged 5-7 the tasks become more difficult:

- rain, snow, river;

- doctor, tourist, driver;

- shadow, sun, planet;

- frost, blizzard, January;

- stone, clay, glass;

- door, carpet, window;

- sea, river, pool.

“What happens?”

Game progress: First, the adult asks questions, and the child answers. Then you need to give the child the opportunity to express themselves.

Examples:

- What is high? (tree, pole, man, house) . Here it is appropriate to ask which is higher - a tree or a house; person or pole.

- What is long? (short)

- What is wide (narrow) ?

- What is round (square) ?

A variety of concepts can be included in the game: what is fluffy, soft, hard, sharp, cold, white, black, etc.

“What is outside, what is inside?”

Game progress: The adult names a couple of objects, and the child says what can be outside and what can be inside. House - closet; book - cabinet; purse; wallet-money; pan - porridge; aquarium - fish; booth - dog; nora - fox.

Then switch roles - let the child think of pairs of words.

Who is this?

Game progress:

Option 1: We ask questions: who treats the sick? Who teaches children at school? Who is preparing dinner? Who is working on the tractor? Who delivers letters and newspapers? Who sews the dress?

Option 2: Questions: what does the janitor do? What does the doctor do? What does an electrician do? What does the teacher do? What does the driver do? What does a painter do? What does a hairdresser do?

3rd option: We come up with riddles. For example: this person works on the street, he has a broom, a shovel.

4th option: "Who needs what?" What does the postman need? What does a hairdresser need? And vice versa: who needs scissors? Who needs a needle?

"Guess the object by its parts"

Game progress: Children name the parts of the object. The first person to guess what it is about gets one point. This option is good because you can play together with your child anywhere. For example, on the way to kindergarten, while waiting in line to see a doctor, etc.

Examples:

Four legs, backrest, seat.

Numbers, arrows.

Letters, pictures, sheets.

Trunk, branches, leaves.

Root, stem, leaves, petals.

Screen, buttons, electric cord, remote control.

Spout, handle, lid, electric cord.

Paws, tail, collar.

Paws, tail, trunk.

Does everything seem too simple at first glance? But in fact, not all children can describe objects. Try it!

"Guess the item from the description"

Game progress: Game conditions are the same as in the previous one. But the task here is more difficult. It is necessary not only to find the correct definitions of objects, but also to correctly coordinate adjectives and nouns by gender, as well as to know such concepts as furniture, vegetables, fruits, insects, domestic and wild animals, etc.

Wild animal, lives in the forest , big, shaggy, likes honey.

Wild animal, sly, red, with a fluffy tail.

Insect, with colorful wings, similar to a flower.

Transport, large, heavy, with wings and tail.

Vegetable, red, round, put in salads and soups.

Sweet, small, in a beautiful paper.

“Think and choose!”

Game progress: Now I will read you a proverb, and you try to find a suitable phrase for it that reflects the general meaning of the proverb, for example:

Measure seven times, and cut once

a) If you cut it wrong yourself, then do not blame the scissors

b) Before you do it, you need to think carefully

c) The seller measured seven meters of fabric and cut it off

The right choice here is "Before you do, you need to think carefully"

Example tasks:

1. Better less is better.

a) One good book is more useful to read than seven bad ones.

b) One delicious cake is worth ten bad ones.

c) What matters is not quantity, but quality.

2. If you hurry, you will make people laugh.

a) The clown makes people laugh.

b) To do a job better, you need to think about it well.

c) Haste can lead to ridiculous results.

3. Strike while the iron is hot.

a) A blacksmith forges hot iron.

b) If there are favorable opportunities for business, you should immediately use them.

c) A blacksmith who works slowly often gets more done than one who is in a hurry.

4. There is nothing to blame on the mirror, if the face is crooked.

a) You should not blame the cause of failures on circumstances, if the problem is in yourself.

b) A good quality mirror does not depend on the frame, but on the glass itself.

c) The mirror hangs crooked.

5. The hut is not red in the corners, but red in the pies.

a) You can't eat pies alone, you have to eat rye bread too.

6) A case is judged by its results.

c) One tasty cake is worth ten bad ones.

6. Done the job - walk boldly.

a) If you did a good job, you can rest.

b) The boy went for a walk.

7. Skilful hands do not know boredom.

a) Petr Ivanovich never gets bored.

b) A master of his craft loves and knows how to work.

8. Don't get into your sleigh.

a) If you don't know the job, don't take it on.

b) In winter they ride on a sleigh, and in summer on a cart.

c) Ride only on your own sleigh.

9. All that glitters is not gold.

a) The copper bracelet shone like gold.

b) Outward brilliance is not always combined with good quality.

c) What seems good to us is not always good.

Gaming activity:
| | | | | in preschool

Children's word games

Author admin Read 4 min Views 464 Published March 13, 2014

Children's word games

As you know, the most effective learning and development of children occurs in the game. Children's word games contribute to the development of children's speech, attention, memory, imagination, thinking, vocabulary enrichment . You can play with your baby in children's word games anywhere: at home, on a walk, in transport, in a clinic, on the way to kindergarten. Word games should be used as part of a speech development lesson. You can include them in quizzes, and also, as an element of entertainment, in children's holidays. I bring to your attention some interesting word games that are suitable for games with older preschool children from 5-7 years old.

New word. Name any word, for example "bush". The child must come up with a word that begins with the last letter of your word. For example, "cake". The game continues until one of the participants repeats or cannot give their own answer.
"Tender word". Invite the child to turn the words as in the example: house - house, table - table, hare - bunny, book - little book, fox - fox.

Forbidden words. Ask the child to answer the question, but in such a way that he does not pronounce the two forbidden words "good" and "bad".
- How do you usually behave at home?
- Are you a good swimmer?
- How do you draw?
- How do you skate?
Did the boy do well when he took the toy away from the little one?
"In a word". Ask the child what to call in one word:
- plates, cups, pans, pots? (Dishes)
— sofa, bed, table, chair, wardrobe? (Furniture)
- milk, bread, flour, cheese, sausage? (Products)
- felt boots, boots, shoes, sandals, shoes? (Shoes)
- Plane, train, car, tractor, ship? (Transportation)

In this game the child learns to generalize. You can complicate the game by naming one extra word in a group of words: apples, pears, plums, cucumbers. The kid must guess the extra word and explain why it is superfluous.

"Who is more" . In this game, you need to come up with as many adjectives as possible for any noun. For example, Summer is warm, sunny, rainy, gentle, hot.

You can also set the task to come up with verbs for the noun: the river flows, runs, murmurs, boils.

"Guess" . The child must guess the item by the name of its parts:

cabin, body, steering wheel, wheels, headlights - car;

head, horns, body, tail, udder - cow.

Think of a word. Will the child be able to come up with words starting with the syllables “li” (fox, leaf fall, lemon, linden, leaves, midget, lily, downpour), “ka” (porridge, helmet, drops, crucian carp, stone, picture, viburnum, gate , pan), “ve” (spring, broom, wind, rope, bucket, fun, fan)? Can he come up with words ending in the syllable "sa" (scythe, wasp, sausage, fox, princess, miracles)? Will he remember the words in which the combination “ro” occurs (king, crown, lesson, throne, rhombus, shelter, building, rose, feather, subway, pie)?

"Say the opposite." Give the child a word, such as "cold". The task of the child is to find the antonym word, which is opposite in meaning: “hot; "summer Winter"; low-high"; bad-good."

Find the mistake. Read the sentence to the child, ask what fairy tale it is from and what is wrong in this sentence.
- Once upon a time there was a goat. And she had seven little kittens.
- Mom baked pies and asked her daughter Blue Riding Hood to take pies to grandfather.
- Nif Nif built himself a glass house, Nuf-Nuf - crystal, Naf-Naf - brick.
- The stove says: "Eat my cakes - I'll tell you where the swan geese flew."
- The wolf lowered his tail into the hole, sits and says: "Cold, freeze the wolf's tail."

Poker. This game is suitable for older preschool children. It is more interesting to play it with a group of children. The child chooses a name for himself from the kitchen utensils: a poker, a saucepan, a ladle, a plate, a cup, a fork, etc. An adult asks questions:

“What is your name?” - Ladle.

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