Introduction
It has become a difficult task for parents to make their children sit in one place to play games as they just won’t stop running around! If your toddler too doesn’t like to sit-and-play, you have come in the right place. We have made a list of 10 word games for kids which you can play with your little one anytime, anywhere – be it in the park, in the car, in the grocery market – literally everywhere!
Games with words for kids is a great way to indulge in some fun learning activity which also helps in improving their vocabulary, grammar, spelling, memory and sound recognition. These are skills required to have a good command over reading and writing abilities of children. What could be a better way to learn and play than word games for kids? Let us have a look at the 10 children’s word games which can be played with your kindergartener or preschooler!
10 Word Games for Kids
- Scrabble: Ah! The age-old scrabble. We know you must have played it at some point in your life and now it’s time to introduce it to your kids! Trust us, toddlerhood is the best time to start playing scrabble. This is a time when kids are learning new words everyday in school, at home and even during the journey in-between! So this word game for kids is the best way to amp up their knowledge! Start by playing with three letter words to make your toddler familiar with word games. Gradually, increase the level of difficulty in words and watch your little tot master the art of Scrabble!
Once they have got the hang of it, you can also start playing travel scrabble to teach them about new places!
- Word Search – There are plenty of word search books available for all age groups. You can find them in a nearby bookstore or buy them online! It has a set of words listed which your kid will have to find from a grid of words! It helps your child to learn new words and also boosts their working memory.
- Atlas – Want your 5 year old to know about different countries? Atlas is the game! Pick letter A to start the game and say one country/continent/city that starts with it. The other person then has to tell another name of a place with the end letter of the previous place. A fun way to introduce geography to your child, right?
- I Spy – Most of you already know about this word game for kids but let’s go down the memory lane once more. Be it your living room or the park, I Spy is a fun word game to play with your kids! Simply say “I spy with my eye…” and make a noise of the thing you spied on or utter it’s first letter! Let your child observe his/her surroundings to find what you spied! This word game for kids can go on for hours without you realising!
- Bingo – This is exactly like Tambola, but with words. Pick a theme and choose some words, one set for each player and a copy of each word in a bowl for everyone to draw out and match! The first player to match all the words, wins!
- Unscramble Words – This is another word for ‘Jumble words’. Write down a list of words on a sheet of paper and jumble or scramble the order of letters in it. Ask your little tot to unscramble these words. To make it exciting, you can also put up a timer! This will urge them to think critically and unravel the jumble of words.
- Words from a Word – Grab a paper and pencil and write a set of (say 5) long words containing more than 8 letters. Now ask your child to write one word from each letter of that long word. Make sure that the word he/she creates should be smaller than the long word. This is a great way to engage your child into the world of vocabulary and keep him busy for hours! This will also help them open their think tanks to find new words to win the game.
- I am Going on a Picnic – This is one of the most fun-filled games that would let your kid explore his/her imagination. One person will start saying “I am going on a picnic with an apple” and then the other person will continue with what the first person said and add a new sentence to it. It will go like “I am going on a picnic with an apple and a ball”. This will continue till one of them has forgotten the chain of things and loses count. After that you may start again and may also change the place “I am going to the park with…” This also sharpens your kid’s memory and he/she will have to remember all the things right from the start! You can play it on a ride back home from kindergarten or while bathing your kid!
- Name, place, animal, thing – A timeless game! Grab sheets of paper, according to the number of people playing the game, and draw four columns for name, place, animal and thing. You can write these headings in different colours and bold letters to make it look attractive to your toddler! Now, to make it easier for your little one, make chits for each of the letters and put them in a bowl. Shake the bowl and pull out one chit. The letter that you choose, start filling the columns by names/things that start with that letter. To make it exciting, put a timer of 20 seconds for each round! P.S: You can also add a ‘Points’ column to keep a score. Assign 5 points for each column and calculate after the timer stops to see who won!
- Rhyming Tree – Now this is where you get a little crafty. This is one of the most creative word games for kindergarteners! Draw a tree on a chart paper and on each branch, write a few simple words such as tree, hat, ball, etc. Now, cut out small petals from another paper and arrange a glue stick and a sketch pen. Put all of these in a tray beside the tree. Ask your toddler to write words on these petals that rhyme with the word written on the branches and stick on it. This way your little one who is still in kindergarten, or just passed preschool, will be able to play with rhyming words in a creative way! This will keep him/her occupied for good while you work or attend an important meeting! You can even hang or stick this work of art in your kid’s room.
Conclusion
Word games for kids are the new way to play and learn for toddlers and kindergarteners! Open up the world of vocabulary with these fun word games and watch them play each game with a challenge! Happy gaming!
Also Read:
5 Fun Reading Games and Activities for Kids that teachers need to know
Outdoor Games and It’s Benefits for Kids
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