Why do you think it is important to teach vocabulary words to kids? Well, learning vocabulary words develops your child’s language skills for better educational success. Most importantly, your child will grow to be a confident individual. They will learn to communicate well with others without any miscommunication or misinterpretation. We can say that, any concept you teach kids, they will be able to understand more effectively.
To teach new words to kids, you can take different themes with the help of games and activities. This will create interest among children to concentrate on learning. If not, there are chances that they will disengage themselves from learning. There are many games that you can plan for your kids based on different themes. For example, Halloween crossword puzzles, bingo, Christmas pictionary, Easter flashcards, etc. These games enable them to learn new vocabulary words associated with these themes such as Ghost, Monster, Pumpkin, Candies, Santa, Feast, Turkey, etc.
Kids from an early age start picking up words around them. They would’ve heard it from their parents, or near and dear ones. Therefore, it is extremely important to use positive and meaningful words in front of your children so that they can use them in effective communication. For this, you can plan strategies to teach vocabulary words to kids. This can be achieved in the form of interesting games so that they engage in learning for better retention.
Engaging Games for Kids to Learn Vocabulary
Some of the interesting games for kids to learn new vocabulary words are mentioned below:
- Crossword puzzles: Kids can learn words with the help of crossword puzzles based on different themes such as Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc. Here, you can ask kids to mark or circle the words diagonally, vertically or horizontally. This will help them to critically think and recall the words that they would’ve heard before.
- Word Search: Kids are inquisitive about knowing things around them. If you give them a task to search for something, they will put all their energy out to find hidden things. Similarly, you can teach vocabulary words to kids by making them search for words related to different themes that you give them. Here, you have to ask kids to search for words related to Halloween from the list, that are arranged haphazardly. Kids have to mark the correct words associated with Halloween.
- Riddles: Along with recognizing, it is important for them to know the meaning of those words. To enhance their knowledge, you ask riddles to kids. For example, I am round and grown in the ground. Who am I? The answer is Pumpkin. Similarly, you can ask such questions so that they can learn many vocabulary words.
Benefits of Learning Vocabulary Words
We know that the use of appropriate words makes communication meaningful. If words are not used correctly, the whole meaning changes, leading to confusion and misunderstanding. Therefore, it is important to learn vocabulary words for framing meaningful sentences. Playing Halloween and Christmas word search games will make them develop vocabulary and language skills. Some of the benefits of learning vocabulary words are mentioned below:
- Enables children to read, write and speak fluently.
- Develops understanding of the words that they are using for communication.
- Builds confidence to communicate with others in an effective manner.
- Develops fine motor skills and other essential skills required for educational growth.