Hobbies And Interests
Vocabulary Game
The Vocabulary Game is something you can play with your child at any time. No supplies are needed. Start by asking the child to give a description of something he can see. Select one of his descriptive words and tell him different synonyms for it. For example, if he describes something as little, you can tell him some words that mean the same thing are tiny, small, minuscule, minute and petite. Instruct him to repeat these words several times to learn them. The child then chooses another object. The more times you play the game, the bigger his vocabulary gets. Encourage his use of synonyms with different descriptive words as he begins to use more.
Story Jar
Make a Story Jar to play a game that gets young readers to learn sequences and encourages creativity. Put 15 to 20 sentences written on separate strips of paper into a jar. Try to make them as interesting as possible to grab the child's attention. To play the game, have the child reach into the jar and pull out a piece of paper to read. Ask him what happens next. Take turns going back and forth adding to the story. If someone gets stuck, pull another piece of paper from the jar to get going again. Write it down as you go along if you want to remember the story.
Vocabulary Memory
To test vocabulary, play a game of Memory. Make pairs of memory cards by writing a word on one index card and its definition on another. Come up at with at least 10 pairs. To play, mix up the cards and place them face down on the floor or table. The players take turns turning two cards over in an attempt to find the matching word to the definition.
Sentence Racing
Challenge students to think by having races to build sentences. This game is best played by individuals or pairs. To make the supplies for the game, come up with several sentences based on the reading level of the players. Write each word from the sentence on individual index cards and place them in a Ziploc bag. Repeat this process for as many rounds of the game as you plan on playing. To play, each team starts with the same set of cards. When you give the command, they race to form a sentence using every card in the bag. Whoever finishes first wins that round.