Vocabulary games for english class

View all science worksheets. View all animal worksheets. View all Addition Worksheets. View all Numbers Worksheets. View all Money Worksheets. Vocabulary is not only the foundation and key element to learning any language but also an important tool in learning other subjects as well.

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. 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.

Instead of memorizing a certain word order, or several definitions, children will have to actively construct the answers from previous knowledge. 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Players can enjoy vocabulary games in person or online. The purpose of these games is to strengthen vocabulary skills. These games make great online classroom activities and communication games , and can be used for team building with remote teams.

From Pictionary to word scrambles to synonym memory, here is a list of fun word games to play in classrooms, at parties, or during meetings.

The game is a great way to practice new vocabulary, as players connect the word with an image. Pictionary is a fun game for virtual parties or in-person affairs. To play Pictionary online, draw on the whiteboard app feature on your online meeting software. Word Association is one of the best ESL vocabulary games since playing does not require a large vocabulary. The rules are simple and easy to understand. Typically, the game involves two players. If a student makes a mistake, then the teacher can pause the game and ask the student to explain or find a more fitting word.

Ideally, gamemasters should allow players a few extra seconds to respond. Players should never feel embarrassed. There are no wrong answers in word association, but the game can serve as a learning opportunity to find better words. If playing via Zoom, then player one or the teacher speaks a word, and other students answer in the chat.

The class counts up matching answers and discusses different responses, guessing the reasoning behind each answer. Hangman is a classic chalkboard word game that translates easily to online play, thanks to digital whiteboards. The best words to use for hangman contain less-used letters like z, x, and q. Examples of hard hangman words include zigzagging, razzmatazz, and quadrants.

Word searches are common classroom vocabulary games. These activities work well for handouts, and you can play during video calls by using the whiteboard feature and enabling annotation.

To make the game more competitive and exciting, turn the challenge into a race and award prizes to the first players to complete the puzzles. Crossword puzzles consist of a series of interconnecting boxes, each of which starts blank but contains one letter by the end of the game.

Under the puzzle are two lists of clues, across and down respectively. Solvers need to consider the meaning of words, number of letters, and surrounding words, making the game strategic as well as literary. Crosswords are great word games for any age or skill level because puzzle makers can adjust the difficulty to suit players.

To make your own crossword puzzle, use an online crossword creator. Word scrambles make great games for English class, and adults enjoy these language brain teasers as well. Simply mix up the order of the letters and ask players to unscramble and identify the original words.

To make your own word scrambles, use an online letter randomizer. Scrabble is one of the most popular word games for adults or children. Players must use letter tiles to assemble words on the game board. More challenging letters have higher point values. For example, E is one point, while Z is ten. To find the point values for each tile and read more gameplay tips, check out this guide from Hasbro. To coordinate the game for language lessons, assign higher scores for vocabulary words, and ask players to use the words in a sentence for extra points.

Scrabble is easy to play online, too, making it one of the best digital vocabulary games. To play virtually, simply find a multiplayer online version of the game, such as Words With Friends. Scattergories is one of the most fun and simple word games for adults.

The game challenges players to think up words all starting with the same letter. Alliterative phrases count for double or triple points. If two players have the same answer, then they must cross it out and neither receives points. Of course, a player will not receive points for blank answers either. At the end of each round, the player with the most points wins. You could create more inventive categories for the game, or challenge players to make up prompts.

To play virtually, use the chat, screen-share, whiteboard functions in your virtual meeting platform. You can also share a Google Doc or Form, or join a multiplayer online Scattergories game together.

Tree or Bob Ross is a fun video conference game that challenges players to guess a word by asking questions. The player who conjures the word is The Post. The Post answers This or That questions whose answers help players narrow down the word. For instance, a rose is probably more like a tree, but Pinnochio presents an interesting challenge.

Each turn, the guesser adds a new word. For more excitement, introduce a time limit, or award more points if players guess the word during earlier rounds. First, you have to write down a couple of words on paper. Make sure most of the students know them. Divide the class into two teams and one person from each team will choose a paper and act the word out.

A team receives a point for every correctly guessed word. Pictionary is like a charade, but your students will draw, instead of acting the words out. You can use the cards from the actual board game for this activity, or make your own! Similar to charades, you also need to divide the class into two teams. The student must convey the word to his or her team using only drawings. There are certain rules such as students cannot use words, symbols or hand gestures. Each student should have a time limit of 3 minutes.

The first team to get 10 points is the winning team. Divide the class into two teams and give each team a colored marker. Draw a line down the middle of the board and write a topic at the top. The students must then write as many words related to the topic in a relay. The first person will write the first word and pass the colored marker to the one next in line. Score each team with one point for each correct word. Unreadable or misspelled words are not counted.

Looking for a game which can help your students practice synonyms and descriptions? Try Taboo Words — suitable for more advanced learners. Divide the class into two and have the two teams sit on opposite sides of the room, facing each other.

Choose one person to sit in front of their team and stand behind the students and hold a piece of paper with a word on it. The team has three minutes to get the one in front to say the word on paper. A favourite game among teachers, Hangman can be used at the start of the class to warm up the students and get them active. This is especially good for young students.

First, think of a word and write the number of letters on the board using dashes to show many letters there are.