Children learning a new language can boost the social skills and confidence necessary for their cognitive development. By engaging in fun activities, kids can retain their lessons better and speak fluently in no time!
Engaging in daily conversations with their peers can also make them more assertive and self-reliant in the long run. Here are some fun-filled activities that make language learning for kids quick and easy.
9 Language Learning Games for Kids of All Ages
There are plenty of ways to simultaneously make language learning for kids fun and effective. Below are games and activities that will promote their social, emotional, and psychological development skills.
The Boat is Sinking
We’ve probably played this classic game at least once in our lives when we were kids. But this version of “the boat is sinking” has a unique twist. Since its aim is to have kids learn a new language, we can ask them to form groups based on their shirt colors or initials.
To make things more exciting, you can also include additional instructions like “jump three times” or “sit on the floor” after the initial code of “the boat is sinking”. After the game, you can then hand out prizes to the winners.
Pass the Message (Telephone Game)
This game will challenge the listening and comprehension skills of your children. Before the activity, you can gather them in groups of 5 to 8. Make sure you’ve prepared the sentences that will serve as the messages they will be passing along.
You can then ask each group to stand in a line with a bit of space between each person to avoid overhearing the messages as they are passed. At the start of the game, you will have to whisper the phrase or sentence in the ear of the first player. The first group that gets the correct message to their last player wins the game.
Bring Me
Another fun activity that kids will enjoy playing is the classic “Bring Me” game. All you have to do is prepare a box or container full of toys. Your container can include animals, plants, or anything your kids can easily identify. You can also use household items such as keys, plastic cups, or even books.
And then, you start by asking the children to look for a specific item found in the box. You could describe the item or act it out for your kids to guess to add another challenge. The first player who can bring you the item will score a point or earn a reward.
Two-Word Charades
Charades is a popular game among kids and even adults. To make it more effective for your kids’ language learning, you can incorporate this game to enrich their vocabulary. Before playing, divide the participants into two groups.
Begin with a bowl of two-word titles with adjectives, such as “orange cat” or “happy dog.” Each group can then have a representative act out the words one at a time for 90 seconds. The game then becomes a way to instill proper communication among your children.
Treasure Hunt
Kids love participating in scavenger hunts because these spark their curiosity. In this activity, you will need to scatter the objects you want your children to find. Giving them a checklist of the hidden items will allow them to work together or make decisions independently while exercising their memory skills.
You can likewise include descriptive clues that point to the color or appearance of the objects. After the game, you can let them identify the things they found to test their vocabulary, memory, and communication skills.
Picture Card Drawing
If your kids love drawing, this game is perfect for them! You will need to prepare pictures of objects or scenarios, clean sheets of paper, and crayons or pencils for drawing. Start the game by splitting the children into pairs. One of the two children will then be instructed to draw items or scenarios based on how their partner describes their given pictures.
The children will then take turns drawing and describing until points have been accumulated or a designated goal has been reached, such as completing three rounds. This game will test their vocabulary and ability to communicate using the language they’re learning.
Guess the Sound
Another way to develop language learning among kids is the listening game. You will need to have them guess the sound. For this activity, you can participate as the prompter or make it more exciting by letting the children make sounds themselves.
Choose one representative from the group who will pick a piece of paper from a box with a word or picture to act out. The representative will then describe the subject not using words but through sounds. The children will then guess the subject based on the sounds used.
Hangman
Through the classic word game “Hangman”, you can test your children’s memory skills while enriching their vocabulary. For this activity, you will need to think of a word in the language they are learning. Then, draw a blank underlined space for each letter that they will guess.
For each wrong letter, you’ll slowly complete the image of a hanged man, though this can be revised to portray any other image as long as you can count the number of strokes needed to complete it.
Simon Says
For this activity, you’ll need three or more players. Start the game by saying the phrase “Simon Says,” followed by an instruction with a specific action. For instance, you can announce, “Simon says touch your nose.” The participants will then follow your instruction to the best of their ability.
You can gather the kids in a circle and allow each one to direct the others by specifying a unique action. Failure to complete the action or follow the instruction can result in elimination until only one participant remains. You can likewise forgo this mechanic altogether, as the activity aims to engage their senses and challenge their ability to make imperative sentences using a particular language.
Make Language Learning For Kids Fun
If you want your children to broaden their vocabulary more effectively, these games will spark their curiosity and stimulate their excitement to learn new things. Find more interactive activities through the Rayito de Sol blog.
