Game for kids to review vocabulary năm 2024

After all the day’s planned lessons have been completed, it is not uncommon to have a few minutes to spare before the bell rings. Or, sometimes you need to divide up a long lesson with a quick, energetic break. Use these time slots to invigorate students and enhance their vocabulary comprehension with mini games!

These games are intentionally designed to require minimal preparation and basic rules so that you can quickly choose one and immediately get playing. The games can be used to review the current unit’s words and older ones as well, and they serve as an excellent way to informally check for understanding. These games can also be expanded for longer play and review, which may be especially useful in after-school and summer-school sessions. Vary your games for increased interest; students may grow bored of the same game each week. It is always useful to model an example of game play before the game begins.

The games are listed in order of critical thinking required; the earlier games review the basics and the later games require deeper critical thinking.

Get a printable list of these vocabulary games.

Simple List

The Rules:

Divide students into two (or more) teams. Give each team one minute to list as many words as possible from the current unit on a piece of paper. The team with the most words wins.

Materials Needed:

• Blank paper
• Pens How to Expand the Game:
• The team with the most words must explain the definition of each word. If they miss a definition, the other team can take over explaining those definitions to win. Look Out For:
• If you have a word wall, cover it during this game. Possible Modifications for ELLs and Students with Special Needs:
• Provide students with the first letter of the words or pictures of the words before they complete their list.

Conversation Competition

The Rules:

Assign each student a partner. When the teacher says go, the students stand up and have a specific amount of time to talk with their partners on any appropriate subject. They must use at least 10 of the unit’s words in their conversation and check them off as they use them. When they’ve used all 10, they sit down. The teacher should circulate the classroom during the game to engage students in conversation and keep them on task. The first students to finish win a prize, but only if they share their conversation with the class and used the words correctly. If not, the next group shares, and so forth.

Materials Needed:

• Unit’s word list for each student (can also use index of book) How to Expand the Game:
• After the game, you might ask multiple student groups who were having strong, vocabulary-rich discussions to share their conversation with the class.
• If students have been sitting for a long time prior to the start of the game, you can encourage the partner groups to walk around the room together while they talk. Look Out For:
• Make sure that students are not using words to discuss inappropriate matters or insult each other.
• Make sure students are using words correctly. Possible Modifications for ELLs and Students with Special Needs:
• Partner ELLs with native speakers.
• Use a shorter list of words.
• Give students specific topics to discuss.

Erase a Word

The Rules:

Divide students into two teams and create a baseball diamond in your classroom (or go outside if possible). The teacher is the pitcher. Each member of team 1 takes a word and stands in the infield and outfield. Team 2 stands in line at home plate. The teacher asks a question from Fix the Mistake or Pick the Winner and then tosses the ball to the batter. The batter says the correct word and then throws the ball to the correct word. The team earns one point if the batter says the correct word and two points if he or she hits the correct word. After three incorrect words (strikes), the teams switch. The game ends when the teacher calls time or when all questions are complete.

If you teach English to kids you probably know that young learners get bored easily. So, how do you get young learners interested in learning vocabulary? The best way is through fun and exciting ESL vocabulary games and activities. That’s why we put together this list of the best ESL vocabulary games to get your students excited about learning English.

For more classroom game ideas, check out our other post, 10 Fun Guessing Games for Young Learners.

1: Pass The Ball

This classic classroom game is incredibly fun and a great activity to get your students motivated and energized. It’s also a fun way to introduce or review vocabulary with students. All you need is a soft ball and some flashcards.

How To Play:

Students will pass the ball around the class and when the music stops, the student with the ball must answer a question from the teacher. For example, if you are teaching vocabulary to do with colors, the teacher might ask ‘What color is it?’.

Another way to play is, when the music stops, the student with the ball can ask the question and all the other students must answer. This way all students get to practice the vocabulary while playing the game.

2: Line Bingo

This ESL vocabulary game is a great alternative to regular bingo. Most textbooks these days come with small picture / word cards at that back that students can use for this game. If you don’t have these cards, visit our flashcard page where you can download and print these ‘student cards’ for free.

How To Play:

Give each student or pair of students one set of vocabulary cards. Ask them to place them in a horizontal line in any order they want. Once students have placed their cards in a line, the game can begin.

The teacher should say one of the words and if that word is on the left end or the right end of the line then students can turn that card over. If the card is in the middle of the line, students cannot turn it over.

For example, if you are teaching the present progressive / continuous tense you can ask students to shout out ‘What are you doing?’. Then the teacher can answer using one of the words on the card (e.g. ‘I am painting.’). Then students should look at their line of cards and check if ‘painting’ is on the left or right end of their line.

The first student / pair of students to turn over all their cards is the winner. To make this vocabulary game more fun, invite your students one by one to the front of the class to choose the next word.

3: Hot Seat

This simple no prep game is a great way to get students to utilize all their existing vocabulary while learning new words at the same time.

How To Play:

To play this game, you can divide the class into 2/3 teams or you can just play as a whole class. Choose one student to sit in the ‘Hot Seat’. This is a seat at the front of the class facing the other students.

Then from behind the student in the hot seat, show the other students a word from the lesson. The other students must try to describe what the word is without saying the actual word. And the student in the hot seat must guess.

Kids absolutely love this game and it is a great way to review vocabulary that your students have learned that lesson.

4: ‘1 2 3 Go!’ Game

For this vocabulary game you can use flashcards or you can simply write the words on the board.

How To Play:

Put the flashcards (or write the key words) on the board in a line. 6-8 words is the best. When the teacher says ‘ 1, 2, 3, Go!’ one student must jump up and shout the first word. Then another student must jump up and shout the second word. Then another student must jump up and shout the third word. And so on until all 6/8 words have been called out.

Any student can jump up and say any word at any time, but if 2 students jump up at the same time, then they lose.

This game can be played as a whole class, or if you have a large class, divide the class into teams.

5: Matching Games

These PowerPoint Games will test your students’ memories. Matching games are simple to make and great for reviewing vocabulary.

How To Play:

Divide the class into 2 teams. The aim of the game is to find two matching words / pictures. The teams will take turns choosing TWO numbers. Click on the square to reveal the word beneath. If the two words are the same, then that team gets a point. If they are different then click on red circle to hide the word again.

The game becomes more and more fun as it progresses because students start to remember where they saw the words. Download ready to use matching games and a blank template here.

6: The 4 Corner Game

This no prep classroom game is great to review vocabulary and as a listening activity.

How To Play:

Assign a word to the 4 corners of the classroom. Then, choose one student to come to the front and close their eyes. Then the other students have 5 seconds to move to one of the corners of the classroom. After the time is up, the student at the front will choose one of the words while keeping his/her eyes closed. The students standing in the corner with assigned with that word are out, and must sit down.

The game continues like this until one student is left. That student is the winner, and can be the next student to come to the front and close their eyes.

TIP: Many students moving around the class can be quite dangerous. For safety, instruct students not to run and make sure there are no bags, coats, books, etc, on the floor that the student can trip on.

7: Printable Board Games

Printable board games are easy to prepare and a great way to get kids talking using the vocabulary from that lesson. Download many printable board games and board game templates, and find detailed instructions on how to play them, here.

8: Hangman

If you’re not familiar with hangman, its a game where the teacher would think of a word and then draw a line for each letter of that word. Then students must try to guess what the word is by guessing letters of the alphabet.

In the traditional hangman game, if students guess wrong too many times, then the teacher would draw a man hanging from his neck on the board. Even though it is just a stick figure drawing, the idea seems quite gruesome and maybe not appropriate for children. That is why we made a fun alternative to hangman, ‘Save The Teacher’.

How To Play:

Think of a word and draw lines on the board corresponding to the letters in that word. Then ask students to guess letters of the alphabet to try to guess what the word is.

If students guess wrong, play the video and the fuse will get closer to the rocket. Pause when you see the pause sign and ask students to guess again. If students guess wrong too many times, then the rocket and the teacher will blast off into space.

Don’t worry, at the end of the video the teacher is okay and just went for a fun ride.

9: Hidden Picture Games

These PowerPoint games are easy to make and a great way to introduce or review vocabulary. Download ready made hidden picture games and an editable template here.

How To Play:

Click on the color shapes to make them disappear. As the shapes disappear the picture beneath is slowly revealed. When students are ready to guess what it is, they should raise their hand and guess while using the target language.

For example, if you are teaching vocabulary about animals, when the student guesses they should say ‘Is it an (elephant)?.

10: Whisper Game

This is a very fun classroom game and all you need is a board and chalk / a pen.

How To Play:

Write many words from the lesson on the board (at least 10). Then divide the class into two teams and ask them to make two lines in front of the board. Give the student at the front of each line a board eraser.

Next, the teacher should whisper one of the words to the students at the back of the lines. Then those students should quickly whisper the word to the next student in line, and then that student should whisper to the next student, and so on down the line.

When the word is whispered to the student at the front of the line, he/she should quickly run to the board and erase that word. The quickest one to erase that word wins a point for their team. Then change the student at the front and play again.

How do you review vocabulary in a fun way?

30 Meaningful Vocabulary Activities for Every Grade.

Write vocabulary short stories. Using vocabulary words in writing shows mastery. ... .

Put your students in the “hot seat” ... .

Match up words and definitions. ... .

Sketch up some word maps. ... .

Create Post-it stations. ... .

Play a game of Pop! ... .

Take a gallery walk. ... .

Create vocabulary strips..

How do you review vocabulary for kids?

5 Fun Vocabulary Review Ideas:.

Find your Match- Divide students into groups. Assign each group a vocabulary word and give them 4 sticky notes. ... .

Vocabulary Charades- Use this review activity right before your weekly vocabulary test! Assign a vocabulary word to each pair of students. ( ... .

Bean Bag Story Toss-.

What is the game that improves vocabulary?

Pictionary Vocabulary Game is an excellent game that improves vocabulary. The game works great for visual learners. The player has to describe the word with the help of a drawing, and the team has to guess the word. This is a simple game, where you can write a word vertically on the board or a paper.

How to teach vocabulary with game?

9 Vocabulary Games to Play in the Classroom.

Synonym Matching. Material Required: Synonym worksheets, pen. ... .

Word Detective. Materials Required: Commonly Confused Words Worksheets, Pens or pencils, Timer (optional) ... .

Checkers. ... .

Pictionary. ... .

Go Fish Vocabulary. ... .

Memory Cards. ... .

Verb Charades. ... .

Word Association..