5 Fun ELA Games to Improve your child's learning
Here are five fun and engaging games to get your kids excited about learning! These games are targeted towards many age groups, and although each game has a recommended age group listed under it, feel free to explore any game.
As all of these games are word-finding games, we recommend using words from the following places:
The kid’s own readings!!! Children are much more motivated to memorize a word if they’ve already seen it in the wild. Please jot down some foundational words you notice they don’t know so you can reinforce them using these ELA games.
Elementary school students should become familiar with major sight words, which are high-frequency words they need to be able to decode automatically. Here is a list of sight words: https://sightwords.com/sight-words/dolch/#lists.
#1 Charades
The classic charades game is well known among many families. But did you know that it’s also helpful in learning? Charades is a great game to help kids expand their vocabulary, as they have to think more critically to act out a term. If your kid needs to study for a vocab test but is hesitant to study, show them this game!
Recommended age range: All ages, but use words that are suitable for the age range that you are teaching!
#2 Snowman
Updated on June 22. We have heard some thoughtful concerns about Hangman’s imagery and are pleased to offer Snowman as an alternative. The rules of the game remain the same.
Snowman is an excellent game for kids to practice spelling and thinking. It is also a straightforward game to play online, and most kids already know how to play, so you can get straight into the game without needing an in-depth explanation of the rules.
Before playing, give kids some strategies to use, such as starting with vowels. This will help make sure that the children are not just guessing the answers.
How to play well virtually:
1. Use the whiteboard on Zoom
2. If you use a video conferencing tool without a built-in whiteboard feature you can play by going to https://www.hangmanwords.com/create
Recommended age range: All ages, but use words that are suitable for the age range that you are teaching!
#3 20 Questions
20 Questions is a classic childhood game that can help children develop their descriptive writing and speech skills. By being able to ask specific questions and use their detective skills, kids will have lots of fun with this game.
Children can ask 20 yes-or-no questions to figure out what the term is. Make sure to tell the kids that they can only ask yes-or-no questions, they cannot guess the term right away. In our experience, the game works best for something tangible (person, place, or thing) rather than something abstract.
Recommended age range: All ages, but use words that are suitable for the age range that you are teaching!
#4 Pictionary
Pictionary is another classic game that can be used to encourage vocabulary acquisition. Take turns drawing your vocabulary terms and having the other person guess the word.
How to play:
If you are using Zoom, click share screen -> whiteboard. Start drawing!
If you use a video conferencing tool without a built-in whiteboard feature you can play at https://skribbl.io/.
Make sure to create a private room. You can invite your buddy by copying the link at the bottom of your screen
Recommended age range: All ages, but use words that are suitable for the age range that you are teaching!
#5 Crossword Puzzles
Crosswords are great for kids to continue to develop their memory and thinking skills! These puzzles are also a terrific way for kids to learn how to spell and define words!
Looking for pre-built crosswords you can play immediately? Click here.
Looking to create your own crosswords with words you are trying to reinforce with your students? Click here.
Recommended age range: Crosswords are fun for all ages! The fun crosswords that are linked here are great for grades K-6.
