Especially as a second language, not all kids find it easy to learn English. English might be one of the easiest languages to learn, but still, there are so many rules to grasp before one can fully be able to write and speak fluently. Additionally, there are thousands of rare words that are not necessarily used in everyday communication, yet they’re equally important when learning English. For your kid’s vocabulary to expand, they need to get exposed to such words. But what they learn at school may not be enough, especially considering that English may not be the only subject of study. Additionally, books can be a bit boring and when it comes to this, there are various ways you can help your kid to improve their vocabulary. One of these ways is putting their word-strength to the test using fun yet mind-boggling games.
As a matter of fact, some of these games can even be played by adults or by parents with their kids and they’ll still find it fun.
Ranging from board games to mobile apps and online games, here are some mind games you can use to test your kid’s vocabulary.
1. Scrabble
Scrabble is by far one of the most popular board games, both kids and adults can use to test their vocabulary and improve their word strength. Whether you’re winning or losing, there’s always an opportunity to learn a new English word or several before the end of the game. Depending on your kid’s age, there’s a wide range of scrabble game options to choose from by complexity, including junior scrabble. It may not be easy for them at first, but they’ll learn to play within not so long. The best thing is that you can always let your kid use letter unscrambler cheats whenever they get stuck. This way, they won’t feel oppressed that you’re winning every chance you get. With time, they’ll be able to improve their vocabulary in a fun way while also enjoying the many other benefits of scrabble, such as memory boost, improved attention span, happiness, and much more. This way, it won’t be long till your kid can’t get enough of scrabble, and learning English will become a walk in the park for him or her.
2. Words with Friends
This is another common word game whose objective is similar to scrabble’s. Instead of a board, however, Words with Friends is available as an app that can be downloaded and installed on a smart device. They get to play against opponents, building words in a crossword puzzle fashion. The best thing about it is the convenience it provides; your kid can even play it while on the go. It’s another fun way of improving your kid’s spelling and English vocabulary. However, you’ll want to monitor how much time they spend on their screens because too much screen time for kids can be detrimental to their health and wellness
3. Word Bird
This is another simple yet fun vocabulary-boosting brain game app you can introduce your kids to. The game involves words that pop up on the display screen and the player’s job is to determine if the word is correct or incorrect. If a word is correct, you press the right button, and the left button if the word is incorrect. Your final score will depend on how many words you manage to get right as either correct or incorrect. The very first few words are quite easy, but complexity increases as you progress in the game. It can be a great game for improving vocabulary and grammar, especially for kids in the medium grades.
To put it up a notch, you can play the game in the second language your child is learning. It can further motivate them to use this Spanish teaching app for kids and accelerate their way to fluency. Moreover, this game can be played on a tablet or smartphone. This makes it easy to play even when you are traveling and need to keep your kids occupied.
4. Bananagrams
Could your kid be struggling with spelling? Well, the only way to know is to put them to the test with this Scrabble-like brain game that lets them create words using letter tiles in a “banana”. The best part is that it allows the player to rearrange the tiles to create new words, and it’s much simpler compared to scrabble. It doesn’t actually require the board.
5. 7 Little Words
7 Little Words is an app game where the player’s mission is to match word groups to create meaning. The major upside about this game is that the player is given hints to guide them. At the end of the day, it will help advance your kid’s spelling skills as well as improve their grammar and vocabulary.
6. Wheel of Fortune
This is a common game that we’ve seen on TVs and other places. Some of us have even played it a couple of times. The game comes as an app that you can download free on Android and Apple smart devices. It may not be as effective as the previously discussed games, but Wheel of Fortune: Free play will definitely be a fun way of letting your kid play with letters and enhance their word-strength.
There you have it! Testing and improving your kid’s English prowess can easily be done using some of today’s many brain games. The list of such games are endless, but the above are just a few you can try out in the meantime.