Language Games
The following language development games can be adapted for almost any age level and can be done while you are busy making supper, waiting at the dentist’s office, or have a few extra minutes throughout the day. The great thing about all of these activities is that while you are developing your child’s language skills, you are also passing the time, relieving boredom, and creating fun family memories.
1. I’m going camping:
This game has many versions, but basically you are going to try to remember strings of words. Start by saying “I’m going camping and I’m going to take my __________ (tent, toothbrush, pajamas, etc.).” Each person takes a turn and has to say all of the others' things and add a new one of their own. After five turns, it would sound something like this “I’m going camping and I’m going to take my tent, my mom, my toothbrush, my cell phone, my TV and my dog.” The first one to forget an item is out. This type of activity is great for increasing listening skills, sequencing, vocabulary and auditory memory.
2. Guess what I am: Pick an item and give clues such as “I am white. I am fluffy. I am up in the sky. Rain falls from me.” You can give clues one at a time for older children or all at once for younger children. Let everyone have a turn guessing and being an object. This game builds language concepts, the ability to make inferences and the ability to describe.
3. Categorization: Choose a category such as food, transportation, animals, buildings, occupations, furniture, school, kitchen etc. and ask each child to name three things that go with that category. Alternately, you can name three things (shark, fish, whale / mouse, key board, hard drive) and ask the children to guess the category that they could belong to. This helps develop verbal memory and recall.
4. Comparisons: Help children to see how things are related. Have children complete analogies such as
“Fire is hot but ice is ____."
“A coat is made of cloth, a magazine is made of ______.”
“A lion roars but a duck _______ .”
“A boy can be a father but a girl can be a ______ .”
“April is before May but June is before ____ .”
You can tailor this activity to be easy for younger children such as: “An apple is red but an elephant is ______ .” or difficult for older children such as: “Absent is to gone as present is to _____ .”
5. What’s wrong with this sentence?: Younger kids love this game. Say a sentence, but say one word wrong so that the sentence is absurd. For example,
“I cut my hand so I went to the library.”
“I eat cereal with a shovel.”
“I read my spaghetti.”
You can make these much more difficult for older children. For example,
“Manitoba is the nicest city in Canada.” Or “Would you like to eat a hamburger or a coke?” This activity
is great for promoting careful listening and evaluation of what is being said.
6. Make a sentence: Say three words and see if your child can make once sentence using all three words. For example, “lion – cage – growls” or “whistle – coach – race.” For younger children, you may want to start with only one or two words. Another variation on this game involves using three unrelated words. For example, "red – spider – giant" or "volcano – flag – jam" to make a story. Again ,you may want to start with one word for smaller children (“Tell me a story about a whale.”). This type of game focuses on grammar, planning, organization, and sequencing.
7. Simon Says. This game involves following the leader when you’re supposed to, and not following the leader when you’re not supposed to. A person named Simon is the leader. If Simon begins the sentence by saying “Simon says…” then everyone is required to do the action. If Simon does not begin with “Simon says…” then the players are not allowed to do the action. Start with simple directions like “Simon says touch your nose”. Slowly make the directions harder by adding more steps (“Simon says touch your nose and your knees”), or by using words like before or after (“Simon says touch your nose before you touch your toes”, or “Close your eyes after you turn around”).
Have fun with these language development games. Some of the responses you get from your children may be quite humorous. You might want to keep a record of some of the funniest answers. Your children will enjoy looking back on these records as they get older.
