Language Game

May 20, 2022

I love having no-prep language games ready to play for lesson transitions and warm-ups. As students develop reading skills it is helpful for them to be in a language-rich learning environment. The more words they hear and use, the better! Language games give them a meaningful opportunity to speak, listen and learn from others - expanding their vocabulary wile developing classroom community and working together.

Here is one that will require your students to think about objects/things. You could even link it in with a lesson on nouns or a theme you are working on by adjusting the word list.

The children will be thinking about

the features of the objects
how the objects/things are used
comparing and contrasting
selecting specific vocabulary for an object

Tell me the Difference Language Game

use a timer to set a limit - vary to reflect the age of your students
encourage students to think about how the things are similar and how they are different
tell your students a pair of words, provide some thinking time and choose a student to explain the difference
there is no winner, correct answer or too many rules - just lots of encouragement to develop language and specific vocabulary

Some word pairs could be:

turtle/crab
kite/parachute
beach/swimming pool
cup/glass
gate/fence
door/window
pencil/marker
paper/ribbon
apple/orange

Speaking of turtles and crabs - if you're looking for some fun activities for your little learners you may like these recent pages in our Pond Coloring Club!