10 Best Games for Kids to Learn English

Teaching the concept of any language can be a tedious task for parents, and kids may find it boring too. However, whenever learning is combined with fun, it becomes interesting for the kids. Therefore, if you are looking for some fun ways to help your kid learn English, then we have some ideas for you. In this article, we will be discussing some exciting and fun games that you can play with your kid to help him/her learn the language.

Fun and Exciting English Learning Games for Children

The present generation children may despise age-old methods of teaching, and therefore, we as parents may be required to incorporate new teaching methods on a regular basis. Here are some fun and exciting English learning games for your child that may help him in getting a better grasp of the language:

1. Fruit Naming Game

This is a great game for learning the names of the fruits and increasing your child’s fruit vocabulary. For kids who are a bit older, the game can be turned into a sentence-forming game, where the kids will be required to make a sentence using the name of a fruit.

What You Will Require

• A ball
• A group of children

How to Play

• Get the kids to sit in a circle.
• Give the ball to one of the kids and ask him/her to name a fruit in English and then pass on the ball to another kid.
• That kid then has to say the name of another fruit and pass the ball down.
• All the kids have to continue naming a fruit, without repeating it and keep passing the ball.
• If a child is not able to recollect a fruit or drops the ball, he/she is out of the game.

2. Guessing Game

This is one of the most interactive games for kids to learn English.

What You Will Require

• Random objects, which can be identified easily.
• A handkerchief for blindfolding.

How to Play

• Take random objects such as books, pencils, toys, flowers, etc., and place them on a tray.
• Blindfold your child and ask him/her to touch, feel and say out the name of the object loudly, but in English.
• Ask the kid to also spell out the name of the object.
• Every correct spelling will fetch one point and the one who gets maximum points, in the end, will be the winner.

3. Match the Cards

This is one of the most interesting activities for kids to learn English.

What You Will Require

• White chart paper
• Old children’s books.
• Scissors

How To Play

• Cut out squares from the chart paper make a few cards.
• Now cut pictures and paste them on the chart paper cards.
• Look for words that describe the pictures that you chose and paste them on the chart paper cards too.
• Shuffle the cards and ask your kid to place the word-card and the matching picture-card, opposite to each other.
• Let him/her finish placing all the pictures and words. In case the child falters, help him arrange the correct sequence.

4. Word Hunt

This game is one of the most exciting English learning games for kindergarten.

What You Will Require

• A large cardboard sheet.
• Old kid’s magazines.
• Scissors
• Marker
• Glue

How to Play

• Divide the cardboard into two parts.
• On the left side ask your child to write all the letters of the alphabet vertically.
• Now ask your child to look for words that start will letter ‘A’ from an old children’s magazine.
• Tell him to start cutting the words and pasting them corresponding to the letter ‘A’ (5-10 words).
• Keep doing this for all the letters.

5. The Word Fishing Game

This fishing game is a fun way of teaching synonyms, antonyms or meaning of the words.

What You Will Require

• Construction paper
• Yarn or thread
• A wooden spoon
• Colour Pens
• Scissors
• Pen
• Glue
• Magnet
• Paper clips
• A list of simple words along with their synonyms, antonyms and meanings

How to Play

• Cut out the small fish-shapes from the construction paper.
• Write one antonym on each fish cutout.
• Stick a paper clip on each fish.
• You may make it a little more interesting for the kids by asking them to colour the fishes.
• Spread the fishes on the floor in a way that your child can see the words.
• Now stick a magnet on a wooden spoon and tie a thread on the other end (a make-shift fishing rod).
• Then, read out the words in the list and ask your kid to fish out the antonyms.
• The kid has to use the magnet on the fishing rod to pull out the fish with the correct antonym.
• Do this till your child gets all the answers correctly.
• Repeat the game for synonyms and meanings.
• You can have a mix of antonyms, synonyms and meanings as well to make it a little more complex for your child.

6. Word Balloon Game

This is a good game to teach the concept of spellings to children.

What You Will Require

• Inflated balloons (10-15)
• Marker pen
• Some interesting words

How to Play

• Take a balloon and write one word on each balloon with a marker.
• Make the children sit in a circle.
• Start the game by giving a balloon to a child and asking him/her to spell the word out loud.
• Keep passing on the balloon, until every child has spelt the word out loud.
• Once everyone has got a chance, keep the balloon in the centre and repeat the same sequence with other balloons.

7. Make the Words

This game is a great way of teaching new words and spellings to children.

What You Will Require

• Small cardboard cutouts
• A marker pen.
• A group of children.

How to Play

• Take each cardboard cut out and write one letter of the alphabet on each one of them. You may have three to four sets of letter cutouts if more than 5 children are playing. Also, keep more vowel cutouts.
• Spread the letters on a table.
• Play this game turn wise. Ask every child to pick up three or more letters to make a word, as his turn comes.
• The child who is able to make maximum words will be the winner.

8. Dumb Charades With Words

This is a word guessing game using action; a twist to the usual charades game.

What You Will Require

• A group of children
• Some words that can be enacted

How to Play

• Divide the children into two groups.
• Every child is given a word and he/she has to communicate the word by enacting it.
• You may help the kids enact the words by explaining what they mean.
• To make it a little difficult, you may also ask the team what the word that they have just guessed means.
• The team that gets the maximum correct guesses will be the winner.

9. Word Marathon

This is a very interesting game for teaching vocabulary to your child.

What You Will Require

• Sheets of paper
• Pens or pencils
• Group of kids

How to Play

• Give a sheet of paper and a pencil for every child.
• Say a random letter and ask them to jot down words starting from that letter.
• The game can be made more interesting by keeping a time limit and asking the kids to write words with the same letter but in different categories, for example, name, place, animal and thing, with the same letter.
• The child who writes maximum correct words will be the winner.

10. Treasure Hunt

This is a great way of helping your kid understand and interpret the language. You may increase the difficulty level of the clues according to the age of the children playing the game. This is a great party game too.

What You Will Require

• Some goodies to hide as treasure
• Slips of paper with clues written on them

How to Play

• You can hide the goodies at various nooks and corners of the house.
• You can start by explaining the first hint to the kids.
• The children then have to guess the word from the second clue and follow the trail of hints to reach the treasure of goodies.

Things to Remember While Planning These Games for Kids

• Make the games age-appropriate. You may use the school syllabus to help your child improve his/her language.

• Try to participate in these games. It will help you ensure your child is learning while having fun, and you will also bond well.

• Have fun with the children but do not go over the top by cheating, shouting, or being mischievous.

• Be patient with the children. They might not get the game the first time you explain.

• Do not laugh, tease or ridicule the child if he/she does not pronounce a word correctly or gets the wrong meaning. Be encouraging and helpful even when the child errs. Ensure all the elders and the older siblings are cooperative too.

Here we have discussed some fun and exciting games to help your kids learn English. You are welcome to make any changes or amends as per the age of your child. There is no denying that children may find the usual methods of teaching a bit boring. However, if you teach anything in a fun and exciting way, it is accepted in a positive manner by kids.

So what can be better than learning through play? If you wish to teach English to your word smart-oriented kid, these games are a way to go. You can also work on his other ‘smarts’ with FirstCry Intellikit – a learning program based on the theory of multiple intelligence, you can assist in his overall development with a fun approach!