Send page to a Friend Games & Activities                                          New! Literacy Games and Activities   Need an innovative way to build your student’s vocabulary? How about a crossword puzzle? Think of the vocabulary words that your student is working on and use the definitions as clues! If you can’t make the puzzle yourself, go to a website that will create them for you. Remember, making games out of learning makes everything more fun! Verb Charades To Play: Ahead of time, write down a list of easy action verbs (run, jump, wave, kick…) on separate index cards. Remind your student what a verb is, then take turns choosing upside-down index cards from a pile. Act out your verb, while the other person guesses. Write your list of verbs after they are guessed correctly. Variations: For more advanced students, add a few nouns to the pile and see if they can spot the mistake! Syllable Mix Up What can you do with syllables besides clap them? Mix them up, of course! How to Play: Write the syllables of a three-syllable word on separate index cards, and present them to your student. Example: O DILE CROC    ING MAZ A Have your student read all the syllables separately, then try to put them together in the right order to make a word. It’s fun, challenging and often silly when the words sound funny all mixed up! Variations: For younger or struggling readers, make a list of possibilities, to help them narrow the likely words, or start with two-syllable words. “If I…” Story Starters Give your student some fun topics to write about by inspiring them with some interesting questions, like: "If I Were Invisible.", "If I Knew How to Fly.", "If I Were Teacher for a Day.", or "If I Played in the NBA.". It’s a fun way to get kids interested in writing, and you may even learn about your student in the process! Variations: For young students, have them dictate the story to you. For slightly more advanced writers, have them write just a few simple words when they come up in the story. For older, more advanced writers, let them write the entire story, just getting help with spelling. Silly Sentences with Alliteration Read some alliterative sentences or tongue twisters with your student. Ex: Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers. Ask him or her to listen carefully and find the sound that is the same. Together make up a book of your favorite silly sentences using sounds that are tricky for your student. Learning Contractions On index cards, write out some common contractions (I’m, Can’t. She’ll, etc…) and then on separate cards, write their match (I am, Can not, She will, etc…). Put the contractions in a lunch bag labeled “short cut words” and the full phrases in a bag labeled “two words”. Play a matching game by having your student reach into both bags and try to find the correct match. Variations: For younger or less skilled students, only have one set at time (He’ll, She’ll, I’ll, You’ll).