Word finding activities for adults

You found our list of the best word games for adults.

Word games are fun activities that test vocabulary, spelling, and language skills. Examples include Hangman, Skribbl, and Crosswords. These games aim to ensure that teammates have fun, interact and unwind while improving communication skills.

These challenges are similar to vocabulary games, letter games, interactive activities for students, and quick games for the office.

This list includes:

  • word games for groups
  • spelling word games for adults
  • simple word games
  • writing games for adults

Here we go!

List of fun word games for adults

From I Spy to Words Within a Word to Scattergories, here is our list of fun word games and activities.

1. Words Within a Word

Words Within a Word is one of the best word games for groups because it encourages teammates to brainstorm and share ideas.

To play:

  1. Share pieces of paper and pencils with teammates.
  2. The teammates will choose a host for the game.
  3. The host will select 15 to 20 long words.
  4. The host will share the words one at a time with the players.
  5. The players have 30 to 60 seconds to find as many words as possible within the given word and write them on paper. For example, the word “Explanation” has the words “Planet,” “plane,” “tin,” and “pin.”
  6. The player with the most words within the allocated time wins the round.
  7. The game will continue this way until the players have used up all the words.

This game is a fun way for teammates to test their language skills and develop their spelling skills. You can also organize this activity online by encouraging teammates to use the chat box. This activity can serve as an icebreaker activity for online meetings or a fun game during team get-togethers.

2. Sparkles

Sparkles is a fun word game that improves teammates’ spelling skills. In this activity, the players will sit in a circle. The first player will say a word out loud, then the second player will spell out the first letter of the word while the third player spells out the second letter. The game will continue until the last letter of the word is spelled out. The next player will yell “sparkles” and get out of the game.

The players will then begin spelling another word, and whosoever yells “sparkles” at the end of the word is out of the game. This game broadens teammates’ vocabulary and ensures that teammates collaborate. Whichever player also spells out the wrong letter is out of the game. To make this game as exciting as possible, challenge the players with difficult words that may be difficult to spell.

3. Common Quality

Common Quality is one of the best verbal games for teammates because it teaches players to connect specific descriptions to words. In this activity, the first player will say a word and a characteristic that the word has. For example, apples are green. The next player will then say a word with the same attribute or characteristic. For instance, vegetables are also green and healthy.

The next players will then use the next attribute to describe another word. The game will continue in this fashion until each player has several turns.

4. Hangman

Hangman is a fun and exciting game where teammates solve word puzzles to escape the hangman’s noose.

To play:

  1. Split the teammates into small groups of four to six.
  2. Choose a player to create words.
  3. The wordmaster writes down dashes on a board to represent each letter of a word.
  4. The teammates will need to guess the word by guessing the letters.
  5. The wordmaster will write each correct letter as it appears within the word.
  6. If a player guesses incorrectly, then the wordmaster draws a part of the hangman’s noose
  7. The game will continue in this fashion until players guess the word or the wordmaster completes the hangman.

This game is one of the best spelling word games for adults because it is easy to play and exciting. You can also play this game on any video conferencing platform using the whiteboard feature.

5. I Spy

I Spy is a classic word game that boosts teammates’ vocabulary and improves language. In this game, a player will identify an item and give hints for teammates to guess. For example, players will say, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with H.” Then, the teammates will take turns guessing the word.

Players have 60 seconds to get the answer right, or another player will take a turn. This activity is simple to organize, fun, and easy to play. You can also organize this activity via video call for teammates. I Spy counts as a word game because it encourages participants to associate descriptive words with nouns.

6. Scattergories

Scattergories is one of the most simple word games for adults. This game expands players’ vocabulary and is a fun way for teammates to engage and interact.

To play:

  1. Choose 12 categories. For example, fruits, names, and animals.
  2. The players will randomly choose a letter, and each teammate has 60 seconds to fill in words starting with the given letter in each category. For example, if the teammates choose the letter “S,” they may fill in the given categories with “Strawberries,” “Sonia’, and “Snake.”
  3. Each teammate who fills each category within the allocated time gets three points.
  4. Players do not get any points for an answer if another player also comes up with the same response.
  5. At the end of the game, the player with the highest point wins.
  6. Teammates can also play this game online on any video conferencing platform or applications like Slack or Discord.

Here is a collection of team building Scattergories lists.

7. Crosswords

Crosswords is a simple and entertaining game where teammates match letters in a grid to make words. Teammates can play this game individually or in teams for free online.

The teammates can set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes, and each team must find all the words in the grid within the allocated time. The first team to cross all the words wins the game. To play this activity online, you can use a fillable crossword website or share a puzzle onscreen during a conference call and turn on the annotation feature so that participants can fill in letters.

This game is an exciting way for teammates to unwind, get to know each other, and develop friendships.

Here is a free online crossword game.

8. My Story

My story is one of the most interactive games for adults. This game allows teammates to build stories or create novel ideas from scratch.

To play:

  1. Split the teammates into groups.
  2. Each group will get a set of words. For example, “Miami,” “wealth,” “sadness,” and “future.”
  3. Each team member must write a short two-sentence story with one of the words.
  4. The group members will then combine stories and ensure that it flows.
  5. The best story wins.

This game is an easy way for teammates to show their creativity, collaborate and share ideas. To make this game even more exciting, the teammates can make their stories as funny and outrageous as possible.

9. Random Word Game

Random Word Game is a fun and easy game that challenges teammates’ knowledge. In this game, players must come up with words starting with the last letter of a teammate’s word.

To play:

  1. The players will sit in a circle.
  2. The first player will choose any category. For example, fruits.
  3. The first player must name any word within the selected category. For example, “banana.”
  4. The next player must then call any other fruit beginning with the last word of the given word. For example, “apple.”
  5. The game will continue in this fashion until all the teammates get several turns.
  6. The teammates have only 30 seconds to come up with words.
  7. Any player who cannot come up with a word within the allocated time is out of the game.

This game teaches teammates to think and brainstorm under pressure and helps test teammates’ knowledge on a variety of topics and categories.

For inspiration, here is a random word generator.

10. Rhyming Word Game

Rhyming Word Game is a fun activity that promotes learning and encourages teammates to interact with each other. In this activity, the first player will say a word, and the other teammates will take turns saying words that rhyme.

If the teammates run out of rhymes, the next player will come up with a new word, and other players will find matching rhymes. The game will continue in this fashion for several rounds. This game is a fun way to test teammates’ knowledge and challenge players to learn new words.

Pro tip: To make the game extra funny and challenging, teammates might purposely use words that are difficult to rhyme.

11. The Alliteration Game

The Alliteration Game is a fun and engaging game that requires teammates to create complete sentences, all beginning with a chosen letter.

To play:

  1. The teammates will sit in a circle.
  2. The players will play in alphabetical order. For example, the first player will choose the letter “A,” the second player the letter “B,” and the third player the letter “C.”
  3. Each player will create a full sentence using alliterations with their given letter. For example, Allison Ate All the Angel’s Apples
  4. The game will continue in the fashion until each player has had a turn.
  5. The players must switch positions to play a new round.
  6. Players who can’t use their given letter can skip to the next one.
  7. Each player can only skip twice.

This game is a great way to spark conversations among teammates and encourage employees to interact with each other. This is one of the best activities for team building or an icebreaker activity for online meetings.

12. Scrabble

Scrabble is a classic word board game where teammates get words for creating new words. This activity is an easy way to encourage team building and foster team bonding.

To play:

  1. Get a Scrabble board with all of its components.
  2. Get a dictionary in case teammates need to confirm words.
  3. The players will choose an order in which to play.
  4. Shake the bag of letters to mix up the letters, then each player will pick a letter.
  5. The players will continue in this fashion until each player has drawn seven letters.
  6. Next, each player will arrange their letters on a letter.
  7. The first player will create a word on the board horizontally or vertically.
  8. Each letter has score points. The player will accumulate points for each complete word and note them down.
  9. Players will draw new tiles for each tile used up during a turn. For example, if a player uses up five tiles for a word, then can only draw five more tiles from the bag at the end of their turn.
  10. Players can create new words from other teammates’ words on the board.
  11. The game will continue in this fashion until the board is full.

The teammates can refer to the dictionary if they have any confusion about a teammate’s word. This activity is a fun way for teammates to develop their spelling skills and learn the meaning of words. In addition, since players must make words around the letters already on the board, this activity encourages employees to build upon teammates’ ideas instead of creating solo.

13. Four Pictures One Word

Four Pictures One Word is an exciting online game that challenges teammates to brainstorm and pay attention to detail. In this game, the players will get four pictures that can be described with one word. Then, the players must guess the word right within a given time.

Participants can play individually or in teams. Teammates have 30 to 60 seconds to guess the word before the game passes it on to the next player or team. This activity broadens teammates’ vocabulary and helps improve spelling skills.

Here is a free Four Pictures One Word website.

14. Skribbl

Skribbl is a fun game that encourages players to cooperate and work together to solve word puzzles.

To play:

  1. Access the Skribbl website.
  2. Choose between three given words to draw.
  3. Split the teammates into groups.
  4. Each group will choose a player to draw.
  5. The player will draw the given word using the tools available on the screen.
  6. The teammates must guess the word the player is drawing within 60 to 80 seconds.
  7. The game will continue in this manner until each group has had several turns.
  8. The group with the highest points wins the game.

This game teaches teammates to collaborate and follow instructions from colleagues or superiors. This activity is also the perfect opportunity for teammates to engage and get to know each other.

Here is the Skribbl website.

15. The Word Spell

The Word Spell is a fun activity that teammates can use to develop their spelling skills. For this game, teammates will need a dictionary, a sheet of paper, and a pencil or pen.

To play:

  1. The teammates will choose a host to oversee the game.
  2. The teammates will choose an order in which to play.
  3. The host will randomly select a word in the dictionary and read out its definition without saying what the word is.
  4. The first player will guess the word and spell it.
  5. The host may offer clues through synonyms or by telling the player how many letters the word has.
  6. The game will continue in this fashion until each player has had several turns.

This activity challenges teammates to learn and helps broaden their vocabulary. This activity is a fun icebreaker for work and is a great way to ensure team bonding and interaction. You can also play this game online by typing the word’s definition and sharing it with attendees, and players must guess and send the word via the comment box. The first player to get the answer right wins the round.

16. Comic Story Telling

Comic Story Telling is one of the best writing games for adults because it allows folks to show off their storytelling skills and have fun. In this activity, teammates will need a notepad and pens.

To play:

  1. Sit in a circle.
  2. The first player will write a line of a funny story and pass the notepad to the next player.
  3. The next player will continue the story with another funny line.
  4. The game will continue in this fashion until the players find a satisfying and funny end to the story.

This activity will cause loud bouts of laughter, which will help teammates unwind, interact and bond with each other. This activity is also an excellent opportunity for teammates to share fun ideas and work together.

Conclusion

Word games help test teammates’ verbal, language, and spelling skills which may be necessary at work. These games also allow teammates to discuss, interact and get to know each other. Most of these activities are very easy and require little to no guidance.

For more resources, check out communication games, guessing games, and question games.

FAQ: Word games

Here are some frequently asked questions about fun word games.

What are some fun word games for adults in English?

Some fun word games for adults in English include The Alliteration Game, Random Word Game, and The Word Spell.

How do you play word games as an adult?

To play word games as an adult, choose fun verbal games that test and challenge your spelling, vocabulary, and language skills. Choose a group of friends or teammates to play with and ensure that you have a fair point system to select winners easily. It is also essential to have plenty of paper and pens handy to play these games. You can play these games in person or online using the screen sharing feature, whiteboard feature or have responses sent via the chat box on your video conferencing software.

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  • Words Within a Word. Words Within a Word is one of the best word games for groups because it encourages teammates to brainstorm and share ideas. To play
  • Sparkles. Sparkles is a fun word game that improves teammates’ spelling skills. In this activity, the players will sit in a circle. The first player will say a word out loud, then the second player will spell out the first letter of the word while the third player spells out the second letter.
  • Common Quality. Common Quality is one of the best verbal games for teammates because it teaches players to connect specific descriptions to words. In this activity, the first player will say a word and a characteristic that the word has.
  • Hangman. Hangman is a fun and exciting game where teammates solve word puzzles to escape the hangman’s noose. To play: Split the teammates into small groups of four to six.
  • I Spy. I Spy is a classic word game that boosts teammates’ vocabulary and improves language. In this game, a player will identify an item and give hints for teammates to guess.
  • Scattergories. Scattergories is one of the most simple word games for adults. This game expands players’ vocabulary and is a fun way for teammates to engage and interact.
  • Crosswords. Crosswords is a simple and entertaining game where teammates match letters in a grid to make words. Teammates can play this game individually or in teams for free online.
  • My Story. My story is one of the most interactive games for adults. This game allows teammates to build stories or create novel ideas from scratch. To play
  • Random Word Game. Random Word Game is a fun and easy game that challenges teammates’ knowledge. In this game, players must come up with words starting with the last letter of a teammate’s word.
  • Rhyming Word Game. Rhyming Word Game is a fun activity that promotes learning and encourages teammates to interact with each other. In this activity, the first player will say a word, and the other teammates will take turns saying words that rhyme.

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Related Search


The acquisition of new vocabulary is essential in terms of overall language advancement. However, there is always a need to review active words from time to time in order to use them fluently in speech. Here, we will present a couple of great vocabulary revision games which will perk up every classroom. Through these games the learners will feel how fun, entertaining and effective the learning process can be.

1. Charades

Charades is a fun and cool revision game. Students need to practice their acting skills to explain the words. This game is extremely easy to organize with minimal advance preparation. The only thing to be ready for is to keep a collection of vocabulary cards for the words you have studied.

The class is divided into two teams. Each team member takes turns acting out one of the words from the vocabulary set and explains it by acting out the word. If his or her own team can’t guess the word, the opposite team gets the chance to guess it. Each right answer equals one point.

Skyeng ищет преподавателей английского. Подробности по ссылке: Skyeng

2. Pictionary

Pictionary is also an  entertaining game to play for vocabulary review. The rules are similar to those of charades except that instead of acting out the word, it is drawn on the board.

3. Bingo

Bingo can serve as a good revision game. From my experience, most of the groups/students like playing bingo because it gives them the chance to  reflect on the words they have digested.

Students are given a blank bingo board and are asked to put the review words into the squares randomly. The teacher puts the active words in a hat or a box, takes them out one by one and defines them. If the student has a word corresponding to the definition, he crosses it out on his bingo board. When someone gets five squares in a row, they should shout, “Bingo!”

Check these articles out as well:

4. A memory style

A memory style card game can be another effective way for reviewing vocabulary. It requires some preparation before the game starts. For each word to be reviewed, one card should have the target vocabulary word and another card should have the definition of the word. You also need to have a big playing grid where you put the words and their definitions face down.

Each person turns over two cards each turn trying to find a match. If the cards do not match, he turns them over again and the next person tries to find a match. If he succeeds, he keeps the cards and gets an additional turn. The player with the highest number of cards at the end of the game wins.

The game can be modified even further. If you have accumulated enough synonyms or antonyms to the target vocabulary, you can practice matching target words to their antonyms or synonyms.

5. Categories

Categories is another awesome revision game which will make students energized and empowered. What they need for the game is to draw 4-6 columns on their paper and write a category at the top of each column. Categories fit the topics covered during the course. For example, if you have covered the business topics of Marketing, Work and Leisure, Ethics, Human Resources, Travel, you write these topics as categories.

You time the students and ask them to write as many words as possible under each category. As a further modification, choose a random letter and write it on the board. Give students enough time to write down a word for each category that starts with that letter.

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6. Letter scramble

Letter scramble will make students really competitive and super fast. What you need is to take a list of words that your students have recently learned and write a scrambled version of each on the board. Students need to unscramble the words on their paper. The first one to finish deciphering all the words wins.

7. Stop the bus

Stop the bus is a cool game my students adore.  I usually divide the class into 2-3 teams. One student from each team. This student sits on a chair facing his peers. Then from behind the student in the hot seat, show the other students a word from the lesson. The other students must try to describe what the word is without saying the actual word. And the student in the hot seat must guess.

The student who guesses the word shouts out “stop the bus” and checks the word with the teacher. If correct, the team gets a point. If wrong, other teams have the chance to guess the word by writing their versions on a piece of paper and passing the papers to the teacher.

8. Puzzles

Puzzles  is another cool and easy tool to review the material in an effective way. What I like about this way of vocabulary revision is that students can work in pairs or groups while trying to find words matching the definition in the crosswords. They learn by listening to each other, cooperating to find the right answer. In this way, they both review the material and improve their teamwork skills.

Follow this link to get templates of different types of puzzles.

We also recommend watching a video with Alexei Konobeev. The speaker shared games to help your students remember new vocabulary. These games do not require special training and you can adapt them to any age and level.

We hope that all these games would serve their best to liven your vocabulary revision sessions and make them more meaningful and effective.

Which of these games have you tried? Which ones have you picked up for your next revision slot?

If you’re looking for some of the best ESL vocabulary activities or TEFL vocabulary games for kids as well as adults, then you’re in the right place. Keep on reading for our top picks for activities and games to help English learners with new vocab.

esl-vocabulary-activities

ESL vocabulary games and activities

One year when I was teaching university students in South Korea, I had to teach a “vocabulary” class at a camp. I never taught vocabulary before, so it was a bit challenging to say the least! However, I used a variety of vocabulary activities for ESL students and had some great results!

I knew that it had the potential to be a very boring class. Or, it could be quite decent! I wanted to make it painless for my students, so I spent lots of time finding fun, interesting ESL vocabulary activities. Here are a few of my favourites.

I hope you enjoy them and also find them useful. Remember that the key to an excellent English class is to mix things up a bit and keep it fun for the students you’re teaching.

If you want to make vocabulary memorable and fun for your students, be sure to try out these ESL vocabulary activities for adults. They’re guaranteed to take teaching vocabulary from the normally tedious to fun, engaging, and awesome.

#1: Concentration Memory Game

This is a classic ESL vocabulary activity that works well if you want your students to focus solely on words and definitions. This is the first step before you get into activities that focus more on using the words in a real-life conversation or in writing of some kind.

Learn more here: Concentration Memory Game for ESL Students.

#2: Apples to Apples ESL Vocabulary Game

This is one of the best games for having some fun with vocabulary. You can make your own set of cards focusing on whatever you’re teaching that week, or you can buy the ready-made game from Amazon. Perfect for busy teachers! It really does make an excellent activity for a game-day in your ESL classes.

Check it out here: Apples to Apples for English Learners.

#3: Typhoon

A nice way to review about kind of English vocabulary is with the typhoon game. It’s a fun game for all ages!

#4: Word Association

One of my favorite ways to introduce a new unit in the textbook is to use this word association activity. It makes a great warm-up because it’s an excellent way to activate the student’s prior knowledge. Setting the context is key to having a successful lesson and using this activity is one great way to do just that.

Find out how to do it here: Word Association Vocabulary Activity.

#5: Dictogloss

In terms of ESL vocabulary activities for adults, you’re not going to get better than dictogloss. It has an element of cooperation, an element of competition, and provides a serious challenge for your students.

It’s so great because it encourages students to use alternative words if the one that you said isn’t accessible to them for some reason. This is what students need to do in real life so give them some practice doing it in class.

Find out more about this classic, 4-skills ESL game here: Dictogloss.

#6: Flip-Chart Vocabulary Review Game

If you want to have a bit of fun while reviewing some new vocabulary words, look no further than this flip-chart game. It works well for any age group or level so try it out in your class today and make learning English vocabulary awesome!

Interested in using it in your TEFL classes? Learn more about it here: Vocabulary Review Game.

#7: The A to Z Vocab Game

If you’re looking for a quick, simple warmer that requires nothing in the way of materials or preparation, then you’ll definitely want to consider the AtoZ game. It’s an ideal way to help students activate their prior knowledge about a certain topic.

For example, if you’re teaching a unit about jobs, weather, or animals, chances are that your students have already studied this multiple times in the past. The way it works is that students need to think of a word related to the topic that begins with each of these letters in a certain amount of time.

More details here: The A to Z ESL Game.

vocabulary-activities-esl

Vocabulary activities for ESL students

#8: Word Challenge ESL Vocabulary Activity

If you want to review key vocabulary words, then you’ll want to consider this ESL spelling activity. The way it works is that students race to write words on the whiteboard with the correct spelling. Want to give it a try in your classes? You can find out all the details here:

ESL Word Challenge Spelling Game.

#9: Fly Swatter Game

If you want to create some fun and excitement in your classes during an ESL vocabulary lesson, then consider trying out the fly swatter game. The way it works is that you write a bunch of new words on the board and then give hints. The first person to slap the correct word gets a point for their team.

There are lots of different variations of this fly swat game beyond this very basic version. Learn more about it here:

Fly Swat Game.

#10: TEFL Vocabulary Games

#11: Odd One Out Vocab Game ESL

If you’re looking for a fun, quick way to review English vocabulary, then you’ll want to consider Odd One Out. The way it works is that you write groups of 4 words on the board and one of them is the odd one out. For example:

  • Banana, carrot, orange, grapes

Students have to choose which one doesn’t belong and say why. There are many possible answers but the obvious one is carrot because it’s a vegetable and not a fruit. Want to know more? Check out all the details here:

Odd One Out Game.

#12: Dictation Practice

Another great to review new vocabulary words for English learners is to do some dictation. Besides vocabulary, this activity is heavy on the listening and writing skills, as well as punctuation, syntax and spelling. Want to give it a try with your students? Here are the tips you need for getting started:

ESL Dictation Activity.

esl-vocabulary-activity

Vocabulary activities and games for ESL

#13: Journaling for ESL

A nice way to have students keep new vocabulary words fresh is to have them keep a journal. It’s possible to assign this as a homework assignment or take a few minutes at the beginning or end of class for it. If you want students to focus on certain new words, assign topics well and it’ll likely happen naturally. Learn more about this ESL writing activity here:

Journaling for ESL Learners.

#14: Speaking Fluency Activity

#15: Listening for One Specific Thing

A nice way to review some key vocabulary words is to find a listening passage that contains them in it. Then, have students listen for these key words. Want to know more about how to do this with your students? Get all the details here:

ESL Listening—1 Specific Thing.

#16: ESL Surveys

If you ask my students, they’ll tell you how much I love surveys. Not only are they an excellent vocabulary activity for ESL but they also cover a range of other skills. Plus, they get students up and out of their seats, moving around the classroom.

The best part is that they can be used for basically any grammar point or topic. Check them out here:

ESL Surveys.

#17: Use an ESL Warmer

#18: Eliciting in an ESL Vocab Lesson

Unless your students are absolute beginners, they likely already know a number of vocabulary words related to whatever the topic of the day is. In this case, consider eliciting some of them from the students! There are two main reasons to do this.

The first reason is that it’s easier to tailor the rest of the lesson to words that students don’t know, instead of ones that they do. Secondly, activating prior knowledge that students may have about a topic makes it easier for them to learn new words. Find out more details about how to do it:

ESL Eliciting Tips.

#19: TEFL Board Games

#20: TV ESL Lesson Plan

It’s best to teach new vocabulary that is related to each other. This makes them far more memorable than it is to just teach random words. One of the best ways to do this is to use a topical lesson plan.

Here’s my favourite style of a lesson, complete with warmer questions, vocabulary challenge, idioms and phrases, conversation questions and some writing prompts:

ESL TV Conversation Lesson Plan.

Like this lesson plan? It’s from this book:

#21: Mystery Box 

This ESL vocabulary game for kids is a great way to add a bit of excitement and fun into your classes! Put in some common objects that students know the words for. Then, they have to answer some questions and make some guesses about what’s in there.

Find out all the details about it:

ESL Mystery Box Activity.

#22: 20 Questions 

#23: Idiom Vocabulary Activity for ESL

Idioms are a special kind of vocabulary and are very common in the English language. However, they can sometimes be a bit difficult for our students to remember and then use them correctly. This activity changes that! It’s fun, entertaining and also makes idioms very memorable so that students will never forget them. Find out all the information about how to do it:

ESL Idiom Activity.

Also check out: Top 10 Idioms in the USA.

#24: Brainstorming Games

It’s often the case that unless students are total beginners, they’re studied many of the same topics previously. In this case, consider using a brainstorming activity that will help students activate their prior knowledge. This will help new things to stick better. Another situation in which to use them is for a review activity at the end of class to reinforce knowledge learned. All the details are here:

Brainstorming Activities for Students.

#25: Current Events Conversation Lesson

If you want to help students with their vocabulary in a big way, why not talk about some current events? Changes are, there are a whole bunch of words that they don’t know. However, being able to converse freely about what’s in the news lately can be really helpful for our students in a variety of situations.

Have a look here at this lesson plant that I put together for this:

ESL Current Events Lesson.

#26: Business English Vocabulary

If you teach business people, then consider helping them with business English expressions, idioms and phrases. Check out this book for some American English dialogues for a variety of business situations and scenarios.

#27: ESL Directions Games and Activities

A key vocabulary set for beginners to learn is related to giving and getting directions. If students are going to travel outside of their home country, it’s certainly a valuable thing for them to know! Here are some of the top picks:

ESL Directions.

#28: Name 5 Things Vocabulary Quiz

#29: Word Category Games

When teaching vocabulary, I like to focus on categories of words like jobs, animals, food, etc. This makes new words far more memorable than just random words that aren’t connected in any way. For some of the best ideas for this type of lesson, have a look here:

Word Category Games.

#30: Closest in Meaning

If you want to review some English vocab, consider trying out this simple reading activity. Students have to read the original sentence and then choose another sentence that most closely matches that one. It’s a nice warmer activity to review new words from previous classes. Check it out:

Closest in Meaning Reading Activity.

#31: Advanced English Conversation Dialogues

One of the best ways to help students learn more phrases and idioms in American English is to pick up this book. It has hundreds of them, taught through dialogues and then a practice exercise. Help your students speak more fluently!

#32: TEFL Clothes Quiz

#33: Once in a Blue Moon Lesson Plan

A nice way to teach English phrases and expressions is through a lesson plan like this one. It’s for higher-level students and can be done in class, or as a self-study assignment. Check it out here:

Once in a Blue Lesson ESL Lesson Plan.

#34: Offering Help English Phrases and Dialogues

Of course, ESL vocabulary is far more than just single words, out of context. Much of English can be found in phrases, expressions, idioms, phrasal verbs, collocations, etc. That’s why it’s useful to teach our students these things too!

Here’s one example of a small lesson for teaching about offering help:

Common English Phrases for Offering Help.

#35: Chain Spelling 

A nice vocabulary activity ESL is this chain spelling game. It’s simple, requires nothing in the way of preparation or materials, and is a perfect way to review spelling.

The way it works is that everyone stands up and then you say a target vocabulary word. The students take turns spelling it, letter by letter and if someone misses, they are out and have to sit down. Continue playing until only 1-2 people are left standing.

#36: Hot Potato

#37: Scatter Sheets for Beginner to Intermediate English Learners

A nice way for students to learn more vocab is to use these scatter sheets. They’re a no-prep solution that you can just print off and take to class. Want to find out more? Have a look right here:

ESL Scatter Sheets.

#38: ESL Emotion Activities

I love to teach students how to express their feelings and emotions in English. Have a look here at some of the best ways to do that:

ESL Emotion Activities.

#39: I’m an Alien

Try out this fun way to elicit words from students that they may already know.

#40: Round Robin Story

Making a story is a really nice way to use a bunch of new vocabulary! Have a look here for all the details you need to know:

ESL Round Robin Story Activity.

#41: Have a Debate

A nice way for students to learn a bunch of new vocab about a topic is to do a debate in class. There are lots of fun ideas for a variety of ages and levels. Have a look right here:

Easy Topics to Debate.

Funny Controversial Topics.

#42: Jigsaw (Information Gap) Activities

#43: Vocabulary Poster

Generate a list of vocabulary you want your students to remember no matter what. Assign one word per student. Each student has to be the master of the assigned word and must create a vocabulary poster consisting of a drawing and a sentence using the word. These posters can be used to decorate the classroom wall.

Teaching English Vocabulary FAQs

There are a number of common questions that people have about teaching English vocabulary. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

How do ESL Students Practice Vocabulary?

There are a number of ways for ESL students to practice vocabulary, including the following:

  • keeping context in mind
  • repetition
  • teaching-related vocabulary
  • tests
  • conversation
  • practicing online
  • etc.

What are some Fun Ways to Teach Vocabulary?

There are a number of fun ways to teach vocabulary, including games and activities like Mad Lib, Running Dictation, Spelling Race, Apples to Apples and Dictogloss.

What is a Vocabulary Activity?

A vocabulary activity is something that helps students learn new terms and words in context. The best ones allow for the repetition of these new words in order to make them more memorable.

What is the Best Way to Test Vocabulary for ESL?

There are a number of ways to test vocabulary for ESL including simple translations into the first language or matching the word with a definition. However, the best way to test vocab is within a context, either placing the word in a sentence or having students write their own sentences.

Why do we Teach Vocabulary?

Without a basic working vocabulary, it’s impossible to understand anything you’re hearing or reading. That’s why it’s vital to teach vocabulary to language learners.

How can I Teach New Words to Children?

Have your Say about ESL Vocabulary Exercises and Games

What are some of your favourite activities or games to help your students remember English vocabulary more easily? Leave a comment below and share your top tips with us. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. It’ll help other busy teachers, like yourself, find this useful teaching resource.

Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

  • English ESL Worksheets
  • Vocabulary Practice
  • Word search
  • Free time, leisure activities

Worksheet details

worksheet summary

Now last for today , a small wordsearch grid in which students have to find words related to sports or free time activities , they write them , translate them in their own languageand label the pictures . Key on the second page

Language goals

vocabulary

Vocabulary practice

General topic

Other pedagogical goals

Level

The above lesson is a great teaching resource for:Beginner (pre-A1), Elementary (A1), Pre-intermediate (A2)

Student type

adults

Adults

special-needs

Special needs students

elementary-school

Elementary schoolers

high-school

High schoolers

Solutions

Solutions included

Quality check

Quality not yet verified by the community.

Sensitivity

This resource does not contain any images, words or ideas that would upset a reasonable person in any culture.

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Published 01/04/2015

Sylviepieddaignel is from/lives in France and has been a member of iSLCollective since 2014-11-09. Sylviepieddaignel last logged in on 2023-04-14, and has shared 1089 resources on iSLCollective so far.

  1. Video
  2. Vocabulary review games for adult ESL students
    1. Alias
    2. Charades
    3. Taboo
    4. Password
    5. Scattergories
  3. Grammar oriented ESL activities for adults
    1. Alibi
    2. Never Have I ever
    3. Interview Pop
    4. Jeopardy
    5. Guess who or what I am
    6. Would you rather…
  4. Conversation games for adult ESL learners
    1. Box of lies
    2. Just a minute
    3. Video Talk
    4. Debating club
    5. Dictation
  5. Conclusion

Whether you teach English people in a classroom or on Zoom, you should have some engaging and entertaining exercises up your sleeve. Playing games is a necessary part of language lessons to connect previous and current topics, and make the learning process smoother. Language acquisition takes concentration, which might stress some people. We need something to encourage them to use English provoking particular knowledge at the same time.

It isn’t so easy to choose appropriate activities for teenagers or adult learners. There are fat chances that they will willingly start singing or playing «Crocodile» as children. Use fillers between important exercises and help to relax for a short time. Firstly, understand the reason of a speaking activity, what skill is supposed to be trained. Even speaking activities may base on certain directions such as reading, listening, vocabulary, and grammar. We prepared some light-hearted ideas, which are sorted in terms of training skills. You may use them teaching online and personally.

Video

Vocabulary review games for adult ESL students

One of the most difficult problems that English learners face is memorizing vocabulary. Not only is it hard to remember new collocations but also to use them freely in speaking. It takes at least 15 times to come across a new word in order to remember it. That is why ESL tutors come up with different situations, which provoke particular vocabulary. The more ways we suggest using learned words, the sooner students start producing them independently.

Most games don’t require long preparation, so you can use them at any time. Moreover, all of them are flexible, just adapt rules depending on a level and a topic. Such activities are funny enough to make students laugh and compete. They are quite popular, so it is likely that learners have already played something like that in their mother tongue.

Course for English teachers

Alias

There is a quite popular board game among teenagers and adults. You can either buy cards or find an online version. The second option is flexible because if you have an online classroom, you can do such cards on your own. For example, if you have already taught food or colors, you should make such cards with appropriate words from the previous topic.

The rules are pretty simple and fit even beginners to review new words from the last session. A student takes a card and explains the word or phrase, that he sees on it. The thing is to explain words on cards with synonyms or antonyms. Pre-Intermediate students can even describe situations, which relate to phrases. That student, who guessed the word is the next speaker.

Charades

This vocabulary game works in a different way in comparison with Alias. Give a card with a word to a student. While he is showing the word from the card, his classmates are trying to guess what he is displaying. They should pronounce all options that relate to the topic. The point is learners have to remember all words from the last lesson. In this case, they don’t need to look for synonyms or antonyms to explain the word, they have to find certain. It fits lower-level students to have fun and recall such vocabulary as animals, jobs, routine, and hobbies.

Taboo

There is a fun ESL practice, which helps to master paraphrasing. You can choose a topic such as relationship. Students take turns one by one, having cards with a word they need to explain and a taboo word, which they mustn’t pronounce during their explanation. For example, the word is «love» but you can not say «people, person» because they are taboo. It might seem difficult at the first sight, but everyone will love it. Such an exercise provokes using collocations, phrasal verbs, and even idioms. It fits perfectly everyone from Intermediate to Advanced.

Password

There is a fun activity for beginners. It reminds another game, which is called Association. Pair your students up or divide them into small groups. One representative from each team thinks of a password for his secret file and gives others a hint to guess what it is. The mission of others is to name all words, which pop in their minds in order to win. The team, which guessed most of words, is the winner. The amount of words depends on how much time you set to play.

Scattergories

It seems to look like a vocabulary mind-map. Depending on the topic that students have learned recently, you determine how many categories will be. For instance, the last lesson was devoted to animals, there are two branches of it, wild and farm animals. Divide people into two teams and assign them to write down as many words as they can to fill in each category. The rule is to play against the clock. Despite players are adults, they will have fun.

Grammar oriented ESL activities for adults

Grammar oriented ESL activities for adults

Drilling exercises are important in order to excel. However, it may lead to a problem of using it appropriately in a speech. That is why a lot of Intermediate learners get stuck. They know conditionals and even Past Perfect, but when it comes to speaking, they do everything in order to avoid these tenses. Teachers’ mission, in this case, is to show how many situations require using such grammar and help to use it changing the context. And a game helps to spark a feeling of competition. It works well, especially in groups, when people are in the process of gaining points. But if you teach individually, it looks good as well, because students have a chance to share some fun facts about their life and use their imagination.

Usually, such activities don’t imply the teacher’s comments and corrections. Just observe and take some notes, what was the most difficult in a task. After it, you may draw students’ attention to their mistakes. But don’t say names of people, who made them. When it comes to making mistakes and getting feedback, people tend to take advice to heart. We don’t want to upset them. Just highlight common mistakes and ask to explain them to each other.

Alibi

This activity fits perfectly a lot of topics such as crimes, Past Simple, and Past Continuous. You need to prepare a situation to describe what happened. There is a role-play where some students are police while others are suspects. That is a good way to train coherence and understanding. One group should brainstorm to come up with appropriate and grammatically right questions, which another group will answer. If you have no time to prepare, there are a lot of templates of this game on the Internet. It suits all levels.

Never Have I ever

There is no way you haven’t watched The Ellen show. However, we should change rules to train grammar point. Instead of providing an example of a life situation, you should assign your students to do that using Present Perfect tense. Each student has 3 attempts to keep playing. For example, the first student says what he has never done, and those people, who have done it, lose one attempt. People get out of the game when they have no attempts. Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate learners will love it. It is a kind of ice-breaker, which helps to get to know each other.

Interview Pop

Another way to check knowledge is having an interview. Ask adults to choose a person they admire. They should write down ten questions about what they would like to know about him. The advantage of this activity is flexibility. You can simplify it for Elementary students, giving hints to use question words such as what, where, why, when. Write down 3 or 4 recent grammar rules, which they learned. It means, they must use those structures to make questions. Then pair students up, and each student answers the questions he wrote, assuming the person, he was planning to interview.

Jeopardy

That is free practice, where a teacher sets the rules. You can choose 3-5 topics or tenses, which you’ve recently taught. Here you let participants choose any topic to start with. Each question or task that relates to the covered topic is worth some points. And a player answers right to get them. A person with the most amount of points will win. The more difficult question is, the more points a participant gets.

Guess who or what I am

Players should choose a favorite actor, singer, or movie character, which all classmates are likely to know. They have to question each other, one by one, in order to guess who or what the person is. They ask different yes or no questions, depending on how many grammar structures they know. The winner is the learner, who understood an imaginative personality for the least amount of questions.

Would you rather…

That is a brilliant idea on how to practice the second conditional. Provide some situations and options like, «Would you rather be a happy homeless or a miserable millionaire», or «Would you rather have a cat or a dog?» Make up any examples, depending on vocabulary knowledge of your class. They paraphrase examples using the second conditional explaining their choice. For instance, «If I were a wealthy person, I wouldn’t be miserable». Let adults speak up helping them if they need.

Conversation games for adult ESL learners

Conversation games for adult ESL learners

These activities are supposed to encourage students to speak paying attention to fluency rather than grammar. We know how learning rules may become boring. It takes time and effort to use tenses right in speaking. Such speech is prepared. That is why we need to provide some typical life situations, where people can demonstrate their ability to talk spontaneously and be proud of themselves. It must relate to their interests and language goals. For example, an activity to solve a conflict situation with a client fits Business English students rather than General ones.

There are different ways, where you can get relevant ideas for materials. Use social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Also, YouTube is a wonderful tool to find original TV or game shows. When it comes to responsibilities, teachers shouldn’t interrupt a speaker in order to correct or paraphrase. The significant thing here is fluency, so, listen to a speech and take some notes, where they stumble over. Usually, it works with higher-level students, because they have enough knowledge to keep the speech going. However, it isn’t outlawed to try to conduct such things with even Elementary. It may help them to see the real meaning of the language in life.

Box of lies

That is a decent way to check whether a class speaks English without preparation. A class has a minute to describe a picture, which you prepared beforehand. However, they have an option, they can either depict an illustration precisely or lie and tell about everything they want. Whatever a player has chosen, other participants listen to him for one minute and then decide, whether he told the truth or lied. The more imaginary pictures are, the funnier the game is.

Just a minute

It is similar to the previous activity and quite popular for exam preparation courses. Teachers often use it with Advanced learners to quickly review and check two things, language fluency, and vocabulary knowledge. Imagine, you have taught health and medicine last week. Prepare some questions to check how many words a person remembers and how quickly he answers. While a student is talking for a minute, the teacher and classmates mustn’t interrupt him. You can listen to all participants, and provide feedback at the end of the activity to mention common mistakes.

Video Talk

That is a way how you can combine listening and speaking practice. Choose a relevant video on YouTube and prepare preview and discussion questions, which will make a class think of something and skip to content. Then talk about the topic using post-watching questions to check listening comprehension. Highlight keywords to help learners to come up with answers. Usually, it works with higher-level students to expand vocabulary.

Debating club

When you teach linking words, you can show your learners how it works in practice. Choose some controversial topics about money, health, environment, or love, and prepare some opposite statements for each category. For example, «money makes people happy» or «zoos should be banned». Then pair participants up and give your students cards with the assignment. One player agrees with the statement, another disagrees. Both should provide examples and explain their opinion using linking words to sound polite.

Dictation

A good way to combine many skills at once, listening, reading, and writing. Adapt it depending on the level. Choose an appropriate text and pair students up. Assign one team member to read and memorize the text to retell it to his partner. The partner is supposed to write down what he has heard. This is a kind of pronunciation game. The pair, which restore the story precisely is the winner.

Conclusion

There are great ESL ways of teaching. That is important to understand that even older students don’t mind letting their hair down. Teaching requires not only professional knowledge about grammar, reading, and writing. It implies understanding of learners’ feelings and possible mistakes. A knack for languages is a daunting and energy-consuming thing. That is our duty to make it as enjoyable as possible. Find spark and motivation in learners’ eyes to take into account and use as a game. Let your young adults show their speaking skills in a spontaneous way. While they are thinking that it is just a way to have fun, you have a chance to observe and take notes regarding their struggle and mistakes.

If you don’t feel confident to adapt a course program or conduct appropriate things when it is necessary, you should improve your teaching skills. Thanks to an online TEFL/TESOL course you have an opportunity to know how to make lesson plans easily and adapt them depending on your class. Also, you’ll get feedback about your lessons from a native speaker trainer. Go to our homepage to purchase the course at a 50% discount.

We hope you found this article useful and valuable. Remember, practice makes perfect. Use these games in your lessons as soon as possible to check students’ positive reactions. Feel free to leave comments below if you have some questions about teaching.

feature-learn-scrabble-tiles

Anyone (of any age!) who’s interested in increasing their English vocabulary or literacy skills needs to be familiar with sight words—what they are, how they work in the English language, and which words are considered sight words!

One effective way to master sight words is by playing games. Science shows that high-quality educational games can be effective tools to help you learn new concepts and skills. And hey—who doesn’t want to have fun while learning? 

To help you choose sight word games that are proven to be effective at increasing vocabulary and enhancing literacy skills, we’ve compiled a full guide to sight word games and activities for you. Included in this article are: 

  • A definition of what sight words are and why they’re important
  • Three do-it-yourself sight word games
  • Three physical sight word games
  • Three digital sight word games and sight word apps

So by the end of this post, you’ll have nine sight word games and activities that can help you improve both your vocabulary and reading skills! 

body-children-studying-writing

What Sight Words Are (and Why They’re Important)

Here’s one way to define “sight words”: sight words are words in the English language that you need to be able to recognize the meaning of right when you see them. That’s why they’re called sight words: you need to be able to recognize them and know what they mean on sight. 

But how is this type of word different from other words that you read? Don’t we recognize the meaning of all words when we look at them? Well, not exactly. We recognize the meaning of most words in the English language through a process called decoding. As we learn to read, we get the hang of letter-sound relationships and letter patterns, which allows us to pronounce words correctly and begin recognizing words we haven’t seen before. 

Kinda cool, right? 

Most people learn how to decode words through phonics instruction in school. But, here’s how sight words are different from all those other words that we learn to decode through phonics: sight words defy standard phonetic patterns and must be memorized. Memorizing sight words is important because sight words account for around 75% of beginning reading material. For children and adults who struggle to recognize sight words, learning to read is going to be a challenging process. 

When we’re able to recognize sight words, we can focus instead on meaning and comprehension while reading, instead of having to decode every single word. You can actually find several lists of common sight words online, but it’s important to know that U.S. schools usually use the Dolch or Fry Sight Word lists. Most often, children begin learning sight words in kindergarten in the United States, but many, many people learn English or acquire full, functional literacy at a much later age in the U.S. as well. 

But what do games and sight word activities have to do with memorizing all of these words? A lot, actually. Literacy learners of all ages are able to memorize sight words more quickly through repeated practice, but reviewing the same material over and over can become tedious or stressful for language learners. Gamifying literacy learning can help learners who struggle with memorization learn more quickly, be more attentive while they practice, and increase their confidence in their ability to learn to read. 

Now that you know what sight words are and why they’re so important to literacy learning, let’s look at nine different sight word games that you can play to increase your knowledge of sight words!

body-DIY-sign

Do-It-Yourself Sight Word Games

If you’re looking for an affordable way to help someone memorize sight words, there are plenty of inexpensive sight word activities that you can put together on your own! Here are three tried and true, do-it-yourself sight word activities for people of all ages. 

DIY Flash Cards

  • Cost: Free if you’re already stocked up on blank paper and a marker!
  • Best For: All ages 

While there are definitely sight word flash cards that you could buy pre-made online, you can also make flash cards using your own materials at home. To create your own sight word flash cards, all you’ll need is a pen or marker and blank notecards! 

Sight word flash cards are good for children and adults working on their English literacy and vocabulary. Working through flash cards can help you recognize sight words more quickly and memorize them. You can also use flash cards for practice in the following ways: 

  • Practice saying the word aloud when you see it on the flash card
  • Practice saying the word aloud, then spelling it aloud
  • Practice reading the word, writing it yourself, then saying it aloud

Making flash cards is an especially good activity for kids. They’ll have fun decorating their cards, which has an added bonus of sneaking in some extra study time, too. 

To create sets of sight word flash cards, you’ll probably want to use the Dolch and/or Fry Sight Word Lists, since these lists correspond with those used by teachers in school. Luckily, those are available online for free at the links above. You can use flash cards to study at school, work, or home, or take them on the road for practice as well!

Put Together a Word Search

  • Cost: Free if you’ve got paper and pen on hand already!
  • Best For: Kindergarten and up 

Creating and/or completing a word search that includes several sight words can be an excellent way to practice picking out sight words quickly. Creating a word search is pretty easy! All you need is a piece of paper, a pen, and a list of sight words that you can incorporate into the word search. For a tutorial on creating your own word search, check out this resource. 

If you have a friend, classmate, or fellow parent who is learning sight words or helping someone else learn sight words, you can create word searches and exchange them with each other. Not only will you get in extra practice, you’ll also make friends with a study partner who can help you practice your words. 

body-candyland-board-game

You can repurpose an old Candy Land game and turn it into a sight word extravaganza…for free!

Sight Words Book Land

  • Cost: Free, if you already have all the materials, or about $13 for a Candy Land board game on Amazon
  • Best For: People ages 5 and up 

We’re going to get into some board games you can purchase to practice learning sight words in the next section, but did you know you can also create your own sight word board games with materials you have at home? Sight Words Book Land is one DIY board game option, if you’re feeling a little crafty! 

Sight Words Book Land is modeled after the popular kids’ game, Candy Land, and provides a fun, engaging format for sight word repetition. The game can accommodate two to four players, which is great for family learning. 

To create your own version of the game, you’ll need the following materials: 

  • Book Land Board, which you can download here
  • Book Land Cards, which you can download here
  • A color printer, or access to one
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • Game pieces of some kind

Alternatively, if you don’t want to print out your own game board and cards, you can repurpose an old Candy Land game for Sight Words Book Land. If you use a list of sight words online, you can write them on the old Candy Land game cards yourself!

To play, each player starts with their game piece on the “start” arrow, then takes turns drawing cards and attempting to successfully read the word printed on the card aloud. When a player reads the word on a card correctly, they move their game piece forward according to the colored dots on the card they drew. The first player who gets to the end of the board wins! 

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If you’re not the crafty type, there are plenty of sight word games you can buy, too. 

Physical Sight Word Games

When we say “physical” sight word games, we mean word games that use physical materials, like board games or card games. (Don’t worry: we’ll talk about digital games and apps a little later.) 

For many learners, having a tactile learning experience can help them memorize sight words more effectively. We’ve listed four physical sight word games that you can purchase in stores or online to help you practice learning sight words by heart. 

Key Education Sight Word Space Station Game

  • Cost: About $20 on Amazon
  • Best For: Kindergarteners to second graders

If you’re looking specifically for kindergarten sight words games, Sight Word Space Station could be a great choice! This multiplayer board game can be ordered online and includes all the materials children need to practice reading and memorizing sight words. 

This game is designed for kindergarten through second graders to help this age group practice reading and memory skills by identifying pairs of sight words. Up to eight players can participate in this concentration-style game, which includes 96 game cards total, and 48 color-coded, high- frequency sight word cards. As an added bonus, you can limit the number of card pairs that are in play to make the reading tasks less overwhelming for stressed or reluctant readers. 

Oh, and here’s where the space theme comes in: as matched cards are removed from the game board, an alien space station is slowly revealed. Past parent purchasers tout this feature as a major point of interest for their youngsters!

Sight Words Four in a Row

  • Cost: About $7 on Amazon Prime for the Connect Four game, and an additional $3 for sight word flash cards
  • Best For: Kindergarten and up 

Sight Words Four In A Row uses materials from the familiar game Connect Four in order to build learners’ confidence with sight words through repetition and quick reading. To recreate this sight word activity, you need a Connect Four board, Connect Four pieces, and a stack of sight word flash cards. 

Now, here’s how you play Sight Words Four In A Row: get two players together, place the Connect Four board between them, and take turns drawing a flash card from the stack and attempting to read the corresponding sight word aloud. Each time a player reads the sight word on a flash card aloud correctly during their turn, that player gets to drop a game piece into one of the Connect Four board slots. The first player to place four game pieces in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally wins! 

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Sight Word Bingo

  • Cost: About $7 on Amazon
  • Best For: People ages 5 and up

Another classic sight words kindergarten game is Sight Word Bingo. Like several of the board games and card games we’ve mentioned, you could make your own sight word bingo at home, but if you don’t have the time or interest, there are Sight Words Bingo games out there that you can purchase online and have delivered to your doorstep!

Sight words bingo works pretty much exactly like regular bingo. The caller calls out the word on a card or shows the card, then players search their cards for a match. If they find the sight word on their playing mat, they cover it with a chip. Learners get practice reading 46 words, increase their vocabulary and word recognition, and build reading and spelling skills. 

There are many variations of sight word bingo games that you could purchase, but most versions comes with 35+ playing cards, 260+ playing chips, calling cards, caller’s mat, answer guide, and a storage box. They also come in different difficulty levels: we’ve linked to an easier game, but don’t be afraid to bump up the challenge. 

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There are some great apps out there that can help you take your studying on the go! 

Digital Sight Word Games and Sight Word Apps

The last category of sight word activities we want to give you some options for is sight word apps and sight word games online. We’ve selected games that you can play on desktop or mobile so that you can have sight word games with you wherever you go. 

Learn Sight Words

  • Cost: Free! 
  • Best For: Kindergarten and up 

Learn Sight Words is an iPhone and iPad app designed for children. The 300+ sight word flash cards are based on the Dolch Word List (which we linked to above) and can be used for various forms of sight word practice. Reviewers say that if you’re looking for a sight words kindergarten game that’s compatible with what children are learning in school, Learn Sight Words is a great choice!

Children can use the app themselves to read sight words, listen to sight words, practice with app-generated mixes of 25 sight words per day, flag difficult words for extra practice, and view words in alphabetical or random order based on their grade level (the app has settings for pre-k through third grade). As an added bonus, the app’s “read aloud” feature can be temporarily turned off so children can practice saying the words aloud all on their own!

This sight words app doesn’t have a lot of fancy bells and whistles, but it’s easy for children to use for straightforward practice with sight words. 

The Sight Word Adventure

  • Cost: About $3
  • Best For: Kindergarten and up 

If you’re looking for a more immersive sight word game experience, The Sight Word Adventure is a great pick. This app offers seven different sight word games based on games children will likely be familiar with already—like bingo and whack-a-mole—and features a friendly kangaroo as a guide through the different games. 

The app allows you to select a level, ranging from pre-k to third grade, and tailors the sight word games to the designated learning level. The games are also structured into two categories: reading games and writing games. The reading games help learners recognize complete sight words, and the writing games test their ability to reproduce the words on their own. 

Parents might be interested to know that the app is customizable: you can include new sight words or prioritize specific words based on your child’s progress, which is trackable through the app’s parental dashboard. Finally, The Sight Word Adventure app is Voice-Over compatible, making it accessible to learners with disabilities. 

Education.com Sight Words Games

  • Cost: Free!
  • Best For: Kindergarten and up 

If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for sight words kindergarten games, check out the various online games provided by Education.com. Their repository of free sight word games includes everything from puzzles, to time-based challenges, to digital card games—and they’re paired with lively narration and engaging sound effects. 

Each game in the Education.com collection is prefaced by a one-paragraph description of the skills children will learn and practice, which age group the game is ideal for, and the option to view which state or national learning standards the game aligns with. The variety of types of sight word games available on this single site will keep children interested in learning sight words!

The only caveat here is that you’ll need to create an account with Education.com, and when you set up your account, you’ll be asked to indicate if you’re a parent or teacher. In other words, if you’re interested in using this resource for your own child or your students, you’ll have to do all of the online registration yourself. Additionally, since this is an online portal, you’ll want to supervise your children as they play. (The online-only aspect makes this resource super convenient for adult learners, though!) 

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What’s Next? 

If you love learning through games, we have many more recommendations on our blog. Be sure to check out our posts on spelling games, learning games for toddlers, and alphabet games.

If you’re working on your sight words, you may be interested in building some of your other vocabulary skills, too. Here’s an article on the 265 vocab words you should know to help you improve your vocabulary even more.

Vocabulary and literacy go hand-in-hand. To learn more about how to improve your reading comprehension skills, be sure to check out this resource. It’s full of expert advice and helpful tips for young adult and adult learners. 

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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About the Author

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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