Games to Improve Vocabulary Skills for Primary School Students

Vocabulary is an important focus of English teaching. It refers to the knowledge of words- more specifically, their structure, links to other words, grammar and meanings. Words are the currency of communication, therefore a diverse vocabulary improves listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. A dictionary is one of the most useful tools to help understand meanings of words and how to use them correctly within sentences. However, it’s important to know how to use a dictionary correctly or it can in effect, teach you the wrong meaning of a word and make it more difficult to communicate ideas with new words.

If you’re searching for classroom resources to improve your student’s vocabulary and dictionary skills, be sure to visit the Resources for Teaching website. They have plenty of English teaching resources that can be used for children from Kindergarten until Year 6. Children love learning through playing games and their ‘Dictionary Dig Task Cards’ are engaging and help to develop literacy skills in a fun and meaningful way! Children use task cards to search for different types of words with a focus on nouns, adjectives, verbs, compound words, beginning and ending letters. These cards allow students to practice sorting through dictionaries to locate specific meanings and become familiar with tricky words that they can use to extend their vocabulary!

Student-driven engagement is the most effective way to involve students in high-quality learning. This can be achieved by teachers focusing on creating challenging and interesting tasks that require students to discuss with others and work collaboratively with their peers and resources. One strategy to improve student engagement and motivation is to create structures for student ownership.

There are two packs to choose depending on the year level you teach. The Junior Dictionary Dig Task Cards are suitable for students in Years 1 and 2, the standard Dictionary Dig Task Cards work well with student in Year 3, 4, 5 & 6. Great websites for teachers can be hard to come across, however, the Resources for Teaching store offer plenty of helpful resources at affordable prices. To view more of their English teaching resources be sure to visit their website (https://resourcesforteaching.com.au)

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