Can Word Games Increase Your Vocabulary?

Mastering a language is an exciting but monumental task. Working step-by-step and in a consistent and dedicated manner makes the whole process easier. One needs to equip oneself with the vocabulary often used in a language. Although, in order to be truly proficient in a language, the vocabulary level should be beyond basic. Rather than working harder and getting frustrated when the results aren’t as proficient as one might have expected, one needs to work smarter and even play when it comes to words. Word games can increase your vocabulary.

Since the beginning of creation, word games have played an important role in the development of vocabulary. One might not even realise at times that the games one played as a child actually helped in the development of vocabulary. Think of all the fun times you may have had while playing scrabble with your friends or cousins. What about all the crosswords you solved in magazines and newspapers? You probably had a lot of fun playing Hangman too. All these games were slowly but surely helping you grow more proficient in a language by increasing your vocabulary.

The development of the vocabulary of their children is often a point of concern for parents. A child with a well-developed vocabulary is in a better position to express themselves more clearly. People associate good vocabulary with higher intelligence. It is a challenge to increase vocabulary, especially for non-native language learners.

Homeschooling offers parents the opportunity to take an active part in the education and development of their children, even if the educational part is handled at home or online. Parents and tutors can come up with creative ways to develop the vocabulary of homeschooled children. Among homeschooling parents, one of the popular methods to increase vocabulary is to indulge the child in wordplay. It means an opportunity to have fun, and learning takes place without seeming like work. It is a win-win situation.

Playing with words definitely helps in the acquisition of more words. Read on to find out how and why word games are effective for developing vocabulary.

Bring out creativity and spark the imagination of children. Words games will make children look at words in a new light. You can make use of the multitude of games available online so that children are learning during their designated device time. If you wish to reduce screen time, you can come up with word games that can be played without the use of devices. Maybe you can hold a scavenger hunt with word puzzles, where a tool like Unscrambled Words will provide the clues. You could even bring out board games like Scrabble or Pictionary. Games like this will boost the creativity of the children and work wonders for their imagination. Word association will literally become child’s play!

Generate fresh motivation. Word games might just make a previously unwilling child pick up a dictionary or encyclopaedia. It may make the children search words online to be able to play better next time. Each game is a fresh source of intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation for the children. One must not underestimate the level of mental stimulation semantic games provide.

Develop the scope for interactive learning. Playing word games is an excellent strategy for promoting learning in an interactive manner. Interactive word games help in the retention of words and promote cognitive development. In such games, the students are more engaged. There is great scope for constructive feedback. Assessment can take place simultaneously, and the challenges can be shaped to suit the needs of the learner. Digital word games offer infinite opportunities for interactive learning.

Give the opportunity to learn while having fun. The traditional methods used to expand vocabulary can get boring for children. If you ask a child to just read a long passage or to learn words from a dictionary, learning may not be very effective. The child may not feel inclined towards learning in that case.

Word games are alluring for children. The children don’t have to be coaxed to do this type of activity. Children are usually excited to play games so the learning takes place while they are happy and having fun.  Word games help children to remember words better.

Expanding vocabulary is the superpower of word games. Explore the available options in word games or create your own. It is time to harness this superpower!