Oral Language Games at Home!
Hello to my two lovely classes!
I am missing you all very much, and I thank the parents who have been in contact for giving me some news on how you are coping in this difficult situation. It has brightened up my day receiving your emails!
Today I am going to give you some ideas on how to play some oral language games at home. These games require little, or no resources and can be played after dinner at the kitchen table or sitting in your sitting room - ideally it is nice if you have more than two people to sit in a circle so at a table or on the floor is a good spot!
Oral language games are vitally important. They help expand your child's vocabulary. They help build a solid foundation in oral language so that your child becomes a successful reader and strong communicator. When your child's bank of words grows, they become more confident, feel more able and their self esteem soars. Play these games at home with your son or daughter and you are giving them the tools of language - a priceless skill.
These games are very simple. I will not overload you with too many for now, and in time, I will add to them if you would like me to.
- Word Tennis - this game can be played in pairs or in a group. Let the oldest in the group pick the first topic, for example fruit, colours, toys, story books, furniture, appliances, food in the fridge. Take turns naming something within the topic you have chosen.
- "I went to the shop and I bought..." - again this game can be played in pairs but it is more suitable to groups. The oldest person starts again. This is so that the oldest person can model what to say. The oldest person says the sentence and then adds on what they have bought in the shop. Here is an example of players A, B and C playing this game!
Player A. "I went to the shop and I bought milk"
Player B. "I went to the shop and I bought milk and cookies"
Player C. "I went to the shop and I bought milk, cookies and pizza"
Player A. "I went to the shop and I bought milk, cookies, pizza and orange juice"
Player B. "I went to the shop and I bought milk, cookies, pizza, orange juice and bread"
The game continues on until the list is so long you all can't remember what was bought!
- Tell a Story - for tell a story use a small ball, teddy or brick as a speaking object. The oldest person begins again to insure he/she models for the younger players. The oldest person begins by starting the story with one sentence for example, "Once upon a time, there was a little boy." Pass the speaking object to the next person and it is their turn to add a sentence to the story, for example "He lived in a castle made of marshmallows." Continue passing the ball around the circle/table until your story has finished.
Remember grown ups a story always has a clear beginning, middle and end so by playing this with your children you can steer the story in the right direction. Usually in the "middle" section a problem arises like "A dragon arrives at the castle to eat the boy." By the end of the story, the boy somehow escapes and the story ends happily!
- Sit in a circle and use a restorative sentence starter;
- I am happy when...
- I like to eat...
- My favourite place to go is...
- In the morning I feel...
- When I am sad I need...
- I feel angry when...
- I would like to paint a picture of...
- The best present I ever got was...
- If I had one wish I would wish for...
- On rainy days I like to...
Use one sentence starter each time you play!
- Who am I? Think of an animal, pet, zoo, farm or wild animal. Don't tell anyone. Describe this animal in three ways. Say...
- It lives on a farm.
- It is pink.
- It says "oink oink". What am I?
Whoever guesses your answer and gets it right goes next!
- "I spy with my little eye, something red." Allow everyone to guess objects that you can see from where you are all sitting. The object must be in view to all.
I hope these few games will help at home! I will continue to add to the website over the course of the week so please so check it out and if you would like me to add any topic in particular, just ask me in an email.
Love your teacher, Gráinne
