Dictionary Name Game

This activity is great for helping your child learn new words with the help of a dictionary.

Dictionary Name Game

Required:

  • Dictionary
  • Pen and paper

What's in a name? A great opportunity for learning new words—with the help of a dictionary.

During breakfast, snack time, or any time you and your child want to expand your vocabularies and have some fun, pull out a dictionary. Then ask your child to select five words or so (adjust the amount according to your child's age and the amount of time you have for the activity) that begin with each letter in his or her name. Our son Noah, for example, might choose "numismatics" (the study of money), "nabob" (an influential person), "neanthropic" (related to modern human beings), "niblick" (a golf club), and "nilgai" (a large antelope), as well as words beginning with an "o," "a," and "h."

Once you've learned what the words mean, see whether your child can use them in sentences and then string the sentences together to tell a story. You can keep the plot moving ahead by looking up new words (simply use the letters in another family member's name) and adding the new vocabulary words to the story.

So, what did the nabob think when he saw a nilgai holding a niblick? Fore!