VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES

Free Printable Downloads & Resources

"Colorful Words" Wall
Teaching vocabulary is important. We have space for furniture and equipment; we have space for books, backpacks, and writing utensils. If words are important, then finding places to organize and display words should take prominence in the structure of your classroom.

Wonder Words Poster Template
The above template (enlarged) provides students the opportunity to place words they understand when they are reading. Students are provided with opportunities during the day to discuss their word with others as we try different strategies to figure it's meaning.

Books With Colorful Words
Books for teaching vocabulary that contain "Colorful Words" are kept in a special place in the classroom. Books are reread throughout the year as we continue to find additional books with interesting words.

Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Sparkle and Spin by Ann and Paul Rand are great books to use at the beginning of the school year. Check out our Reading Resource II Page for other great books to teach "colorful words".

My Word Meaning
Choose a word that you will come across in a read aloud. Write that word in the left column. Have children draw a picture or write words to show what that word means to them before the reading. After you read, have the students draw a picture or write words if their meaning has changed. (This vocabulary activity is helpful to use when the comprehension strategy "mental image" is introduced).

New Word Grid
The New Word Grid allows students to make personal connections with words. It appeals to visual learning styles and allows students to organize their thinking and relate to words in a personal way.

My Connection
When teaching vocabulary, explain to your child, "Words are important to me and you will understand soon how important they are to you. Because we feel this way, we are going to spend time focusing on words and the connections between words and our reading." Use the following template for your child to draw or write their connections they make with words.

What Would It Mean?
Children enjoy sharing their personal connections to words, but they also need to know how a word fits into the world. Place a vocabulary word you are focusing on and have children think about what it might mean to someone else. (Children enjoy discussing what a word would mean to fictional characters and school staff members. This vocabulary activity works best when used on an overhead transparency to generate whole-group conversation).

My Schema
'Schema" is one of the first words we learn about at the beginning of the school year. It is all of the things that you know in your brain. Everyone has schema, although everyone's schema is different. Using the above document, have children draw a picture or write words in the light bulb about their schema for a particular word. This vocabulary activity can even create some interesting discussions in the classroom!

The Un-Dictionary
Authors like Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl create "silly" words that sound appealing to children. Their meanings can be figured out in context even though they are not real words. These "un-words" are kept in a special binder that students can add to when they come across them in print. A fun vocabulary activity for working with words!

Synonym Poster Template
This word bank focuses on word structures (synonyms) created by the teacher and student.

Synonym Word List
Click the above link to see a list of common synonyms!

My Colorful Synonyms
This is one of the first vocabulary activities we teach at the beginning of the school year. Begin by collecting bags of crayons that contain various shades of a specific color (Ex. Red: Red-Orange, Hot Magenta, Mahogany, Razzmatazz, Maroon, & Red-Violet). On a large chart paper write a word students can easily generate synonyms for, like "happy". Write the word and color over it with a red crayon. Have students think of other words that mean about the same thing as the word "happy". Write them down and shade over each word with a different shade of red. This activity helps children understand that synonyms are words that mean about the same thing but have different meanings and spellings; just like there are various shades of crayons. Using the above template, students can come up with synonyms for a word while coloring each crayon a different shade of a color.

Synonym Turkeys
This vocabulary activity (best used in November) helps students generate synonyms for a specific word with their families. When the list is returned to school, students place their original word on the body of the turkey and write the synonyms on each feather. Have children share their new words with classmates and display them in the room! Scroll down for "Antonym Turkeys".

Antonym Poster Template
This word bank focuses on word structures (antonyms) created by the teacher and student.

Antonym Word List
Click the above link to see a list of common antonyms!

Antonym Rap
By enlarging the above template, you can create a fun rhyming antonym chant that students enjoy singing and reading through out the school year.

Antonym Concentration
Laminate and cut out the following antonym cards. Have students work in small groups to find word matches. Three different antonym levels are provided on the above template.

Word Connections
Once synonyms and antonyms have been introduced, this template is used to help us see the connections between words as well as figuring out the meaning of new words. Keep this template close to where you read aloud to your children. Add words to it as needed and remember to revisit words discussed previously!

Examples and Non-Examples
Place a "new word" in the box at the top. Have students draw pictures or write words or phrases to give examples (synonyms) of that words and non-examples (antonyms) for that word.

Antonym Turkeys
This vocabulary activity (best used in November) helps students generate antonyms for a specific word with their families. When the list is returned to school, students place their original word on the body of the turkey and write the antonyms on each feather. Have children share their new words with classmates and display them in the room!

Homophone Poster Template
This word bank focuses on word structures (homophones) created by the teacher and student.

Homophone Word List
Click the above link to see a list of common homophones!

A Knight in the Night
After students understand that homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings, have them try to generate a list of homophones at home with their families. When lists are returned to school, encourage students to share them with the class!

A Pair of Pears
The above template can be used to write pairs of homophones on the pairs. It can also be used to display homophones that are generated by the teacher and the students (as shown on the above picture).

Compound Words Template
This word bank focuses on word structures (compound words) created by the teacher and student.

Compound Words With Paint Samples
By keeping a supply of laminated paint samples, students can easily practice writing and reading compound words they come across in print. This makes for effective vocabulary activities to keep at the writing center!

Compound Word Math
Have students look at the compound word addition sentences. Ask them to draw (or write) the missing picture in the empty box. See if they can also generate two new compound words on their own!

Part-Part Total
Some math programs teach children the “Part-Part Total Model” in which two numerals are placed in both “PART” sections. The sum of those two numbers is the “TOTAL”. The same idea can be done with compound words. Children write or draw pictures of the two parts of the word in the “PART” section. When those two words are combined, a new word (compound) is written or drawn in the “TOTAL” section.

Contractions Poster Template
This word bank focuses on word structures (contractions) created by the teacher and student.

Contraction Word List
Click the above link to see a list of contractions!

Contraction Clues
The following vocabulary teaching tool is a helpful reference for students when they are learning how to read and write common contractions. By looking at the second word, students can locate the rule for that contraction easily!

Contractions Bingo
Using the words at the bottom of the document, have students randomly fill in the blank squares. An adult calls out the contraction and the student colors in that square if they have its match. The winner is the first person to get five in a row! My students love this vocabulary activity

Prefixes and Suffixes
Help children understand and recognize common prefixes and suffixes by cutting out and laminating the above cards. Provide children with opportunities to locate these in words.

Root Words
This is a great tool to use when helping children understand prefixes, root words, and suffixes! By laminating the first page, you can write root words and teach children that a root word is just like the root of a plant...The root word will stay put when prefixes and suffixes are added to it!

-s, -ed, and -ing Endings
These charts can really help children when they are learning the rules for the endings -s, -ed, and -ing.

Common Prefixes/Suffixes
This document displays some of the most common prefixes and suffixes. By helping children understand the meaning of prefixes and suffixes, they can figure out the meaning of unknown words when they are reading.

Checkers Game: Prefixes/Suffixes
Purchase a checkers board (Wal-Mart) and place velcro on the black squares on the game board. Print, laminate, and cut on the following squares on the above template and place corresponding velcro pieces on the back. Place the words with prefixes and suffixes in random order on the game board. Each time a player moves a checker they must say the prefix or suffix, read the word, and explain what it means. (The template "Common Prefixes/Suffixes" from above can help children as they are playing this game).

Idioms
Many students, especially English Language Learners find our language difficult because of its infinite number of idiomatic expressions. Idioms are expressions that do not mean what they literally say. When children aren't exposed to these expressions (or when adults use them and don't explain what they mean) it can create a barrier to vocabulary and comprehension. One way to enrich your child's background is to expose them to as many expressions as possible. The link above contains some of the most common idiomatic expressions, but it's not an exhaustive list.

Who Let the Cat Out of the Bag? by The Fourth Grade Students of Newcastle Avenue is a great book to introduce idioms with young children!

Proverbs and Sayings
Proverbs and sayings are old and common phrases which are often repeated based upon experience and truth. Proverbs are used to remember complex ideas quickly and easily. The above link contains some of the most common proverbs and sayings, but it's not an exhaustive list.

Don't force your child to memorize idioms and proverbs, but simply pick the ones you like and find opportunities to use them when talking with your child. Make this a fun vocabulary activity!

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